Background
Christopher McCann founded Current Health (formerly Snap40 Ltd) which proposed a patient health early warning system for the hospital and community. Christopher explained:
“Research has shown that up to 35% of in-hospital cardiac arrests are preceded by warning signs that are missed by stretched healthcare staff. Current Health has developed a wearable medical device that continuously monitors the health of a patient across a wide range of indicators and then analyses this data in real-time to accurately detect the early warning signs of deterioration. Notifications are then pushed to healthcare staff through a mobile device, allowing interventions to be put in place earlier. This will save lives, as well as reduce healthcare expenditure and stress on resources”
Challenge
As dehydration is a significant problem in hospitals, accounting for approximately 83,000 bed days at a cost of £0.95 billion a year in the UK alone, Current Health wanted to incorporate an ultrasound measurement into their medical device for non-invasively monitoring hydration levels in individual patients.
Solution
The knowledge, expertise and facilities for producing wearable ultrasound sensors were available at the University of the West of Scotland’s (UWS) Sensors and Imaging Group, who have a long history of developing ultrasound transducers. In particular, Dr. Dave Hughes, a Research Fellow at UWS, has devised a novel method for rapidly fabricating ultrasound transducers that operate at high frequency, vastly simplifying the process.
With the collaborative project between Current Health and UWS being funded by a Scottish Funding Council Innovation Voucher, administered by Interface, the University of the West of Scotland will demonstrate the feasibility of using Current Health’s current transducers for contact measurements of properties of skin with (a) coupling gel; (b) minimal coupling and (c) no coupling. The development of the Ultrasound sensor will feed directly into the product design of the Current Health device, with ongoing knowledge exchange between the University and the company.
Benefits
Wearable ultrasound is an emerging field that this project will drive. Currently, ultrasound measurements through skin are undertaken using large commercial scan systems whereas this project demonstrates the use of an ultrasound transducer, developed by the University of the West of Scotland, for portable, wearable, low-power systems. No existing wearable device with the ability to monitor hydration levels was on the market. This will be a significant move forward in the field towards the commercialisation of something completely novel and highly valuable.
The company will benefit via the addition of new value to its proposition, increased ability to sell their product and the revenue generated from this. It will also allow the company to generate a new barrier to competitors entering the market and increase the attractiveness of the company to private equity investment.
The Scottish Economy will benefit through the creation of new jobs, as well as the development of a high growth, high value business headquartered in Edinburgh.
Business Benefits
Academic benefits
Additional Note
In October 2016 Current Health (formerly Snap40) secured £2 million in Seed funding from investment firm Par Equity.
In March 2017, the company was awarded a £1 million SBRI healthcare development contract by NHS England. The contract supports Current Health to further scale its technology and provides critical validation funding for two clinical studies with NHS Fife and with NHS Lothian’s Emergency Medicine Research Group Edinburgh (EMERGE) based in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
In 2018 Current Health’s wearable device was selected as one of the exhibits for the Scottish Design Galleries when the new V&A opened in Dundee.
In January 2019, Current Health announced that it had closed a $11.5 million (£9 million) Series A funding round led by MMC Ventures. Legal & General, the FTSE 100 life insurer and asset manager, is Current Health’s first corporate investor and the largest investor in the round as it continues to invest in the future infrastructure of health and care globally.
Please note that Interface administers the Innovation Voucher Scheme on behalf of the Scottish Funding Council. All funding applications are reviewed on a case by case basis by the Scottish Funding Council, guidelines can be found here.
HAS Technology (parent company of CM2000), created ARMED, an Advanced Risk Modelling for Early Detection service which – through the development of a mobile platform – enables health professionals to be identified in a Service User’s home to ensure the right care is delivered at the right time.
Their technology has been designed so that both Service Users and Care Workers are completely protected, for example, sending alerts when a visit is running late so that advanced action can be taken. The service evidences a range of Service User improvements, tracks the impact of interventions and helps assess customer satisfaction levels. Linking to ARMED’s Family Portal module allows Service Users and their families to monitor the care and gives them opportunities to answer questionnaires that can be communicated back to the Care Provider, Local Authority and NHS.
