reach newsletter - issue 1

B U S I N E S S S E R V I C E S

REACH Issue 1

“The time has come for the Midlands to rediscover its enterprising roots and to become a leading economic powerhouse for the UK and, as the UK City of Innovation, Derby is well-placed to pioneer a new era of regional economic vitality.”

One of the things I love about Derby is our ambition; we are a high-tech hub in the heart of the UK, and we’re right behind this as a

university, not least because it speaks to our core values: Inspire, Innovate, Impact.

Inspiring tomorrow’s workforce, resourcing today’s businesses: these are ways in which our University contributes towards building a vibrant local economy and why we have now added a team of business specialists with commercial expertise to bridge the gap between the needs of commerce and

industry and the academic excellence from within the University and its partner associates.

I invite you to reach out to our business services team to understand more about the services we deliver in helping organisations and individuals embrace innovation, inspire customers and deliver real impact on personal and corporate performance.

Significant plans to turn Derby into a “university city” are gathering pace, with both local and business communities standing to benefit.

The University of Derby has vowed to “engage” more with businesses and develop a more bespoke approach to find out what their needs are and will then address these needs whether that be through research projects; assisting firms with funding applications or developing courses that equip students with skills required by a range of sectors.

To achieve this strategic engagement industry experts are being recruited by the university to put the plan into action and the Vice-Chancellor Kathryn Mitchell said it was a “bold yet required investment” to strengthen the university’s ties with Derby’s business community.

“We’d like Derby to be a university city. In order to deliver this we need greater cohesion between businesses and the university.”

Significant efforts are being made to entwine the university with the rest of Derby. After all, we have 20,000 students

– many living within our city which makes up almost 10% of the city’s population.”

Richard Watkins, the University’s head of commercial business engagement, said it was an

“exciting” plan that will focus on strengthening the university’s ties with SMEs (small and medium enterprises).

He said: “We want to engage with the supply

chain. This approach matches the skills of our university but in reality 95% of the UK’s economy is built upon micro businesses with 0-9 employees”.

We are developing a very niche team with key attributes which is why we’ve recruited staff with industry experience.

“The team’s role will be to connect the University with the ideas of industry and commerce, as well as create lifelong and substantial partnerships with local businesses with the main objective to bridge the gap between business and our current academic offering.”

We are in the process of assembling this team appointing senior executives from a range of industries with a wide variety of expertise, for example, one has 15 years’ experience in logistics, one has been in the rail industry for

17 years and another from a local OEM (original equipment manufacturing)

“In total, we’re looking to have a core team of four industry experts.”

Mr Watkins stated “we do not want to duplicate the role of other key partners in the region as this would lead to inefficiency and offer no added value for SMEs. We are keen to work collaboratively with regional partners. These would include Derby City Council Marketing Derby, D2N2, East Midlands Chamber and other universities. We consider that our team lead by industry professionals will enable innovation within Derby and the region. This provides an exciting opportunity to deliver significant engagement and increased economic outcomes for our region.

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WELCOME

NEW ERA WILL SEE OUR UNIVERSITY ENGAGE MORE WITH BUSINESSES

REACHISSUE 1

TO THE FIRST ISSUE OF REACH – a regular update from Research, Innovation and Academic Enterprise – as we look to strengthen our links with local business and industry through a collaborative working approach that will deliver a positive impact.

Professor Margaret Bruce Deputy Vice-Chancellor

AN UPDATE FROM RESEARCH INNOVATION AND ACADEMIC ENTERPRISE

In the same way it’s important we know who the key stakeholders and decision makers of the region are, we also believe it’s important you know who we are, what we do and how to get in touch.

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MEET THE TEAM

Sarah Bell Snr. Business Engagement Manager – Logistics Sector

Andy Dowling Business Engagement Manager – College of Life & Natural Sciences

Ana-Maria Stevenson Snr. Business Engagement Manager – Rail Sector

Angela Tooley Snr. Business Engagement Manager – Aerospace Sector

Kim Simonis Business Engagement Manager – College of Business

Richard Watkins Head of Commercial Business Engagement

Hannah Hallam Business Engagement Manager – College of Arts

Sarah will partner with the logistics sector, an industry that she has worked in for 19 years gaining experience in Customer Service, Sales, Operations, Learning and Development and wider HR. In her last role as Head of Learning and Talent Development, she was responsible for the attraction and development of UK employees, creating solutions for many topical Logistics challenges. Sarah is an EMCC qualified coach and mentor and has a Masters in Human Resource Management.

