Skip to content or footer

By Louise Arnold, Business Engagement Executive, Interface and Suzy Powell, PR and Communications Executive, Interface

The business benefits of working with students are numerous, bringing a fresh source of new ideas, approaches and skills.

So often lack of resources within businesses means that an idea stays on the drawing board, even if it hinders business growth, but thanks to a number of initiatives linking businesses with universities, the option to work with Scotland’s top-class students from a diverse range of disciplines is more accessible than ever.  

And Interface is in a prime position to help match businesses with university expertise, including students studying a variety of courses across Scotland.

Working with businesses and organisations can enhance students’ employability by developing work-relevant skills, making them more “job ready”.

While students can be achieving well academically they have the opportunity to significantly develop transferable skills and build confidence which are best gained at the coalface of industry: speaking to clients on the phone, making presentations, business planning, devising a marketing strategy, conducting meetings, financial planning and decision making.

Euan Ryan, a recent graduate, worked with independent Scottish publisher, Bright Red Publishing, as part of his Business Management Degree at the University of Edinburgh. As part of the Management Consultancy module, and working as a team, he assessed the company’s potential growth strategies, and then analysed the feasibility and potential of new markets.

“I think the most interesting skill we developed whilst working with Bright Red was being able to apply the theoretical and academic knowledge we had gained from university in a real life situation. It changes the whole dynamic when your concepts and analysis relate to real problems with real constraints. It’s one thing to understand models, it’s another to apply them.    

“Alongside this, we learned a lot about working within teams, not only internally with our group but also through managing stakeholders and understanding Bright Red’s needs and requirements. It definitely helped us understand the importance of diplomacy and asking key questions which I can only imagine will be of assistance in our professional lives.”

Bright Red Publishing Director, John MacPherson, added:

“The Management Consultant project was an excellent experience from a business perspective as Bright Red gained the benefit of several smart and keen undergraduates applying their knowledge and clear vision to the company’s operations and future strategy.  The recommendations contained in the students’ final report are of great use and we will act on just about all of them.  As a group, the students were a real pleasure to work with also.  They showed real focus and intelligence – it is highly encouraging to see this calibre of undergraduate coming through Scotland’s universities.”

Euan has already drawn on some of his experiences at Bright Red Publishing to secure employment.

“I think the combination of managing relationships, conducting independent research and working towards a common goal will also help me perform better now that I am in my new role. In terms of experience it was a really essential process to go through.”

Many of Scotland’s universities operate industry-led student based learning projects, where companies put forward real business challenges for students to tackle. Students work with the companies, where they scope out a defined brief, undertake research and deliver their findings, analysis and recommendations to the business.

Projects can include group work, covering 8-12 weeks, or students can undertake an individual company sponsored dissertation on a specific research topic. The stakes are high for students as it often forms a large part of their final grade.

Feedback from the universities is that they greatly welcome the connections Interface makes for them with a diverse range of businesses bringing a variety of challenging projects.

Louise Arnold, Business Engagement Executive at Interface, said:

“The team at Interface work with hundreds of businesses every year to find them the right academic expertise to develop new products, services and processes. In some instances, the solution may connect businesses with students.

“Academic–business collaboration extends beyond laboratory based research and development: business process innovation, strategy development such as identifying new customers or suppliers, analysing the impact of new legislation or regulations, pursuing global markets or business planning can all be undertaken.

“Feedback from the businesses and students has been really positive with both gaining great benefits from the collaborations. We’ve heard from businesses that the projects have made tangible differences to their growth, future direction and strategy, while the students rise to the challenge of tackling real business problems, often finding that their suggested solutions are actually being implemented by the companies. In addition, these projects can often be the start of a longer term relationship between the university and the business.”

Comments made by the businesses which have worked with students included:

Nick Oliver, Professor of Management at the University of Edinburgh’s Business School, said there was “no substitute” for students “rolling their sleeves up and working with real-life problems.”

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for the students to apply many of the ideas that they cover in their academic sessions in a “real world” setting. It’s a real selling point for the university – it is one of the reasons students come to us and that experience will stand them in good stead in the jobs market. It’s a sign that a business school is doing what it should: connecting the two worlds of theory and practice.”

This article appeared in the Scotsman, you can read it here.

In partnership with Interface

Interface has emerged over the last decade as a successful broker in matching the skills and expertise of Scottish higher education with innovative businesses needing specific help to grow. Here, its director Siobhán Jordan reflects on how Interface’s own development has been mirrored by the growth of Scotmas, in discussion with its managing director Alistair Cameron. From its base in Kelso, Scotmas provides water treatment solutions around the world – including working for the Qatar World Cup 2022.

