IPSS brochure

PSS

INNOVATIVE PRODUCT

SUPPORT SERVICE

Supporting businesses in the development of new products and processes

INNOVATIVE PRODUCT

IPSS SUPPORT SERVICE

Innovative Pro d t uc

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Supporting businesses to grow and helping to build the innovative culture and competitiveness of the West Midlands are both key priorities for the ERDF Programme. Through this £1 million project, businesses will be able to access specialist expertise and resources from a selection of West Midlands Universities supporting the exploration and development of new products.

Through such collaborations, we are able to lessen the risks to those businesses looking to take forward new ideas, by making use of experience and skills which exist within our universities. There is also strong evidence that once the relationships with universities are established they flourish over the long term to mutual benefit.

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Norman Price, Deputy Chair of the West Midlands ERDF Local Management Committee.

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Programme summary The Innovative Product Support Service (IPSS) programme supports businesses through the early stages of developing a new product or process.

IPSS aims to lessen the risks to businesses looking to take forward new ideas, by making use of experience and skills which exist within West Midlands Universities.

The programme is specifically designed to support businesses developing: • environmental technologies • low carbon engineering and products • digital technologies • transport technologies • electronics • medical technologies.

Businesses initially receive a two-day review of their proposed product/ technology. The results of the review are used to promote businesses with the most viable propositions through to a second phase of the programme that offers four days of funded support.

Examples of the support available to businesses include: • product design • market research • intellectual property advice • app development • new product development planning • electronics development.

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Eligibility The Innovative Product Support Service (IPSS) runs between 2012 and 2015 and is managed by the University of Wolverhampton. Delivery of support is undertaken by the West Midlands University Consortium comprising: - - - -

Coventry University Keele University Staffordshire University University of Wolverhampton

The programme is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, so to be eligible for support your business must be based in the West Midlands, have fewer than 250 employees, have a turnover of less than â‚Ź50m per annum and an annual balance sheet of less than â‚Ź43m.

How the process works All businesses interested in receiving support through the IPSS programme should initially call: 01902 321105 or email: ipss@wlv.ac.uk In contacting us, please be prepared to tell us the type of support your business requires and where the business is located. We do not require precise details of your technology at this stage.

Initial enquiry to tel: 01902 321 105 or email: ipss@wlv.ac.uk

Subject to eligibility, business allocated a consultant based on the type of support required and the location of the business.

Initial meeting held with business in order to gather information on the proposed technology/product. All discussions take place under a non-disclosure agreement.

Two day review of the proposed technology/product undertaken by the consultant.

Subject to a positive advisory report, the business is allocated a further four days of support to make progress against actions identified in the advisory report.

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Services offered Following a successful initial two day review of your technology, the IPSS programme can provide specialist early stage new product development services through the West Midlands University Consortium.

Examples of the services on offer through each consortium member are provided on the following pages.

Coventry University Keele University Staffordshire University University of Wolverhampton

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Coventry University

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Keele University

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Digital

Marketing Services

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Staffordshire University

University of Wolverhampton

Electronics

Market Research

Intellectual Property Services

Design Services

Product Assessment

New Product Development Planning

New New Product Development Services Product Development Services

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Sectors addressed:

• • • • •

Environmental technologies Low carbon engineering and products Digital technologies Transport technologies Medical technologies

Services offered: • Product design o o o o

Initial concept evaluation Product or service design CAD model development and prototyping Customer usability studies and reporting

• Intellectual Property advice

o Searching to identify whether IP is capable of protection, process for protection, annotation advice, IP valuation and licensing of IP

• App development o o o o

App design, storyboarding and blue-printing Platform specific advice [iOS, android] App functionality and interfacing Customer acceptability

• New product development planning

o Commercial opportunity appraisal of new products and services and routes to market o Manufacturing advice, applied research and development of new products

• Automotive

o High performance vehicle design capability, eg improving power and lightness of a vehicle system o Automotive design expertise

• Metrology services

o Professional development, training, consultancy to develop and/or improve measurement systems

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Sectors addressed:

• Low carbon energy production/ clean technologies • Environmental technologies • Low carbon materials • Chemical sciences

Services offered: • Idea/technology screening o Feasibility studies

• Intellectual Property (IP) o Review, assessments o Strategy development

• Materials testing and chemical analysis o Materials design and compatibility o High temperature materials and manufacturing o Composites

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Sectors addressed:

• Electronics • Environmental technologies • Digital technologies

Services offered: • Electronics engineering

o Electronic engineering solutions designed for modernising existing products or new product development

• Electronic prototyping

o Prototype development to determine practical functionality, limits and wider possibilities for new and research based designs

• Electronics design for manufacture

o Design of easy to manufacture electronic products

• EMC compatibility

o A screened room and open field test area for pre-compliance and self-certification of EU EMC directives and CE marking

• Sustainable design and renewable/sustainable energy o Support for developing new products with sustainability objectives

• Mobile fusion

o Mobile computing and control techniques in real-world engineering problems o Fusing mobile devices with other technologies

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Sectors addressed:

• Environmental technologies • Low carbon engineering and products

Services offered: • Initial screening of the innovative idea

o Technical feasibility o Assessment of the market opportunity o Synergy between the resource requirements and capability/ resources within the business

• Concept design

o Product design specification o Hand sketching o Initial CAD layouts

• Intellectual property review

o Assess the potential for achieving IPR protection o Development of an IP strategy

• Market research

o Competitor analysis o Market definition o Sizing of the market opportunity

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IPSS Project Office Caparo Innovation Centre Wolverhampton Science Park Wolverhampton WV10 9RU Tel: 01902 321 105 Email: ipss@wlv.ac.uk Web: www.wlv.ac.uk/ipss