UNIVERSITIES:
Opening Doors to Business
Universities: Opening Doors to Business Did you know that by working with universities your organisation could gain access to a wide range of opportunities and resources? Including: l Funding l Industry projects l Graduate & student placements l Knowledge and expertise l Research & Innovation l Training & Development l Consultancy l Access to state of the art equipment & technology l Facilities & Venues And much more... This booklet comprises of a number of projects and initiatives available to businesses, giving a brief introduction to some of the types of support and opportunities available. This list is not exhaustive and new projects and initiatives are continually being developed throughout the universities on an on-going basis. The Dragon Innovation Partnership (DIP) was established in 2008 as a collaboration between the former Swansea Metropolitan University, Swansea University and University of Wales Trinity Saint David. The Partnership aimed to assist businesses and organisations in reaching the relevant expertise and resources from the universities and help in facilitating the development. The strength of the Partnership lies in the diversity of expertise and resources across the universities in South West Wales, as well as the synergy of knowledge they share. For more information on The Dragon Innovation Partnership and the the projects, initiatives and opportunities available through working with the universities please contact us.
University of Wales Trinity Saint David l Research, Innovation and Enterprise Services business@uwtsd.ac.uk +44 (0)1792 481199
Swansea University l Research, Engagement and Innovation Services researchandinnovation@ swansea.ac.uk +44 (0)1792 606060
Architectural Glass Centre (AGC) The Architectural Glass Centre (AGC) offers a comprehensive range of services covering most aspects of commissioning, manufacturing and installing decorative glassworks. The Centre works with a diverse range of clients and may act as commissioning agent, project manager, consultant or undertake research and development for architectural glass projects.
Contact details: Alun Adams 01792 481199 alun.adams@uwtsd.ac.uk http://www.uwtsd.ac.uk/agc/
ASTUTE 2020 ASTUTE 2020 is a proposal under development for a Higher Education led operation to deliver commercial gain for Advanced, High Value Manufacturing companies in Wales by providing focussed, world class expertise centred on Advanced Engineering, Materials and Manufacturing.
“ASTUTE has been the most useful of all the academic programmes that we have engaged with over the years.
Evidence shows that it is manufacturing companies operating in specialised, niche areas that have been successful in surviving the economic difficulties over the last five years.
Nick Corlett, Steritouch
“Well managed, with a good understanding of our requirements and excellent speed of response.”
The ASTUTE 2020 partnership of Welsh HEIs will support them via technology transfer, intensive collaborative R&D and Innovation projects in manufacturing technology. As the economic situation improves there will be many opportunities to enable growth in enterprises, but also threats from a rapidly changing global technological environment. ASTUTE 2020 will enable and stimulate companies to capitalise on the opportunities and it will support addressing the threats. Contact details: 01792 606378 info@astutewales.com www.astutewales.com
BEACON: Bio Refinery Centre of Excellence BEACON will build on research already underway at Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) to produce fuels from energy crops such as high-sugar grasses like rye. It will also enable Swansea University to focus on developing their prior expertise in using bacteria and fungi to digest, or ferment, plant matter within the bio-refining process.
BEACON is led by Aberystwyth University in collaboration with partners at Bangor and Swansea Universities. It is backed by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.
Bangor University will build on work to develop new materials from plants which can be used to develop innovative products, having recently discovered that compounds found in some local plants can be used to control problems like potato blight. We are seeking to: l Establish links between the business community and academia within Wales l Develop new products and processes that will support economic growth l Create highly skilled jobs in the area of green biotech l Support inward investment
Contact details:
l Promote science excellence from Wales
Professor Diane Kelly D.Kelly@swansea.ac.uk http://www.beaconwales.org/
Centre for NanoHealth (CNH) Established in 2009, the Centre for NanoHealth combines nanotechnology with medical science to provide opportunities to develop innovative solutions to the world’s challenge of detecting the onset of diseases at the earliest stage. Novel devices, processes and sensors can be designed, manufactured, functionalised, tested and evaluated for point of care, near–patient and in vivo applications. The centre is committed to supporting SMEs to multinationals through access to expertise, state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.
modelling, regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and nano(geno)toxicology.
l Characterisation with equipment capable of electrical, physical & chemical analysis. l Micro-Nano fabrication- from sensors and devices, microfluidics & MEMS to printing & coatings. Incorporated is a fully equipped nano-fabrication and characterisation class 1000/100 cleanroom for silicon and non-silicon based developments, a class 1000 bioclean room for tissue engineering and device functionalization, NMR, rheology and biomolecule printing.
