Scottish Research Partnership in Engineering (SRPe) Annual Conference 2023 on 31st October is the annual opportunity for industry, academia and government to share the latest technological advances and research in Scotland.
Centred around SRPe’s Strategic Themes; Advanced Manufacturing; Robotics and Autonomous Systems; Engineering for Health and Care; Infrastructure & Environment, the event will take place at the Technology & Innovation Centre in Glasgow.

In addition to Keynote Speakers, there will be Strategic Theme sessions with updates from respective Theme Chairs, and each will host a Guest Speaker with Q&A at the end of each session.

Speakers confirmed are:

• Professor Peter Bonfield OBE (Vice-Chancellor and President, University of Westminster, and Co Chair of the EPSRC ‘Tomorrow’s Engineering Research Challenges’ Report)
• Dr Hina Khan (Executive Director, Space Scotland)
• Dr Janette Wark (EPSRC Head of Regional Engagement – Scotland)
• Professor Trish Connolly (Chair of the SRPe ‘Engineering for Health and Care’ Thematic Leadership Group, Director of the Strathclyde Institute of Medical Devices, University of Strathclyde)
• Professor Sean Smith (Chair of the SRPe ‘Infrastructure and Environment’ Thematic Leadership Group, Director of Centre for Future Infrastructure, University of Edinburgh)
• Professor Bill Ion (Chair of the SRPe ‘Advanced Manufacturing’ Thematic Leadership Group, Emeritus Professor; Design, Manufacturing & Engineering Management, University of Strathclyde )
• Joe Galloway (Research Support Manager – Overseas Funders, University of Glasgow)

There will also be opportunities to learn about SRPe’s industry focused doctorate programmes; the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland Industry Doctorate Programme (NMIS-IDP) and the Scottish Research Partnership in Engineering Industry Doctorate Programme (SRPe-IDP), as well as the latest collaborative funding opportunities for industry and academia in a Funding Showcase.

For further information, please get in touch with Andrew Dryden at andrew.dryden@srpe.ac.uk.

Calling all Scottish tech innovators and entrepreneurs! Attend an event, where the worlds of venture capital and tech startups collide. This event is designed to equip you with the knowledge, inspiration, and connections needed to take your startup to new heights.

A distinguished panel of experts, comprising seasoned venture capitalists and experts, including Chris Neumann, Marvin Liao, Monique Woodard, Casey Lau, and Mike Sigal, will take the stage to share their invaluable insights on what it takes to become investor ready. From securing seed funding to scaling your business, these experts have witnessed and supported countless success stories.

Prepare to be inspired as we dive into dynamic panel discussions featuring local tech founders who have successfully attracted investments and scaled their ventures. Learn from their experiences, challenges, and strategies for achieving investor readiness in the fiercely competitive landscape of Scottish tech startups.

Amidst the thought-provoking discussions, you’ll have the opportunity to network with fellow entrepreneurs, industry experts, and, of course, our esteemed panellists. Forge meaningful connections, foster collaborations, and uncover exciting opportunities during the networking refreshments that conclude the event.

Don’t miss out on this pivotal event that promises to unlock new pathways to success for your tech startup. Secure your spot today and embark on a transformative journey toward investment readiness and accelerated growth in the vibrant Scottish startup ecosystem.

Who is this event for?

This event is specifically designed for Scottish tech innovators and entrepreneurs who are eager to attract investments, scale their startups, and take their businesses to new heights. Whether you’re an early-stage founder seeking seed funding or an established startup looking to secure additional investments for growth, this event offers valuable resources and guidance for tech entrepreneurs at all stages.

The CENSIS Technology Summit, taking place on 2 November 2023 at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, is Scotland’s leading sensing, imaging and IoT event – a free day of top class speakers, exhibitors, debates and networking. This is a fully in-person event and will not be streamed live.