t: 01332 597968e: [email protected]

Angela will collaborate with businesses in the engineering sector to help them identify opportunities, and develop the best solutions to enable growth and develop their people. She has worked in the sector for over 20 years in Supply Chain, Purchasing, Operations, Business Improvement and Merger & Acquisition roles. She has also ran her own small business for over 3 years. She is a six sigma green belt, SFEDI accredited coach and a member of the Chartered Institute of Purchase and Supply (CIPS).


Ben Cope Business Engagement Manager – College of Health & Social Care

Andy has over 15 years’ experience in sales and marketing in a variety of different sectors including health and fitness, business services, IT communications and Higher Education. He will work closely with the College of Life and Natural Sciences as well as supporting the delivery of the ENSCITE project which will develop links to companies in the Transport Equipment Manufacturing sector. Andy has a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing and a BA Honours in Sport and Leisure Management.


Ben will continue to work with the College of Health & Social Care in pro-actively engaging with external stakeholders to define their workforce needs and form successful partnerships. Ben has worked at the University for 2 ½ years, building up considerable knowledge of the Higher Education sector and the impact that we can have on our regional stakeholders. Prior to this, Ben specialised in B2B client management for 15 years at Deb Group.


Ana-Maria has worked in the rail industry for 19 years and has held management positions in business development, project management and business improvement. In her previous roles, Ana-Maria was responsible for the whole sales process and end-to-end customer contact and worked closely with Leasing Companies, Train Operators, OEMs, Network Rail and the wider Supply Chain. She is an MBA-qualified professional with a successful track record in prospecting for new business, developing relationships with industry stakeholders and driving customer excellence.


Hannah will focus on creative industries, working closely with the College of Arts, Banks Mill Creative Studios and the creative sector. Hannah’s experience spans 22 years, primarily working in live performance and theatre both in a technical production capacity and business development and fundraising. Prior to joining the university Hannah was Head of Business Development at Curve theatre, Leicester, where she established strong fundraising and commercial revenue streams, and developed mutually beneficial partnerships and sponsorships with business.


Richard has over 24 years’ experience within the UK manufacturing industry which is firmly supported by demonstrable achievement in developing business from widespread industry sectors including Automotive, Motor Sport, Aerospace, Medical and Pump & Valve Industries along with associated 1st & 2nd tier supply chains. Working in partnership with Universities and Catapult Centres at board level, Richard has experience of delivering R&D projects and business relationship development with both OEM’s & SME’s.


Kim is a sales and marketing specialist with strong commercial awareness and business acumen with experience in the Information Technology and Education sectors. An international background and entrepreneurial skills mean she is able to adapt in diverse environments. Kim takes a proactive approach to developing and managing business as well as providing innovative marketing solutions. She has experience in marketing, client relationship management, strategic business development, business planning, improvement and networking.


REACH Issue 1

Supported by the

Regional Growth Fund

Invest to Grow is a £16m programme designed to support private sector businesses, predominantly in the form of loan funding, to grow and create jobs.

The basics you need to know about the Invest to Grow scheme:•Grants or loans – according to the

needs of the business – are available for around 30% of the cost of investment to help create long term sustainable job growth. The business has to find at least 70% of the project cost.

•Minimum award size is £15k, so the minimum project cost is likely to be £50k. Maximum award size is £1m.

•The programme is aimed at growth sectors such as Transport Equipment Manufacturing, Life Sciences, Construction, Food & Drink Manufacturing, Logistics, Low Carbon, Creative Industries and Visitor Economy.

•The project must be located in the East Midlands

For further information, to find out if you qualify or to download our frequently asked questions fact sheet please visit derby.ac.uk/investtogrow

CASE STUDY XenoGesis LtdBioCity-based, XenoGesis Ltd has invested in new technology with the purchase of a brand new, state-of-the-art LC-MS/MS machine, with the support of Invest to Grow.

XenoGesis Ltd. specialises in preclinical drug metabolism & pharmacokinetics (DMPK), quantitative bioanalysis and expert interpretation. The new machine has increased work capacity as well as adding a new range of capabilities for the company.