Companies receive a tailored service to meet their business needs from proof of concept, research & development, prototyping right through to scale up activities.
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The centre offers a fully integrated nanotechnology and biomedical Research & Development environment with expertise in:-
“Collaborating with CNH has provided excellent results and we expect to complete the laboratory tests of the drug loading process by the end of the project.”
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Biology and advanced cell imaging – The centre includes a category 2 biomedical suite of laboratories offering cell and molecular biology capabilities, including confocal microscopy, and high-throughput/high-content analytical systems (Amnis Imagestream & GE In Cell), microbiology, informatics &
Alan Marsh of P&S Nano Contact details: Emma Dunbar, Commercial Manager 01792 606471 nanohealth@swansea.ac.uk www.swansea.ac.uk/nanohealth
Cerebra Innovation Centre Cerebra Innovation Centre (CIC) is a bespoke product design service offered by national charity Cerebra to its members. Many of the products designed serve as daily living aids. CIC has made a tremendous difference to the lives of many children with neurological conditions across the UK. The unique strategic vision for CIC means that they are able to respond to individual requests for help and can make small numbers of bespoke products that focus heavily on individual requirements, aesthetic attributes and inclusion into society. Some of the products in the portfolio have been commercialised in partnership with third party manufacturers under licensing agreements and many more are planned.
Contact details: Dr Ross Head, Product Design Manager 01792 483688 ross.head@uwtsd.ac.uk www.cerebra.org.uk/cic
CIRIC Established in 2005, the Creative Industries Research and Innovation Centre (CIRIC) is a hub for research, learning and Intellectual Property (IP) development which has worked with over 500 businesses in the creative industries sector.
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Drawing on the expertise and resources from within the Swansea College of Art, CIRIC work with companies and individuals looking for new methods to address business issues, and stimulate creativity and innovation. In recent years CIRIC has developed expertise, knowledge and has established a range of facilities through a number of successful EU funded projects including; the Advanced Communications Technology Project (ACT), Moving Images Wales (MIW) and the Institute for Sustainable Design (ISD). These expertise and facilities remain available to support businesses with future projects continually being developed.
Contact details: James Moxey +44 (0) 1792 481 253 james.moxey@uwtsd.ac.uk www.uwtsd.ac.uk/research/
Case Study: Institute for Sustainable Design (ISD) and HOS Civils Profit Increase for HOS Civils HOS Civils Ltd, a leading producer of large scale concrete structures wanted to develop the in house capacity to create bespoke designs. Through ISD (a European funded project) HOS were able to qualify for a six month funded research and development collaboration, which allowed the company to work intensively with specialist design and technical staff. As a result HOS were able to customise the scale and ratio of the mould-liner to improve ease of handling, reduce material waste and cost and ensure the continuity of the tiled design.
Contact details: Ian Williams (UWTSD) 01792 481194 isd@uwtsd.ac.uk www.isdwales.com
Creative Bubble University of Wales Trinity Saint David in Swansea is making use of a city-centre commercial unit to create economic and social impacts for the city, through the arts, in an innovative new project with Swansea BID (Business Improvement District) called ‘Creative Bubble’. Creative Bubble is based in a disused commercial unit on Craddock Street. It provides an area where students can develop and plan creative ideas that use the city centre as a canvas for both creative practice and entrepreneurial and business developments.
“I am delighted that we have got this idea of the ground and operational. Not only does it benefit the students in their studies and employability in the future but also helps recruit more people into the city centre, plus adding to the atmosphere. Our Commercial Business Group secured an empty property where the students can base themselves for lectures and then go into the city centre to perform these events. It’s certainly something different, adding to dynamic of the city centre.” Russell Greenslade, Chief Executive of Swansea Bid
Students from different disciplines are collaborating to produce new and distinctive work that engages with the communities and businesses in Swansea. The project highlights the University’s aim of supporting cooperation between companies and institutions to develop initiatives designed to benefit economic and social development with the region.
Contact details: Lucy Beddall Creative Bubble Project Manager 07717 281 925 lucy.beddall@uwtsd.ac.uk www.facebook.com/swanseacreativebubble
eHealth Industries Innovation Centre (ehi2) ehi2 works with companies in creating new, innovative ehealth products and services with global market potential, working closely with the NHS and other health systems to identify needs for new products and services. It helps businesses to test, adapt, improve and evaluate products and services in a safe and reliable environment to maximise their competitive advantage; advise and assist companies and where needed, facilitate access to clinicians, academics, NHS, and national NHS IT and ICT programmes. The centre is home to the Welsh Node of the National Virtual Incubator (NVI) with provides excellent networking opportunities through its programme of free business related events and mentor sessions.