• Hear about challenges, solutions and innovation across the sectors  from presenters and panellists
• Meet exhibitors from industry and academia showcasing new technologies and products
• Understand how businesses are delivering sensing, imaging and IoT solutions across a range of markets 
• Network and connect with key business people, policy makers and researchers 

Who should attend

You’ll get the most from the day if you are a business developing sensing, imaging and/or IoT products or services or a company or organisation of any size and in any sector interested in using, sensing, imaging and/or IoT to  improve or grow your business. Academics and researchers will also find the day interesting, as will anyone working in knowledge exchange or business development in this space.

Find out more about this year’s CENSIS Technology Summit 2023.

Registration is now open.

The rECOver group focuses on identifying and developing robotics as a sustainable technology and their potential contribution to a more sustainable world while identifying and working to overcome the social and economic implications associated with their integration by closing the gap between domestic and international policymakers and industrial partners.

The rECOver group comprises of a unique combination of cross discipline researchers including scientists, lawyers, sociologists and engineers.

This ‘Collider Event’ at the National Robotarium in Edinburgh, will bring together these sectors into a multidisciplinary group of experts to engage in discussions that will identify and draw out key principles and issues that should be addressed when using robotics for sustainability and focus on questions such as:

•Robotics in a sustainable world: are they accelerating or hindering the objectives?

•Can the increased use of robotics for sustainable mining affect the critical material supply?

•How does the contribution of robotic technology affect the transition to a circular economy?

•How can potential negative socio-economic or political impacts of robotics use be mitigated?

Robotic technology is increasingly being used to drive us to a more sustainable world, for example, in the offshore wind sector. However, whether and how robotics themselves can be made more sustainable – socially and environmentally – is emerging as an issue of debate. The development and use of these robots require coherent interdisciplinary analysis suitable to understanding their potential socioeconomic and environmental downsides and to create better regulatory approaches to incentivize innovation while avoiding negative externalities.

Initially, rECOver is seeking to initiate conversation and collaboration among scientists, engineers, policymakers and social scientists to analyse the use of robotics in mineral acquisition for and recycling of sustainable or ‘green’ technologies by combining both techno-economic and socio-political analysis.

Background 

Ecomar Propulsion Ltd is based in Fareham on the South Coast of the UK and was first registered in 2019.  Ecomar Propulsion Ltd is involved in the research, development and production of high performance electric and hybrid hydrogen marine propulsion systems. 

Their team of highly skilled engineers and technical experts are working to reduce global emissions by creating high efficiency, high output marine engines and energy storage solutions. The company only works with fully clean electric systems to allow current vessel owners the opportunity to seamlessly transfer to clean marine or new build yards to offer electric vessel options. 

Ecomar Propulsion produces two products for clean marine vessels; outboard systems and inboard systems powered by battery and hydrogen with a company aspiration of removing 10 million tonnes of toxic exhaust fumes from the marine environment within 10 years. 

In 2021 the company increased its workforce to 8 staff and then to 12 by Jan 2023, with further expected growth.  The company has been recognized with several awards from the Maritime UK (Solent) Clean Marine Innovator and Maritime UK Diversity Champion Finalist 2022 through to SETSquared University Network Award for Environmental Impact 2022. 

The Challenge 

The business challenge for Ecomar Propulsion arose when their manufacturer of hydraulic rams in the Far East ceased supply of their products. This left a significant challenge for Ecomar Propulsion but also an opportunity for the company to look at developing their supply chain within the UK.  Another requirement was to ensure the materials being used are as environmentally sustainable as possible from a circular economy perspective. 

The Solution 

Scottish Enterprise introduced Ecomar Propulsion to NMIS, and as a result of their interest in developing a Scottish supply chain and bringing production to Scotland to overcome a global supply chain issue of electric outboard motors, they were eligible to apply for the Inward Investment Catalyst Fund to support activity.  The Inward Investment Catalyst Fund supports businesses not yet located in Scotland but seeking to establish stronger ties with academia here.  As well as funding the research and development it provides an opportunity for the company to establish relationships and give insight into other aspects of the Scottish landscape, such as further investment opportunities, supply chains and the skills base to strengthen the case for investing in Scotland. 