David Lee (DL): How did the relationship begin?

Siobhán Jordan (SJ): In the early days of Interface, in 2007, we got senior Borders business people together for a round table discussion, including Alistair’s father Derek Cameron, who was then in charge at Scotmas. We’ve worked together for almost a decade now.

Alistair Cameron (AC): We have always been innovation driven and tried to differentiate ourselves within the area of water disinfection and hygiene. Competitors tend to be large companies like Siemens and GE with international R&D resources. 

We pride ourselves on being of a similar standard and a little bit nimbler, with cutting-edge R&D. In every customer interaction, we have to get over the credibility gap with excellent technological solutions which minimise environmental impact.

SJ: Fundamentally, we save companies time and resources by allowing them to tap into universities’ expertise, using us as an impartial broker. 

We saw that Scotmas was all about innovation and a good fit. We started with identifying expertise for efficacy testing of their work in treating bacteria and as we developed a trusting relationship, it was about future planning and developing better systems.

How were things different then to now?

AC: The universities were not slick at making connections and Interface had a big role in joining up academia with business and demystifying the process. It was pretty ground breaking. 

Now universities are marketing their skill sets to the business market much more aggressively and Interface is the impartial broker. Simply speaking to one university will not necessarily get a company access to the skills they need. 

SJ: If Scotmas had to knock on 20 to 30 doors to get the specific assistance they needed, it would be a real burden. We can speak to them, create a brief and share it through our excellent channels into different university teams. Those universities with the capability then have to decide if they also have the capacity – and then move to early stage discussions about a programme of work.

Feedback from the universities can also help to identify which projects might not work and need to be refined. Sometimes, it’s really helpful to be told what not to do; it can save significant time and money. 

AC: Sometimes those conversations take you down a different path than you expected. That’s happened twice to us. 

What was the Scotmas proposition for Interface?

SJ: At first, there were two main areas: the chemical reaction of generating chlorine dioxide as a water treatment and how to maximise efficiency in producing it. 

As Scotmas was looking at global markets, it needed to make products effectively in territories where it might want to get in and out quickly. [The company worked in Iraqi oilfields, for example.] 

We took the proposition to universities and Heriot-Watt came back saying it could look at production and systems. That ultimately led to the secondment of an individual from the university to the company through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership.

AC: A small initial inquiry led to a meaningful, formal interaction involving a member of staff. Our aim is always to develop a lasting relationship. 

We keep abreast of the industry and look if universities might be able to help in specific areas. 

What has Interface offered that you couldn’t have done in-house?

AC: Firstly, support with technical problems. Sometimes, you see a problem on site but do not necessarily know the cause and require academic brainpower.

Secondly, access to facilities. There are millions of pounds worth of facilities in Scottish universities and Interface has created an online marketing platform [launched last month] which puts high-end facilities and equipment within your reach which you could never otherwise afford. 

That access to specialist equipment and the breadth of expertise among individuals and teams is a major benefit. 

SJ: Scotmas is the classic company in terms of not knowing what facilities were out there, with specialist academic teams wrapped around them. 

Firms might just need specialist facilities for one project, or just a couple of days, so it’s hard to make buying the piece of equipment cost effective in-house.

How has Interface made a difference?

AC: New products and innovation have driven the growth of Scotmas and I cannot think of any new projects where we have not sought the advice of Interface and the Scottish academic community. 

Without Interface, we would not be in the position we are in and would have had to invest hundreds of thousands of pounds in our own equipment. We’d have needed to search the world for a specialist consultancy to find the expertise we needed. 

The company has grown from 15 people when we started working with Interface to 42 [mirroring Interface’s growth, from 3 to 22, in the same period]. 

We now work across Europe and in the Middle East [including water treatment for 20 per cent of the city of Doha ahead of the World Cup], south-east Asia and southern Africa. 

Where there is water, there is Scotmas. Water scarcity is a massive issue around the world and we want to grow global markets. 

My dad, who is 78, has just been to India looking at village-scale water treatment systems. State and national governments want to provide infrastructure to deliver clean water because of the long-term healthcare savings. We are also working on treating well water in Botswana.

There are real opportunities where a lack of water limits GDP growth, like the Middle East. They have ministries of water who spend a lot of time looking for the best technology, so we tend to focus on these areas to lead our product development. One of our engineers has been working closely with the National Water Utility Company of Saudi Arabia.