“ehi2 represents a unique, sustainable and commercially valuable asset to the Welsh economy. “We can help companies create the evidence they need to prove their products are clinically and cost effective, and verify that their products or services can work alongside others in complex healthcare environments. “E-Health is a multi-billion pound, high growth, high technology global market, with massive opportunities for companies that have well designed, tested and evaluated products and services”. David Ford, Professor of Health Informatics, Swansea University Medical School.
Contact details: 01792 295627 ehi2@swansea.ac.uk www.ehi2.swansea.ac.uk
Headstrong Theatrical Services Headstrong offer a variety of services including design, CAD, set building, props, puppets, costume and scenic art. Headstrong is supported by the School of Performing Arts at University of Wales Trinity Saint David with the aim of offering skilled graduates and students professional development opportunities. Headstrong operate in a fully equipped scenic workshop, enabling them to offer a complete package covering design and model making through to finished product, delivery and fit up - and any stage in-between.
Contact details: Stacey Jo Branford: 07866 589123 Dave Atkinson: 07813 956663 head-strong@hotmail.com
Institute of Life Science The Institute of Life Science (ILS) is Wales’ premier purpose-built medical research and business incubation facility. It is a partnership between Swansea University, Welsh Government, the NHS, and other business partners. The vision for the ILS is to advance medical science through multi- and interdisciplinary research and innovation for the benefit of human health, and to link those benefits to the economy by encouraging interaction with other organisations in a spirit of Open Innovation. The first phase of the ILS vision delivered a state-of-the-art building housing over 200 professional specialists in medical research, working across four floors of wet laboratories and floor for business incubation and devices laboratories to facilitate technology transfer. It also brought a High Performance Computing infrastructure through an effective collaboration with computer giant, IBM. The second phase of the vision boasts a further 6000 square metres of facilities to build capacity, expertise and infrastructure for the benefit of the health and wealth of the nation. ILS Phase Two houses a range of fully operational business incubation units, a Clinical Research Facility incorporating jointly-located clinical trials and imaging suites
working in close collaboration with the NHS and Siemens; NHS Informatics Research Laboratories; The Farr Institute - CIPHER; High Performance Computing (HPC) in collaboration with IBM and Fujitsu; and the Centre for NanoHealth, an open access R&D facility dedicated to the advancement of health care through the application of nanotechnology. Current developments include the Data Science building, supported by Medical Research Council (MRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Welsh Government, which will create a world-class centre in administrative data and ehealth research, innovation, training and development through our existing powerful, robust, state of the art data linkage and data access facilities. Forthcoming development of ILS will be delivered through collaboration with the ABMU Health Board and Hywel Dda University Health Board as part of the ARCH (A Regional Collaboration for Health) initiative. This will deliver an integrated step-change expansion of the research capacity, business development and innovation capabilities of the region and Wales as a whole.
Contact details: 01792 513718 ilsinnovation@swansea.ac.uk www.swansea.ac.uk/ils/
LEAD LEAD wales is a highly successful leadership development programme specifically designed for owner-managers of small and medium sized businesses and social enterprises located within the Wales Convergence Regions. Delegates are matched with their own Business Coach, attend Action Learning Sets and Master class Workshops. The programme is practical, providing the opportunity to work on the business rather than in the business.
“Openly discussing business challenges with other like-minded professionals is an immensely rewarding and reflective experience. LEAD has provided me with the confidence to expand and look at new opportunities for business growth.� Wayne Reynolds BSc (Hons) MSc MA MRTPI, Director, Atriarc Planning
The 10 month programme is fully funded through the European Structural Funding programme 2010-2014 (European Social Funds ESF) and Welsh Government and delivered by Swansea University and Bangor University. The programme has a proven track record of delivering improved business performance for past delegates.