The teams at NMIS and University of Strathclyde developed their understanding of the design and manufacturing parameters to find replacement components that would be robust enough for the extreme demands of the marine environment.   Research and outreach were carried out with companies specializing in hydraulic production in Scotland.  Further discussions with selected companies are taking place to develop future alternatives to current suppliers in order to close the gap in the market and provide consistency of supply. 

The Next Steps 

This project has allowed Ecomar Propulsion to better understand the work of NMIS and the University of Strathclyde and how the skills of the teams can allow Ecomar to plan further growth in Scotland and engage with the wider available supply chain.  

Whilst an immediate supplier for marine hydraulic rams was not found, the team have introduced Ecomar Propulsion to several companies which they would not have met had they not taken part in this project. Through meeting senior members of the academic community, potential further opportunities have been identified to explore additional supply chain introductions and manufacturing routes in Scotland for Ecomar Propulsion’s full product range.  

Continued collaboration will be facilitated with the Head of Electrification Manufacturing Programmes at NMIS, and allow Ecomar Propulsion and NMIS to engage with Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise in relation to future facility planning and supply chain partnerships. Additionally, opportunities will be aligned with the University of Strathclyde’s strategic direction in electrification manufacturing, notably in PEMD (power electronics, machines and drives) through DER-IC Scotland (Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centre), ensuring that expansion of capabilities is informed and driven by industry requirements. 

This project benefitted from the Scottish Inward Investment Catalyst Fund.  The Scottish Inward Investment Catalyst Fund launched by Interface and the Scottish Government promotes Scotland as a leading destination for inward investment and supports businesses not yet located in Scotland but seeking to establish stronger ties with academia here.  As well as funding research and development it provides an opportunity for the company to establish relationships and give insight into other aspects of the Scottish landscape, such as further investment opportunities, supply chains and the skills base to strengthen the case for investing in Scotland.

The Get Set Yeti app is in development, themed around a clan of yeti characters, that allows younger children to understand their emotions, through discovering ‘emotion beasties’, enabling difficult concepts to be put across in an age accessible and engaging way.

Background

Get Set Yeti is a Digital Education business, that specialises in using storytelling and character-based learning to make Growth Mindset accessible to younger children at school and at home.  They aim to level the ‘educational playing field’ by helping children from all walks of life develop the skills to become confident, resilient learners.  They also provide materials for parents to build their confidence and capacity to do the things at home that have an impact on creating solid school foundations in Early Literacy and Early Numeracy.  

Get Set Yeti supports educators and parents to help children develop learning resilience and confidence through building a growth mindset, and through emotional literacy. They offer a range of programmes and resources themed around a clan of yeti characters.  

The company came into existence through recognition of a need in the field and has been developed by its founder Carol Arnott. An experienced practitioner both in Primary and Community Education, Carol employed Growth Mindset techniques initially to develop a rhyming story to help local families struggling with learning confidence. The story of “The Yeti’s Roar” was born, developed into a book which grew into a learning programme that was successfully trialled in several local schools and nurseries in the Dundee area.  

Developing the programme became a passion of Carol’s and with the help of Business Gateway and the Elevator Business Accelerator, where Carol was introduced to Interface, her business began and demand quickly developed to the stage of looking to grow the team and expand into other cities – then Covid hit.  Unable to get into schools due to closures and distancing regulations and with other contracts put on hold it became apparent that digital learning was the way forward.  A new site was built and ‘Get Set Yeti’ evolved and grew. 

The Challenge

Get Set Yeti was created to provide Growth Mindset resources for children under 8 due to the lack of material available. In the educational climate, there was a growing need for children to learn to be more resilient in learning and it was widely recognised that learning to develop a ‘Growth Mindset’ could successfully meet this need. 

Get Set Yeti was interested in developing an app or platform that could help young children understand and process emotions using Growth Mindset to help maintain positive mental health.   