In the Middle East, they look for the best quality – and in Doha, we were lucky enough to be seen as the best. 

We have installed a chemical injection system with sophisticated monitoring systems so the water is disinfected ahead of distribution but keeps the chemical content down.

The interaction with Interface is very important in growing the business across all these areas.

How has the culture changed over the years – and what next?

AC: It’s now very difficult to think of starting a firm without taking advantage of what’s available in the universities. 

SMEs are challenged more by banks about why they are doing things themselves rather than getting help from universities.

Scotmas has six projects in our innovation pipeline, around water treatment and disinfection, at different stages of technological readiness, and the relationship with Interface will certainly continue. Our focus on innovation remains crucial. We have two staff doing Scottish Enterprise’s Deeper Innovation course as we want to embed innovation at all levels of Scotmas. 

I had the privilege earlier this year of attending a course at MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] on innovation-driven businesses – and lots of the best practice taught there is already embedded in Scotland through Interface.

SJ: Australia is very keen to look at what we are doing successfully in Scotland.

Not every firm is such a spectacular success as Scotmas, but we have positive stories across many different sectors – including chemical and life sciences, food and drink and tourism. 

We want to get more SMEs engaged with universities because there are tremendous benefits for both sides.

What would you say to other businesses about Interface?

AC: If your business is driven by innovation, there is no harm in looking for assistance from the academic world. 

It’s a very low-impact inquiry – initially just a sheet of A4 – and it allows you to check what’s out there.

There is lots more potential in Scotland for exciting businesses to make better use of the academic community via Interface.

SJ: Scotland has great quality and depth in its academic community. In the past we have not been so good at translating that into commercial success, but it is seen as much more of a government priority now. The future looks exciting.

THE ENVY OF THE WORLD

When Interface started in 2007, with three people working out of university offices in Edinburgh, there was a growing recognition that academia and businesses needed to work together more frequently and more effectively. Often there was a desire on both sides to do so, but how to enhance engagement was a sticking point.

For businesses, the barrier was finding the time and resources to trawl the wealth of academic expertise, and then knowing how best to approach them. For the academic institutions, it was finding the right businesses to work with, and at the right time.

Interface – now a thriving, established organisation, match-making businesses with its 23 academic partners across Scotland – has established itself as a key part of the solution. 

People are at the heart of Interface and its team of experts located across the country provide local support allowing businesses to meet them quickly and easily. Hundreds of businesses have already made academic partnerships a key element of their innovation strategy.

Interface has forwarded more than 3,200 searches to academic partners, resulting in almost 1,300 collaborative projects from kitchen table success stories, to long-established brands seeking to explore new products or processes.

Many more businesses could discover the benefits of partnering with academics to develop products, services and processes: securing and creating jobs, increasing turnover; and reaching new markets. 

One challenge facing Interface is how we remain people-centred, while reaching more businesses. 

The dual barriers of lack of time and resource remain for many businesses, which is why Interface is still important now as ten years ago.

Also, we’re living in an age when universities are keen to demonstrate impact on entrepreneurship and employability – working with and making a difference to industry is a crucial element of that.

In monetary terms, Interface has put back an estimated £70 million into the economy through new products, processes or services or greater efficiencies leading to cost savings.

Now with the Scotland CAN DO innovation agenda and a dedicated cabinet minister for the economy, we can be assured that Interface will long continue to play a vital role in Scotland’s future economic prosperity.

Scotland’s Interface model is the envy of the world, with interest shown from many other countries and organisations and its role in the innovation ecosystem – true testimony to its strength and success.

• Sir Pete Downes is chair of the Interface advisory board

This article appears in the Summer 2016 edition of Vision Scotland. An online version can be read here. Further information about Vision Scotland here.

Specialist Facilities in universities open to all businesses

Companies restricted by time or resource are being offered a helping hand to innovate, thanks to Interface, the business-academic matchmaking service.

A new online platform showcasing the breadth of Specialist Facilities available throughout Scotland’s universities and research institutions has been launched to make the search for facilities for hire easier for entrepreneurs.

From 3D printers to nutritional labs, the exact whereabouts in Scotland of Specialist Facilities are pin-pointed on the new platform, which highlights a snapshot of what is available, along with descriptions of their capabilities and images.