Challenge
ARMED records around 10 million community care visit logs each month, and also collects a great deal of data on the needs of Service Users. They approached Interface looking at how this data could be used to evaluate the long-term health of an individual, further supporting those administering the care, as well as those receiving it.
According to Brian Brown, Director of ARMED:
“We approached Interface because they have an excellent reputation for linking business and academia.”
Solution
Interface worked with ARMED to develop their brief, sending it to the most relevant universities and research institutions in Scotland. They received a number of notes of interest but decided to work with Prof. Bill Buchanan, Professor of Computing, and Adrian Smales, PhD Researcher at the Institute for Informatics & Digital Innovation at Edinburgh Napier University.
Thanks to support from Professor Buchanan & Adrian Smales, the business secured a £5,000 SFC Innovation Voucher, administered by Interface. This extra funding helped to offset the cost of the project allowing them to process large amounts of data which gave them the ability to assess the likelihood of the onset of illness. This enabled at-risk clients to be easily identified and closely monitored, thus reducing the need for medical interventions.
Follow-on activity
ARMED were so pleased with their initial project with Edinburgh Napier University that they wished to continue the relationship and, in collaboration with Professor Buchanan and Adrian Smales, developed a second project focussed on building a more robust evaluation platform. Their overall aim was to gather additional information on patients’ conditions, in line with NHS and Local Council requirements, developing predictive techniques which help identify those at risk. In doing so, ARMED’s technology is able to pre-empt expensive hospital-based care, helping healthcare providers across the world to save millions of pounds and improve the quality of service to vulnerable Service Users.
The detailed research and development work in both stages was undertaken by Adrian Smales, a Research Fellow at Edinburgh Napier University, and whose research work has been focusing on the detection of frailty using data from a range of sources. Adrian commented:
“We have a long-term vision of using data to detect the early signs of illness, and apply new methods that should lead to improved care and better outcomes for all.”
Due to the nature of the project, and to cover the cost of the research team who were needed to develop the state-of-the-art predictive tools, ARMED once more approached Interface to apply for SFC Follow-on Innovation Voucher funding. The Follow-On Innovation Voucher allows companies to apply for up to £20,000 of funding which requires to be matched with cash from the company. Thanks to support from Professor Buchanan they were again successful and received almost £20,000 of funding which allowed them to progress with the project.
According to Professor Buchanan:
“Currently, patient information can only be effectively captured in controlled environments such as hospitals, care homes or a GP surgery. This project has significantly extended the effectiveness of ARMED’s mobile platform and by applying our research into advanced predictive analytic techniques we have successfully incorporated patient focused data capture with real-time personalised feedback.”
Brian Brown, Director of ARMED, added:
“By working with the University the time to market has been reduced. The development of this new technology has huge commercial benefits and we expect to significantly increase revenue. It also strengthens our export potential. We expect both quality and cost savings benefits for our customers.”
Since working with Edinburgh Napier University, HAS Technology have gone on to work with the Digital Health and Care Institute (DHI). The objective of this project was to apply advanced predictive analytical techniques to the data captured during homecare visits in East Dunbartonshire in order to identify markers which are indicative of the early onset of illness. Leveraging expertise from ongoing work in Primary Care in England will accelerate the integration of the ARMED mobile application into the Frailty Framework in Scotland, providing a unique opportunity to mine data across the boundary between health and social care.
This collaboration has already been hailed a success in the East Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership Care Inspectorate Report, where it scored 6 or excellent in the ‘quality of care and support’ category. The report from the July 2016 Care Inspectorate told us:
“The people involved in the project were extremely positive about its benefits. These included being more knowledgeable and aware about their activity, fitness and heart rate, and more informed about their general wellbeing.”
This is an example of how big data, machine learning and predictive analytics can be used in healthcare, and the collaboration between Edinburgh Napier University, the DHI and ARMED is an example of great Scottish knowledge exchange between commercial and academic partners.
With a proven success rate, ARMED has quickly expanded, deployed internationally, gained Microsoft recognition and created 5 new jobs, demonstrating how AI and deep learning can revolutionise preventative care. ARMED is an example of how SMEs can contribute to Scotland having a globally competitive, entrepreneurial, inclusive and sustainable economy.
2020 Updates
In accordance with the Medical Device Directive (MDD), ARMED has been certified as a medical device and can now be used in clinical settings.