The Solution

Through the Accelerator in Dundee, Carol met Lorna Watson of Interface who identified University of Dundee’s Dr Michael Crabb (School of Science and Engineering) and Dr Alexia Barrable (School of Education and Social Work) who had the required academic expertise to develop an app that could help younger children develop emotional literacy and self-regulation. This initial project was taken forward with a £5000 Standard Innovation Voucher.  

The team at the University of Dundee helped initialise ‘The Yeti Field Guide to Feelings’ app to help children develop emotional literacy, supported by parents and educators.   

Based on the premise that deep in the forest on top of Yeti Mountain the yetis sometimes come across ‘Emotion Beasties’ that have escaped from children in the villages below. Once caught, the yetis learn how to look after them using their special book ‘The Yeti Field Guide to Feelings’.  They learn that caring for feelings takes practise and learn techniques to manage them through online interaction and additional printable activities and resources.   

The app will incorporate: 

• Simple gameplay to capture the engagement of the user.  
• Diagnostic tool Information on emotions.  

• A range of resources and tools to reinforce and support, designed by appropriate mental health experts.  

This innovation sits right at the heart of Get Set Yeti’s core strategy as it uses process design to help children and families understand difficult concepts and gives them the tools to develop skills to learn successfully using Growth Mindset techniques. 

The Benefits

• Get Set Yeti created a collaborative co-design programme for children and are in the process of securing funding to create the app with all the necessary building blocks in place.  
• Get Set Yeti have developed an ongoing partnership with the University of Dundee and are able to provide opportunities for current students and graduates. 
• Further opportunities to connect to the School of Education, CLD and Social Work during the testing phase of the app, along with the Department of Science and Engineering. 

The Next Steps

Get Set Yeti have transitioned through the restrictions brought about by Covid19, transforming from a localised, face-to-face delivery company to an online-learning portal with international potential.  

Following on from this initial project the relationship between Interface and Get Set Yeti has continued to grow and there have been several more successful student projects/placements for a range of things from marketing to behavioural analysis as follows: 

Due the restrictions brought about through Covid19 Get Set Yeti pivoted to produce a digital version of their material and with the help of Abertay University the company developed a digital marketing strategy to promote their digital offering and transform from a localised business to offer their products nationally and develop a marketing campaign to appeal to local authorities, head teachers, infant teachers and parents. 
 
A successful student placement project with the University of West of Scotland helped Get Set Yeti achieve a targeted marketing campaign appealing to potential clients and partners; utilising social media and other appropriate available channels. 

The University of Stirling undertook some behavioural analysis to help Get Set Yeti understand and develop customer personas to allow them to enter new markets and target their future campaigns for maximum impact.  
 
University of Highlands and Islands students are currently working directly with the Musical Director and CEO to help devise a digital marketing and social media campaign to promote an album of original ‘Yeti Songs’ to enhance the delivery of Growth Mindset learning to younger children and their families. 
 
 

This event, hosted by the Department of Design, Manufacturing and Engineering Management (DMEM),  showcases the innovative processes and outcomes from 50 collaborative student team projects through a series of presentations.

As well as providing a platform for our students’ industry-related output, academics will highlight opportunities and mechanisms for industry to work collaboratively with the university in the future.

Subsea Expo is the world’s leading annual subsea exhibition and conference, held annually at P&J Live in Aberdeen, and also includes the industry’s prestigious awards ceremony, the Subsea Expo Awards.

The exhibition and conference are completely free to attend.

The exhibition is a quality-focused event showcasing the capabilities, innovations and cutting-edge technologies of the underwater sectors, with over 185 exhibitors and 6,500 delegates attending the latest show.

The conference runs multiple parallel sessions and attracts a broad range of experts to discuss the challenges facing the industry, new and transformational technologies, digitalisation, clean energy and the path to net zero, among other topics.

The Subsea Expo Awards dinner is an opportunity to join friends, colleagues and peers in celebrating the accomplishments of the industry’s standout individuals and companies and is held at P&J Live in Aberdeen.

Subsea Expo is organised by the Global Underwater Hub.

Background

Entergaia Technologies located in Aberdeen, Scotland is a holding company for value creating entities in the areas of energy technology and AI and Analytical software development. Entergaia Technologies aims to push the boundaries of innovation and technology.