Siobhán Jordan, Director at Interface, said:

“For businesses which are looking to create, develop, test and analyse products, this is a fantastic way of them seeing some of the vast range of facilities that are commercially available from our world-leading academic institutions. We thought a great way of showcasing this was through a short film which brings to life just some of the facilities and equipment available with the aim of getting businesses and organisations thinking about how they could tap into these.

“The beauty of these facilities is that they come with the academic expertise ready to work with them on proving concepts or developing innovative products and ideas. Also, it can be a great way to work on small-scale projects, on a pay-as-you-go basis, and in a safe and controlled environment, which may better suit businesses and companies where budgets are tight.

“There is a huge amount of equipment on offer and Interface can help to match businesses to the right facilities and supporting expertise. The platform is a showcase highlighting some of what’s available, however we can talk to businesses about all the Specialist Facilities on offer which could help them innovate, adapt and grow.”   

Universities Scotland’s Director, Alastair Sim, said:

“We know that businesses need to be innovative to stay ahead and collaborating with Scotland’s universities is exactly how to do it. This new platform will allow more firms to see the university facilities and expertise that are available to them, and make it easier for them to get in touch. Experts within universities are ready to help translate the results of testing into outcomes for businesses, and can also offer in-house assistance, to help take ideas forward.” 

Colin Borland, Federation of Small Business’ Head of External Affairs in Scotland, said:

“New technologies are forcing changes upon any number of industries. For Scotland to keep up, we need to see more small firms developing partnerships with our world-leading universities. 

“We must bust the myth that business innovation isn’t for smaller businesses, especially those in traditional sectors. This important initiative could help build bridges between entrepreneurs and academia.” 

Vicki Cameron, founder of StEPS Podiatry in Troon, credits collaborating with academics as giving her a unique selling point. She said:

“Working with Interface has enabled me to access the most innovative equipment. That’s been a big innovation for us; really being able to use the most cutting edge technology with the most elite athletes, to do something that has never been done before in podiatry.”  

ENDS 

For more information please contact: 

Suzy Powell, PR and Communications Executive 

Tel:0845 0130536 
Mob: 07711 273007 
Email:suzy.powell@interface-online.org.uk 

NOTES TO EDITORS  

The 90 second film was made by The Edinburgh Film Company and mainly shot on location in universities around Scotland showing a wave simulator, sensory suites, human performance labs, materials testing, among other facilities. 

About Interface  

Interface connects businesses from a wide variety of national and international industries to Scotland’s 23 universities and research institutions.  It is a unique service designed to address the growing demand from organisations and businesses which want to engage with academia. 

Funded by the Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Interface is a free and impartial service which aims to stimulate demand for innovation and encourage companies to consider academic support to help solve their business challenges. 

Interface helps companies operating across a range of sectors, from food and drink to financial services, offering huge benefits for both businesses and academia.

Many people’s idea of engaging with universities and research institutions is to undertake research and development, however this is just one of the ways in which entrepreneurs can tap into the world-class expertise available to them in Scotland.

Yes, applied research is an important aspect of the work of universities and research institutions in engaging with commercial enterprises; often a win-win partnership with each partner learning from the other (which is why it’s often called knowledge exchange).

However, Interface works with universities and research institutes in a number of different ways to match businesses with academic partners to stimulate innovation and strengthen the economy.

Working with a group of students has proved to be inspiring for many companies, who soon discover that fresh thinking can be hugely beneficial to their business.

One company which Interface matched with students studying at the University of Edinburgh is Healthy Nibbles, which supplies the UK’s first dedicated healthy vending machines and subscription snack boxes filled with nutritional super foods.

Two groups of students worked with company founder Sara Roberts to develop a new line of products. They researched the competition, the company’s existing products and market, came up with a product of interest to new customers, produced marketing material and presented their findings to Sara as an agency might pitch for new business.

Sara shared her experience, saying that the students were really professional and took the time to understand her business. She said: 

“In a small business it is great to get an external pair of eyes. The students created the idea of a Chocoholics box, which we implemented. It has been well received by our customers.”

Working with a student has given Emma Currie, founder of Edinburgh-based Acting Up, access to “Generation Y” skills which her business was lacking.

Emma employed a student studying an MSc in Human Resources for a short-term project. However, the student’s skill-set proved so useful she helped with other aspects of the business (which tackles behavioural change in the workplace through film and theatre) and Emma offered her further employment once she graduated. Emma explained:

“I imagined that the company needed someone with more experience, but I realised how differently younger people can think. As well as doing her dissertation, Emmanuelle helped with our newsletter, which we were struggling with technically. She had it sorted within 20 minutes.”