Commenting, Dr Richard Weaver, Founder and Managing Director of XenoGesis Ltd, said, “Since the grant

was awarded XenoGesis has increased its staff by another 4 people. 3 of these posts have been as a direct result of further investment in the company based on the purchase of the new instrument, for which Invest to Grow supported 30% of the costs through a grant. The new Waters Xevo TQ-S micro with ACQUITY I-class was installed in August and has increased our capacity by around 50% as well as adding a new range of capabilities. This has been a very successful investment for XenoGesis. We continue to recruit as we grow, creating opportunities for scientists here in Nottingham.”

David Harper, the University’s Head of Strategic Programmes said, “We are delighted to support the growth plans of XenoGesis. The funding has allowed the company to invest in important capital equipment, and has lead directly to the creation of high quality jobs”.

Enscite is a unique organisation, created to improve the performance of supply chain companies in the transport engineering sector collaborative joint venture between Derby City Council, The University of Derby, Aston University, and Cranfield University.

Enscite offers a range of funded support services to SMEs operating within or wanting to access the aerospace, automotive and rail sectors. Utilising the expertise of world-class partners, it delivers practical business improvement programmes, runs supply chain workshops and leverages funding to support investments in new technology.

From a base in the new ihub on Infinity Park Derby, Enscite offers incubation and support services to companies within – or those wishing to access – transport engineering supply chains. These services will help growth-oriented companies develop new revenue streams, access professional advice in a range of areas (such as IP protection, funding and investment, bid writing and business planning) and link to cutting edge knowledge and research across Enscite’s delivery partner network.

At the heart of Infinity Park, Derby will be the Innovation Centre – an iconic new building offering office and workshop space to advanced manufacturing companies and start-up businesses.

Fab Labs are places where you can access advanced digital manufacturing technology to turn new ideas into potential products. They have grown in popularity since being conceived by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US several years ago.

Fab Labs provide low cost, easy access workshop space fitted with a range of cutting edge digital design

and fabrication technology (e.g. CNC machining, 3D printing, vacuum casting). They help companies innovate without large capital investment and massively reduce the time for prototyping new designs.

We want to introduce this concept to the Innovation Centre to encourage both existing transport engineering companies and budding entrepreneurs to develop and test new product ideas quickly and cheaply. Our Fab Lab which will come with the support of skilled technicians to help users get the most out of the equipment.

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES

ENSCITE

iHUB

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The ihub: The £11.8m centre piece to Infinity Park Derby

B U S I N E S S S E R V I C E S

The Institute for Innovation in Sustainable Engineering (IISE) is the University’s investment to support advanced manufacturing and engineering companies in our region by providing resources to help test new products or processes and to drive innovation.

Working with industrial partners and supported by Rolls Royce, Toyota and Bombardier, we achieve cutting-edge solutions to challenges SMEs are facing.

The IISE provides access to our knowledge and expertise, as well as the very latest technological resources, including machinery and equipment supplied by our partners DMG Mori Seiki, Renishaw, Eley Metrology, World Viz and Creat3d.

The IISE is headed by Professor Richard Hall, who has an international reputation in aerospace, automotive and high-value manufacturing industries, work collaboratively with industry to research and develop sustainable solutions within engineering. Richard commented:

“Derby was the fastest growing city in the country last year by GVA (gross value added) and we want to further support and add value to local companies, providing them access to the latest research findings and advanced technologies.”

He added: “Institutes such as IISE are a relatively new idea, particularly for this region and it is proving instrumental in creating a sea change in local activity to reinforce that Derby is the best place in the world for making high-value products.”

Core themes and areas of specialism for IISE include:• advanced manufacturing strategy

and systems• sustainable design and innovation

in products and manufacturing processes

• control and instrumentation for products and processes

•embedded systems for commercial and industrial applications

• sustainable rail transport infrastructure

•energy and the environment.

At the same time, research undertaken at IISE feeds into postgraduate programmes at the University, introducing practical innovation to the curriculum and inspiring the next generation of engineers.

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HELPING MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING COMPANIES TO INNOVATE AND GROW

derby.ac.uk/[email protected]

Professor Richard Hall Director of Research, Innovation & Impact

reach newsletter - issue 1

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