Contact details: 01792 606738 info@leadwales.co.uk www.leadwales.co.uk
Case Study: ANYCommunications Ltd and LEAD Wales My name in Antony Worsley, and I’m Managing Director of ANYCommunications Ltd, a company I founded in 2011. ANYCommunications is a telecoms business offering Mobile Communications, Cloud Based Telephone systems, Tracking Solutions and Lone Worker Protection. We specialise in rugged mobile devices which sets us apart from other providers. These are devices designed to work in more challenging conditions. Shock and temperature tested, these are “Intrinsically Safe” devices designed not to become a source of ignition in conditions where it is dangerous to use a mobile device such as petro-chemical production. ANYCommuncations’ goal is to become the “Trusted Advisor” for clients or interested parties. We also offer training to our customers to use devices/services to ensure they are up to speed quickly. I joined LEAD Wales in 2012, we had been trading for just over 12 months and were finding that we were not getting the anticipated traction. Several key lessons were quickly learned. Working ON the Business and not IN the
Business now has a key place within our thinking. By carefully planning to take time to work on an element of the business we are seeing results and the fruits of the effort involved: over the last 12 months we have seen a 100% increase in turnover and 20% increase in profits. This was achieved by:
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Refining our offering to what we do best in the markets we know best Reviewing our marketing and focusing on where results were coming from Aligning with suppliers, Manufacturers and Providers who are SME centric
Are we in a position to expand? Not yet, but current growth puts us less than 12 months away from this decision which 24 months ago was a distant thought. LEAD Wales had a profound effect on both myself and the business, but how do you value priceless…
Materials Advanced Characterisation Centre The Materials Advanced Characterisation Centre (MACH1) offers a wide range of material and measurement capabilities to deliver multisample, high-throughput testing of advanced materials to industry. The MACH1 centre has been established to support companies by providing the capabilities to apply such techniques to metallurgical samples, including novel alloys, providing a complete set of properties for a given material. High-throughput techniques are being increasingly used to accelerate the analysis and characterisation of specimens, most notably in the pharmaceutical industry.
“The establishing of MACH1 project is great news for companies like ours as it has the potential to significantly speed up the development of new alloys. The facilities available will provide invaluable data that can help direct our strategies for future products�. Brian Edy, Technical Development Manager - Tata Strip Products
As materials are ubiquitous and intimately related to manufacturing processes, the development and selection of advanced materials for engineered applications will increase the competiveness of suppliers in the automotive, aerospace and opto-electronics sectors.
Contact details: Dr David Bould, Project Manager 01792 606872 D.C.Bould@Swansea.ac.uk www.swansea.ac.uk/engineering/mach1/
Non Destructive Testing (NDT) The University of Wales Trinity St David is the lead academic partner in the NDT Validation Centre at ECM2 Port Talbot with TWI Wales Ltd. This facility houses state of the art equipment and capacity, including ultrasonics, infrared thermography, computerised photoelastic stress measurement and scanning laser doppler vibrometry. In addition to these resources, the University is also equipped with conventional optical microscopy and high speed digital video facilities. “By using the expertise and equipment at UWTSD we have been able to rapidly accelerate our product. It’s allowed us to confidently move ahead with the added advantage of having our claims validated by an academic third party. The time to get the projects going was prompt and the quality of work and communication has been exceptional”. Paul Prickett, Matilda’s Planet
Contact details: Dr Peter Charlton peter.charlton@.uwtsd.ac.uk
Peniarth Established in 2008 with the aim of becoming a major centre of production of Welsh medium and bilingual classroom materials Canolfan Peniarth has developed to be one of the leading publishers in the primary and secondary sector in Wales. Our team of expert authors and the central staff of artists, designers, technicians and language tutors create the perfect blend of world-class educational resources in terms of academic resources as well as being colourful, vibrant and user-friendly. In addition to being a centre for publishing educational resources, the centre now offers various specialist services including; language training services in education, web design, interactive resources and information management systems services.
Contact details: Gwydion Wynne 01267 676826 g.wynne@uwtsd.ac.uk www.canolfanpeniarth.org
Swansea Nano Swansea Nano is an open access facility dedicated to providing solutions to industrial problems. Our expert team can offer advice, technology feasibility reviews and technology demonstrations to industry on a no cost basis. The centre has access to over £10m of equipment. To find out how these facilities can help your company visit us at Swansea University – or for a no obligation consultation on your industrial problems, contact Swansea Nano today. Facilities & Expertise Swansea Nano Knowledge Transfer Centre provides fast turnaround R&D support and open access to state of the art facilities to industry. Including the following: l Materials Analysis l Photonics l Photovoltaics l Test & Measurement l Semiconductors l Fabrication & MEMS l Sensors l Lighting l Surface Characterisation & Imaging
Contact details: Dr. Owen J Guy 01792 513181 o.j.guy@swansea.ac.uk www.swanseanano.com/
Technocamps Technocamps, established in 2003, is a schools outreach programme based in the Computer Science Department at Swansea University with hubs in virtually every University Computer Science Department across Wales. Its activities include full-day Workshops, the primary school Playground Computing programme, and the Technoteach teacher CPD programme. All of our activities are hands-on and designed to inspire, motivate and engage people with computational thinking.
It will give you an opportunity to raise your business profile with young people across Wales who could potentially end up as future employees.