For longer-term involvement with a student, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) can be an excellent way of tapping into university knowledge; and the outcomes can be impressive.

Laura Kreiling, a KTP Associate from the University of Strathclyde, undertook a 24-month project to improve engineering resource estimation at Alexander Dennis Ltd, UK’s leading bus and coach manufacturer.

Among other improvements, she developed a new approach that cut a manual estimation process from up to five days to just 30 minutes, saving the company £166,500 a year.

The collaboration resulted in improved competitiveness, sales growth and profitability with an expected saving of £500,000 in new product development spend over 3 years.

Laura’s contributions were recognised outwith the business too: she won the Building Skills category in the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards in February for postgraduate students or Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associates who have worked within a business on a specific project to increase innovation within the company.

Individual businesses in the food and drink industry have discovered that banding together can result in a bigger impact. Interface Food & Drink is involved with a number of Common Interest Groups, such as a reformulation group which aims to make food products healthier. These groups of business work together – despite often being in direct competition – on collaborative projects with academics which they would find difficult to fund individually.

Funding, which is available to companies individually, can also be pooled by groups of businesses like the Common Interest Groups to fund larger collaborative projects.

Businesses that collaborate to access academic expertise will often work with academics again and Interface is well positioned to match these businesses with more than one university.

Marine Biopolymers Ltd worked with Universities of Strathclyde and Edinburgh to develop a new process to manufacture alginate from seaweed – a product used to thicken food such as olive oil spread and ice cream.

In summary, there are endless possibilities in the way in which businesses can engage with universities and research institutions.  Which will you choose in order to create or safeguard jobs, grow your company, reach new markets or increase turnover or profitability?

This article first appeared in the Friends of the Scotsman

A first of its kind programme is being launched today to help Scottish entrepreneurs with potential to scale-up to grow their businesses with world class training from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard Business School.  

Scotland Can Do SCALE has two strands, an online course which explores putting customers at the heart of a business and a residential summer school. The programme offers something for every entrepreneur in Scotland, with the most promising scale-ups being eligible to attend the summer school delivered by world leading educators in entrepreneurship.  Everyone taking part will be supported by Scotland’s exceptional entrepreneurial ecosystem to develop and grow their business.

Funded and delivered by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Funding Council, and sitting under the Scotland Can Do government banner, the programme will involve participants following a free online MIT training course called Entrepreneurship 101 – Who is Your Customer?, which is the first step for securing additional support opportunities including qualifying for the summer school.

The online course has been developed by Bill Aulet, Managing Director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT entrepreneurship, and author of 24 Steps to Disciplined Entrepreneurship, who is also a visiting professor in entrepreneurship at Strathclyde University.

The objective of the programme is to build a community of entrepreneurs leading scalable businesses across Scotland, with ongoing support provided to those with ambition and potential for growth.

Luke Johnston, CEO of innovative oil & gas software firm Cognitive Geology, took part in the pilot programme and has achieved great traction since August last year. He said:

“Scotland Can Do SCALE really helped me to step back and shape the future of the business, using Bill Aulet’s 24 steps as a framework. In recent months we have hired two new developers, two geoscientists and are currently recruiting to continue building our team. We have secured £100K in grant funding, been selected for the London Stock Exchange ELITE programme and secured a funded place at the MIT Entrepreneurial Development Program. We’re meeting with some of the world’s largest oil companies this year in Houston and experiencing tremendous growth.”

Michelle Ferguson, managing director of social enterprise St Andrew’s First Aid Training and Supplies, attended the course as part of a team, with colleague Stuart Callison, CEO of the parent charity. She commented:

“The SCALE programme was all I hoped it would be and more. The training was world class and I found the cohort to be supportive and often facing the same challenges I do as we work to scale internationally. We are now much more entrepreneurial and ambitious as a team and have a more planned strategic approach to large scale growth. We are exploring new markets and will shortly be announcing some exciting news regarding a major business deal in the Far East.”

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said:

“This Government has always been focused on helping Scotland become a world leading innovative and entrepreneurial nation – a CAN DO place to do business and never more so than in 2016 – the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design.

“Scotland CAN DO Scale is here to take our nation’s entrepreneurial ambition to the next level.  This programme offers businessmen and women in Scotland a world-class opportunity to refine their ideas and develop their skillsets by participating in a course designed by an international leader in entrepreneurship.”

To sign up visit the www.cando.scot/scale website and click sign-up today.