Brian Brown, director of ARMED at HAS Technology, said: “We are delighted that ARMED has received certification as a medical device. Technology has a huge role to play moving forward and with so much evidence to support the benefits of early detection, this places ARMED in a much more credible position, especially within NHS spheres, to help make a real difference.”
The ARMED clinical evaluation stated that a “proactive approach to falls is considered crucial” and “significant reductions in falls” have been observed in trials when a risk of falling is identified, and the risk is managed.
It also highlighted that evaluations to date have identified clinical trends in patient groups including dehydration, weight loss, restlessness nocturnally, muscle wasting and reduced grip strength, all of which can be monitored by ARMED.
Please note that Interface administers the Innovation Voucher Scheme on behalf of the Scottish Funding Council. All funding applications are reviewed on a case by case basis by the Scottish Funding Council, guidelines can be found here.
The Company
Established in 2011, StEPS Podiatry, run by Vicki Cameron, is an award winning private podiatrist clinic covering Ayrshire and Glasgow.
The official podiatrist (at the time of writing) to the Scottish Football Association (SFA), Vicki also worked with Celtic Football Team and the Scottish Athletics Team giving her an in depth understanding of the demands placed on professional athletes. Keen to position her practice at the forefront of sports injuries, Vicki was aware that there was a need for specialist preventative equipment that could only be developed through pioneering research.
The Business Challenge
More than 80% of sports injuries are caused by repetitive strain to muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments and there is a 70% chance of re-injury within this group, leading to significant health and cost implications for players and teams alike. Current treatments are aimed at limiting this strain through functional foot orthosis such as special insoles, but Vicki wanted to create a screening tool to catch symptoms early and so prevent injury development in the first instance.
The Solution
Having worked with Strathclyde University in 2014, Vicki was well aware of the support and facilities available through Scotland’s universities and after meeting Mari Findlay, Business Engagement Executive at Interface, at a local 1:1 Business Support Clinic, she was keen to work with academia again.
Mari worked with Vicki to explore the project objectives and was able to identify a number of academic partners who would have the right expertise and the right facilities to conduct the research. Mari also identified a number of funding options which would help offset the costs of the project and allow Vicki to work with her chosen institution.
As Mari explains, “I often meet entrepreneurs with really great ideas who don’t know how to get them off the ground. They either don’t have the expertise in house or the finances to approach external support. At Interface we have connections to industry experts in each of Scotland’s universities and we can identify funding which will cover their costs.”
Thanks to Mari’s support, and with £5,000 of SFC Innovation Voucher funding, Vicki was able to embark on a project with the University of Strathclyde giving her access to highly specialised equipment including the Vicon Motion Analysis system, a 3D gait analysis machine which, in addition to video, uses both lasers and micro cameras to create a highly detailed 3D image of the foot. A range of information obtained from the scan, such as arch height and the alignment of the Achilles with the leg, is assessed and has provided Vicki with valuable data which she can use in the development of her preventative screening equipment.
As Vicki comments:
“Working with Interface has enabled me to access the most innovative equipment at Strathclyde University.
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.
I found the application process really easy, these pieces of equipment are normally housed in academia and so for a small business to get their hands on them is quite unique – Interface made that possible.”
Please note that Interface administers the Innovation Voucher Scheme on behalf of the Scottish Funding Council. All funding applications are reviewed on a case by case basis by the Scottish Funding Council, guidelines can be found here.
The Company
Scotmas is a leading manufacturer of water treatment, hygiene and environmental care products. Best known for its extensive range of chlorine dioxide systems, developed with over 25 years experience in the market, it is now actively involved in developing microbial biotechnology, insect repellents, insecticidal textiles and consumer product ingredients.
With a strong and continued commitment to R&D, Scotmas is always on the look-out for strategic investment opportunities with other companies and projects which can provide experience and capabilities that will add value to its offering.
The Business Challenge
An introduction to Interface – The knowledge connection for business, presented an opportunity to advance two research projects, one looking at bacteria identification and another on bacteria and virus tests. Following an extensive search of expertise in the field, Interface helped the company to develop active partnerships with several academic institutions.
The company produces microbe-based products used for a variety of applications in waste water treatment and land remediation, but wanted to expand this into a range of domestic cleaners and products for specific industrial contamination.