Technocamps delivers a wide range of Workshops and training modules which have been delivered to over 15,000 young people and hundreds of teachers. All of the resources for our workshops and modules are freely available online. How can you help? Technocamps is looking for inspirational role models in industry who want to help raise the profile of what exciting career choices there are on offer for young people across Wales. If you are a web developer, a master of programming, a scientist or engineer, or simply work in an exciting role that you think would inspire young people to follow a career in STEM and are able to spare an hour of your time, then we want to hear from you.
Contact details: Professor Faron Moller 01792 606276 info@technocamps.com www.technocamps.com
UWLAS Archaeological Services UWLAS offer a range of professional consultancy services in environmental archaeology for clients in public, private and voluntary sector organisations, as well as providing support for academic research project. Over the past decade UWLAS has completed nearly 200 research contracts for more than 80 clients.
Contact details: 01570 424 739 www.uwtsd.ac.uk/uwlas/
Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating In addition to extensive facilities for commercial & packaging printing WCPC has created a Knowledge Transfer for Functional Materials. With open access facilities supporting the use of printing as a major disruptive technology for efficient, environmentally friendly advanced manufacturing for applications as diverse as automotive, garments, packaging and point of care medical diagnostics. This allows the opportunity for conventional print facilities to move in to new market sectors. Current work on printed electronics and biosensors offers exciting and interesting opportunities for both industry and graduates. This compliments the existing support that the WCPC already offers to companies on areas such as quality and productivity improvements, process mapping and solutions to specific problems.
Contact details: Glyn Davies 01792 295091 info@wcpcswansea.ac.uk g.r.davies@swansea.ac.uk www.swan.ac.uk/printing
Wales Institute for Work-Based Learning Wales Institute for Work-Based Learning (WIWBL) work with an array of organisations and individuals to support higher level learning in the workplace, including the public sector, private sector, third sector and individual learners (in paid or voluntary employment).
l Offer a consultancy service l Offer specific short courses
Through a tried and tested process of analysis, development, delivery, assessment and evaluation we can provide a programme tailormade to meet your needs. Through this process we can: l Accredit your existing in-house staff development l Design and deliver tailor-made programmes for you l Offer flexible, blended and demand-led learning l Accredit prior experiential and certified learning (APEL) l Deliver and access bilingually (Welsh)
Contact details: Dr Liz Wilson 01267 676882 wbl@uwtsd.ac.uk www.uwtsd.ac.uk/wiwbl
The Partnership also work with The Open University… The Open University - Delivering Organisational Impact in South West Wales The Open University’s (OU) unique learning method is based on over 40 years of research insight into how adults learn and apply knowledge in the workplace. Our accredited, scalable solution works whether you want to develop the skills of a single employee or 10,000 across multiple sites worldwide. Our highly rated learning experience ensures new knowledge is embedded into everyday practice from day one, helping to deliver improvements in organisational performance. Why choose us as your learning provider? Unrivalled expertise in distance learning – we design, create and deliver learning specifically for the needs of adults studying in a work placement or around work commitments. This is why our study is so highly rated – and why we have been ranked as one of the top five universities since 2005.* Scalable solution – as the UK’s largest university, we can deliver locally, nationally and internationally, however many employees you have. We deliver learning to over 240,000
students every year and can work with you to provide a consistent learning experience across multiple sites.
and management capability at all levels.
Organisational impact – our development provides an immediate return on your investment because staff can put into practice what they’ve learnt from day one. We’ve designed our learning to achieve sustainable change and to be embedded into everyday practice. Not only that, but our flexible study method minimises disruption to working hours and fits around work priorities.
We have worked with over 30,000 organisations from SMEs, public sector organisations through to large corporates.
What solutions do we offer?
Who do we work with?
Some of Britain’s most well-known employers have chosen the OU as their learning provider such as the NHS, 200 local authorities, Rolls-Royce, BT, First Group plc, John Lewis Partnership, Lloyds TSB and 80% of FTSE 100 companies sponsor their staff on OU courses.
Early career development – the OU offers a flexible model for growing your own graduates during employment. We also work with you to solve any immediate skill gaps and develop your talent pipeline. Talent management – invest in the people you already know and develop the specific skills your organisation needs. We work with you to provide an accredited solution for your high performers to help you develop and retain the right talent. Executive education – our triple accredited Business School is in the top 1% worldwide. We provide solutions that help build leadership
Contact details: Kevin Pascoe, Employer Engagement Manager 02920471019 kevin.pascoe@open.ac.uk www.open.ac.uk/employers