Is it just me or is innovation one of those words we bandy about without really giving it much thought?  The government, whether in Edinburgh or Westminster, certainly places a lot of emphasis on the importance of it to our economy and yet the concept isn’t so much misunderstood in the workplace as not understood.
Consequently, individuals may feel “innovation” is someone else’s responsibility and companies sometimes feel that they are too small to innovate – or perhaps that is an easier excuse than trying to work out what it might mean to them. 

I don’t think we can argue that it’s important, so why is it so difficult to understand?  I like Wikipedia’s definition:

Innovation is a new idea, more effective device or process. Innovation can be viewed as the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, unarticulated needs, or existing market needs.

If a sales order clerk changes a process to make it more efficient or easier to use, that’s innovation – and should be recognised as such.

In our experience at Interface Food & Drink, innovation is too often narrowly defined as meaning the introduction of new products. Introducing a new flavour of yogurt or type of biscuit is rarely going to be the sort of innovation that will “prove crucial to the continuing success of an organisation”. That definition also excludes many employees from the process, whereas the sales order clerk example is something the entire workforce can understand and contribute to. 

For those companies that do get it and want to innovate, they may not know where to turn to for guidance or for the innovation itself. Did you know that all of Scotland’s universities will engage with both individuals and companies who have ideas they want to take forward? Not only that, it is actually a requirement that, in order to continue to receive public funding, they MUST engage with small to medium sized companies in such a way that will have an identifiable impact – in other words, an exercise that makes the company more viable. That’s an amazing resource, with a scope and scale that would take your breath away. Not only do you – yes you – have access to expertise, but also to facilities.

To try to bring the food industry and academia closer, Interface Food & Drink will be hosting an event in Edinburgh on 28th January which will have 3 themes –

I’ve been very concerned lately with waste, particularly with reference to food – whether it’s over-consumption leading to obesity (if we don’t regard obesity as a waste issue yet, we will soon), over-capacity leading to wasted production or unnecessary purchase leading to discarded food. Some of our most exciting projects recently have involved turning waste from agriculture or food production into something of value which has a further use – innovation we should all be excited about.

Innovation in any of these areas can reduce waste. As you would imagine, resource efficiency is about using less of any of production inputs, such as water, energy and raw materials and process efficiency ensures that as much as possible gets to market.

Testing, analysis and quality control ensures that the market gets what it needs – first time – and that outputs are not wasted or of less value than planned.

I hope this event will trigger a few things but mostly a better understanding of the wider meaning of innovation and how it can apply to everyone within an organisation. Every organisation, whatever size, can benefit from adopting innovation and can appreciate the sort of help and inspiration available from Scotland’s universities.

Two great examples of food producers and academics working together are the recent winners of the Interface Food & Drink Common Interest Group Competition.

The Farm Waste Utilisation Group comprises farms across Scotland and academics from four Scottish universities. Their project will explore converting farm waste such as manure into clean gases and liquid fuels through a gasification process, giving economic and environmental benefits to farms.

The second is a syndicate of soft fruit growers investigating producing alcohol from second grade fruit using sugar-rich by-products from tablet production, as well as turning food waste into fuel, fertiliser and chemicals. Working with a craft distillery and a confectionery manufacturer, this group will be collaborating with academics from three Edinburgh-based universities.

I, for one, am looking forward to seeing the results of both projects.

Interface is a proud supporter of the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design, launched this month by VisitScotland with a celebration of the iconic Mackintosh coat, invented by Scottish chemist Charles Macintosh in 1823. Throughout 2016 we plan to celebrate the impacts that Scottish scientists, such as Macintosh, have had on the world.

From the well-known inventors and innovators of Scotland’s past; Alexander Graham Bell, James Watt, Alexander Fleming; to those lesser known greats that are currently working with academia to build on their achievements; Interface will be highlighting the huge opportunities that are available through Scotland’s world class universities and research institutions.

Added to this, and to complement VisitScotland’s existing programme of events, Interface is planning a series of regional events to ensure that organisations across Scotland can capitalise on the expertise, technologies and facilities that are available when working alongside Scotland’s diverse research base.

Central to these are the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards, Scotland’s first award event that will showcase the opportunities and celebrate the outcomes of working with academia.

To ensure that innovation is at the core of all activity throughout the year, Interface is working with VisitScotland encouraging academic teams from Higher and Further Education to create an innovative digital resource that will be at the heart of Scotland’s marketing during 2016.

