Research + University collaboration at Belfast Met = Innovation
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orthern Ireland’s universities and colleges have so much to offer the business world that it is hard to know where to begin. Working in collaboration with our academic institutions can bring real and measurable benefits to companies. Funded by the Department for Employment and Learning, the Connected project is a clear sign that the further and higher education sectors in Northern Ireland are ready and willing to offer their vast pool of expertise, knowledge, research capability and world-class facilities to businesses and the community at large. Belfast Metropolitan College is one of our six regional colleges that have benefited from Connected. The programme has enabled the college to develop curriculum, partner with local universities and work with industry to improve performance in three key areas; Creativity and Innovation, Composites and Connected Care. The Creativity and Innovation strand has established “FRESH” a Creative Design Thinking programme, based on the Stanford D School model, which has been rolled out for industry, community groups and integrated into the College curriculum. Highly commended at the UK National Enterprise Educators Awards, Fresh for Business
Composites
The FRESH programme is recognised by leading educational institutions such as Koning Williem College, Netherlands who visited Belfast to see it in action. In addition, the programme is central to the Business Launchpad programme which enables students to use creative thinking to develop sustainable business ideas. In partnership with Queen’s University Belfast, the Composites strand of the programme has formed excellent working relationship within Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and wider UK Composites industry by providing
a range of ‘first of their kind’ training courses which have led to the College becoming an accredited Centre of Excellence for Composites by the National Skills Academy. In addition to training programmes, working groups have been established with industry stakeholders to discuss and move forward progressive, innovative ideas such as Composites recycling. The new facilities at Belfast Met’s e3 building that include a large, easy to access autoclave, have positioned the College as a key partner for companies interested in beginning production, developing prototypes and undertaking research through programmes such as Invest NI’s Innovation Voucher scheme. Recently, the College introduced a Connected Health Care strand which focuses on innovation in health care technology and the use of data analytics in the Life and Health Science sector. With developments in technology set to transform health care, Belfast Met, in partnership with University of Ulster are working with key public, private and third sector partners, and are ready to provide assistance in the growth, up-skilling and development of this emerging area.
For further information on Belfast Metropolitan College’s industry programmes, contact the Business Development Team on 028 9026 5069 or businessdevelopment@belfastmet.ac.uk