Formed in 2018, Entergaia Technologies were looking to develop a long-range wireless power transfer (WPT) solution that would result in the creation of a new portfolio focusing on long range wireless power transfer.

Wireless power transfer (WPT), wireless power transmission, wireless energy transmission (WET), or electromagnetic power transfer is the transmission of electrical energy without wires as a physical link. The technology of wireless power transmission can eliminate the use of the wires and batteries, thus increasing the mobility, convenience, and safety of an electronic device for all users. Wireless power transfer is useful to power electrical devices where interconnecting wires are inconvenient, hazardous, or are not possible.

The Challenge

The manufacturing process of electrical wire, steel and batteries emit enormous greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Entergaia Technologies wanted to develop a Wireless Power Transfer System (WPT) that demonstrated the long-range transmission of electrical power which could gradually reduce the use of steel wires and reduce the number of batteries used in storing electricity, which would in turn, reduce greenhouse emission and improve environmental sustainability. There was evidence to suggest that Entergaia’s WPT model worked but only over short distances.

Entergaia Technologies required assistance from an academic institution to investigate potentially three projects. Initially a proof of concept to look at the notion of beaming electricity from the point of production to the point of utilisation without electrical cables or batteries, followed by testing of such a model and then the development of a demonstrator.

The Solution

Entergaia Technologies with assistance from Dr Peng Li of the University of Aberdeen aimed to develop a Wireless Power Transfer System (WPT) that demonstrated the long-range transmission of electrical power. The solution would gradually reduce the use of steel wires and reduce the number of batteries used in storing electricity, which would in turn, reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere through the production of steel cables and batteries.

During the initial phase, the application focussed on the possibility of a long-range wireless-powered electric vehicle charging system that was beyond any current near field deployments in existence. Subsequently simulations showed that long range transfer of electrical power is possible.

The work also established the possibility of electromagnetic beam tracking and directioning – which means tracking the transmitted electrical energy in motion. The beam technology would help in future developments of a wireless power charging solution that is mobile and semi-autonomous, enabling charging of electric vehicles in motion or beaming electrical energy from space, where there are no energy losses due to positional changes.

This phase also identified areas of the components analysed that require significant improvement and showed the possibility to combine some technologies to help future prototyping and product development. The understanding derived from this work would be beneficial for Entergaia’s future strategy in deploying associated products such as beaming electricity from space, wireless electricity deployment during emergencies, beaming wireless electricity to charge robots, IOT devices and remote vehicles (ROVs).

The Future

The result from the initial collaboration with the University of Aberdeen showed that although it was possible to develop a Wireless Power Transfer System (WPT) that demonstrated the long-range transmission of electrical power there was the need to increase power efficiency received at the receiving end that would eventually charge the battery. Entergaia Technologies’ focus then turned to optimising the receiving end that charges the battery – a rectenna, to enable effective conversion of the microwave radiation received, to electrical energy, and loading the charge effectively onto the battery or other alternative storage.

Entergaia Technologies secured an Advanced Innovation Voucher through Interface and partnered with Edinburgh Napier University who are producing an optimised prototype that improves power efficiency.

The Benefits

• Initial proof of concept established that it was possible to develop a Wireless Power Transfer System (WPT) that demonstrated the long-range transmission of electrical power. Leading to a reduction in the use of steel wires and the number of batteries used in storing electricity, which would in turn, reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere through the production of steel cables and batteries.

• The initial collaboration helped Entergaia embark on further product development work with Edinburgh Napier University focussing on optimising both the transmitter and the rectenna (receiver end) to enable effective conversion of the microwave radiation received, to electrical energy, and loading the charge effectively onto the battery or other alternative storage.

• The findings are helping inform Entergaia’s future strategy in deploying associated products such as wireless electric vehicle charging, beaming electricity from space, wireless electricity deployment during emergencies, beaming wireless electricity to charge robots, IOT devices and remote vehicles (ROVs).