Innovation can be a complicated business – that is why Interface has been making it easier for businesses and organisations to tap into funding for working with Scotland’s world-class academic expertise.

Knowing where to start, who to speak to and who does what can be daunting, especially for first-time collaborations.

Interface connects small to medium-sized businesses to academic expertise through its network of highly knowledgeable business executives located throughout Scotland. Interface offers support to SMEs taking the first tentative steps into working with universities to develop innovative solutions to business challenges.

Through the Scottish Funding Council, Interface processes hundreds of applications for Innovation Vouchers each year – each one up to £5,000 for a businesses, partnering  with a university, colleges or research institution, to develop products, services or processes. In fact, over 950 Innovation Vouchers have been issued since the scheme was launched in 2009, amounting to over £4.5m.

Siobhán Jordan, Director of Interface, said: “We have seen all kinds of ideas being tested, technology developed, exciting new product launches and moves into international markets as a result of businesses willing to give working with universities a go. Often, we find that businesses who work with academics for the first time through an Innovation Voucher establish long lasting links and go on to work on other projects with the same or other universities. It really is the start of a journey for many.”

Bright Red Publishing is a multi-award winning independent publishing company which develops and produces high quality Study Guides for the new National 4, National 5, Curriculum for Excellence Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications. They collaborated with Edinburgh Napier University to create a unique on-line Digital Zone to further support students and teachers during a time of immense educational change in Scotland.

The company, wanting to produce the very best resources for Scottish students, was looking to support their publishing plans with on-line support across a number of subjects. Although the company had the expertise to create and tailor the very best possible content, they did not have the experience to develop the digital strategy required to fully capitalise on the work they had done. 

Bright Red Publishing approached Business Gateway, who referred them on to Interface. After working with Bright Red to develop their initial brief, Interface put out an enquiry, searching through all of Scotland’s universities to find the right expertise.  Reviewing the resulting proposals from the universities, Bright Red felt that Edinburgh Napier University had the extensive expertise and support to get their digital project off the ground.  The collaboration was supported by a £5,000 Innovation Voucher.

Building on the success of their original collaboration, Bright Red Publishing and Edinburgh Napier University applied for, and received a Follow-On Innovation Voucher for £20k, which the company matched in cash. This allowed the success of the first project to be broadened out to include a wider range of subjects, creating innovative web-based materials to reinforce textbook learning.

Since The Digital Zone went live almost two years ago, more than 25,000 Scottish students have registered and feedback from both students and teachers has been excellent.

In recent months Interface has been working to ensure that applying for Innovation Vouchers is easier, starting with the application form itself. A step-by step guide for applying for the funding has been created, including a flowchart showing the processes and timescales involved.

A frequently asked questions section has been introduced to ensure that businesses and organisations know what to expect from them and their academic partners, and to understand the timescales involved – both of the application process and the project itself.

Siobhán Jordan added: “Managing expectations is extremely important and can be key to satisfaction levels at a project’s conclusion. Feedback from the business community tells us that different expectations can exist on timescales and the scope of work to be undertaken, so we hope that by having clear information online, people will establish partnerships with a better understanding of timescales and deliverables from the outset.

“We hope that in “keeping things simple” many more businesses will include tapping into the world leading Scottish academic expertise in their strategy. Who knows where it might lead?”

Businesses of all shapes and sizes are discovering the benefits of working with students from Scottish universities through tie-ups which bring fresh thinking to tackle workplace challenges. 

And it appears that it’s a win-win situation as almost 60% of the students go onto employment or secure additional work with those companies.

Lack of resource or money often means that an idea stays an idea, even if it hinders business growth.

But thanks to a number of initiatives linking businesses with universities, working with Scotland’s top-class graduates and students from a diverse range of disciplines is bringing new skills into the workplace.

For companies that have been established for a year or longer, University of Edinburgh’s Enterprise Consultancy Project could provide a good solution.

An individual or team of undergraduate students studying entrepreneurship undertake an 8-week project, for free, which addresses a particular business hurdle. Market research, identifying new customers or suppliers, analysing the impact of new legislation or regulations, or business planning can all be carried out for the business.

One business to benefit from this initiative is Acting Up, an Edinburgh-based company set up in 1997 by actress and writer Emma Currie to tackle behavioural change in the workplace, particularly among hard-hat wearing employees, through film and theatre.

Emma took on Emmanuelle Sangster, a business student at Edinburgh University doing an  MSc in human Resources for a short-term project. However, her skill-set proved so useful she helped with other aspects of the business and has been offered part-time employment once she graduates this autumn.

Emma explained: “Having Emmanuelle work with us has given my business access to Generation Y skills that I would not otherwise have sought out.  I imagined that the company needed someone with more experience, but I realised how differently younger people can think. As well as doing her dissertation, Emmanuelle has been helping with our newsletter, which we were struggling with technically. She had it sorted within 20 minutes.

“I decided to take Emmanuelle on two days a week once she has graduated. It really was a great way to “try before you buy” for my business.”

Willie Biggart, Chairman of Spoonfed, an online management software application for drop off caterers and restaurants, tells a similar story.

“Chih-wei Chou came to work with us on her dissertation on international marketing for her MBA, looking specifically at the Taiwanese market, which we wanted to explore. She came to the conclusion that it was a market for Spoonfed and identified other markets too.”

Chih-wei went on to complete a 12-week project with Spoonfed handling international enquiries, and is now the permanent International Business Development Manager.

“Doing this allows us to work with potential employees, for them to get a good feel for us, and us for them.

“It’s also an opportunity to invest in people and we realised that we needed to have the resource to handle proper development. It’s a win-win situation,” Willie added.

Livingston-based start-up Cobra Simulation makes hardware and software technology for training. It has benefited from the input of two student teams – and filled a key senior position as a result of a collaboration with engineering students.

Managing Director, Alexander Bradley, said: “We were allocated four students to develop a solution which they produced over six months. Their creative input was a huge bonus. We were recruiting for a technical sales executive at the time and out of the relationship with the  university we found someone who started with us recently.”

A second project with MBA students brought experienced professionals to the table from established businesses, and prompted Alexander and his team to reposition the company.

“They pulled the business apart – in a positive way – and understood our challenges, and that led to an expanded team, a newly structured website, new business and a completely different outlook for us.

“The students helped me to adapt as a business owner who really did everything, from being a designer to attending events. They brought fresh brains and thinking to our business when I was stuck in a rut. It’s been invaluable and had a big impact.”

Santander bank recognised that small businesses are key to economic recovery – and contribute significantly to UK employment. The Santander Universities SME Internships programme has proved hugely successful, linking 4,000 final year undergraduates and recent graduates to businesses for fixed-term projects lasting 3-6 months. The business and Santander contribute financially to enable the internship to go ahead.

“It’s a mutually beneficial partnership, with graduates gaining invaluable experience in the workplace, and SMEs accessing talented and ambitious graduates,” explained Simon Bray, Managing Director, Santander Universities UK.

Edinburgh University has placed over 100 students in the last two years with SMEs through the Santander scheme – last year half of the internships led to full or part-time roles or extensions to their original internship.  

The University’s Internships Manager, Jennifer Dixon, said: “We tend to work with a number of start-up and high potential growth organisations in the Edinburgh area and really enjoy developing relationships with theses SMEs.

“The SMEs seem to really benefit from the simplicity of the Santander process and engaging and working with our final year students and recent graduates.  

“It is a great opportunity for students and graduates to experience working for an SME and gaining an understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of this sector.  However, we do find the majority of students and graduates love the dynamic, flexible environment where they can gain a multitude of experience and responsibility in a very short time, compared to working for a large organisation.  We also find SMEs are more interested in the students’ attributes and work ethic than necessarily the perfect skill set which provides opportunities for our students and graduates to gain meaningful work experience.”

Louise Arnold is a Business Engagement Executive at Interface, a free service which matches businesses to academic expertise. She has been spearheading Interface’s drive to connect SMEs with students through a number of initiatives.

“There are great opportunities for businesses to gain additional support, at low cost, or co-funded which could make the difference between hiring an intern or not.

“The feedback we get from both businesses and universities is very positive with the businesses often delighted at the progress made and discovering additional benefits of  working with students.

“I would encourage any business to have an initial conversation about the other opportunities of working with universities and discuss what could benefit their business. Working with students often opens the door to more businesses-academic partnerships.

“We know from our research that a lack of time or resource can prevent businesses from developing products and services and moving their business forward, so this could be a solution they may not have considered.”

Deadlines for some of the initiatives mentioned above are in August, with projects starting in September, whilst others are open all year round.

More information about University of Edinburgh’s involvement in the Santander Universities SME Internship scheme can be found at http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/careers/looking-for-work/interns…

To discuss all opportunities for business working with students please contact Interface interface-online.org.uk Tel. 0845 013 0536.