The Solution
Following discussions with the University of Aberdeen, it was learnt that spin out company NCIMB was undertaking the characterisation of the bacteria strains on a routine basis.
Scotmas was looking for help to investigate the effectiveness of one of its products for a client. Interface facilitated a project with Glasgow Caledonian University’s Dr Chris Woodall, from the School of Life Sciences, offering specialist testing services for bacteriological and viral testing. The project resulted in a continued relationship and subsequent testing work.
Following the success of the initial project, Scotmas embarked on a number of new collaborative projects, including corrosion studies and a project on microencapsulation and was in active discussions with other academic groups including Scottish Crop Research Institute and the University of Glasgow.
Benefits
- The company advanced two research projects with the help of university expertise
- The company accessed specialist testing facilities to validate the effectiveness of one of its products.
- The collaboration has resulted in a continued and sustained partnership between the company and Glasgow Caledonian University.
- The success of the project initiated new collaborative projects with other academic groups
Alistair Cameron, Technical Director at Scotmas commented:
“We were looking to strengthen our range of microbe-based products in a variety of domestic cleaners and products for tackling specific industrial contamination. Interface linked us to academic partners who helped in the commercial culturing of these microbes, in order to supply a powdered product to Scotmas’s commercial operations.”
Scotmas went on to collaborate with the engineering department at Heriot Watt University, an academic team that were included in the University’s research submission to REF 2014* (Research Excellence Framework), 94% of which was judged as “world-leading” or internationally excellent.
In November 2016 Scotmas announced that they are sending new self-sustaining technology to Botswana to bring properly treated water supplies to some of its most remote areas.The Bravo Hydro system runs without grid electricity or solar power, using a tiny generator in the water pipe. Scotmas said the technology could bring reliably disinfected water to areas where it had not been possible before.It is being sent to 40 villages in Botswana thanks to a major investment by the country’s government.
Scotmas undertook around ten collaborative projects with academia since the original project facilitated by Interface including two Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) with Heriot-Watt University. The family business employs 42 people and provides chlorine dioxide water solutions around the world – including in Doha for the Qatar World Cup 2022 and in villages in southern India.
In 2020 Interface linked Scotmas to Robert Gordon University to support the development of a new and innovative method of producing disinfectants without harmful by-products for use in hospitals, water supplies and food production applications. The project was funded through an Advanced Innovation Voucher and won Innovation of the Year at The Scottsh Knowledge Exchange Awards 2021.
*The REF is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.
he Company
StudioLR is an award-winning design agency based in Leith, Edinburgh.
The Business Challenge
Dissatisfied with existing ‘way-finding’ products for dementia, and sensing an opportunity for a fresh and novel approach, the company wanted to access Scotland’s academic expertise to use the latest research to inform their design, ensuring an effective, as well as an attractive, finished product.
The Solution
After meeting at an industry event, Interface was able to identify extensive research expertise in the care of people with dementia at the universities of Edinburgh and Stirling, and introduced both universities to StudioLR. After discussions with both universities, it was agreed that a collaborative approach to the project would be the best solution to provide the company with access to the most wide-ranging expertise. A Scottish Funding Council Innovation Voucher, administered by Interface, was awarded to support this project.
Benefits
As a result of this successful business-academic collaboration, StudioLR developed a set of design guidelines for creating consistent signage to increase independence and wellbeing for older people and dementia patients in care homes, hospitals or other related environments. Lucy Richards, Creative Director at StudioLR, said:
“The collaborative process we have experienced working together with the universities of Edinburgh and Stirling on the Innovation Voucher has been both stimulating and fruitful, with exciting new thinking emerging throughout the process. As the project builds in momentum, our purpose has become clearer and more worthwhile.”
Follow-on Activity
Following further brokerage services from Interface, StudioLR have been accepted into The Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities (SGSAH) Doctoral Internship programme, which matches doctoral researchers with industry partners. The company are keen to establish research in the area of “impact and consequences of the use of complex language in everyday settings”, particularly in the Care system and across public services, i.e. in hospital and clinical settings.
The outputs from the researcher will be a report outlining key findings and recommendations on the unintended consequences and negative impact of the use of this language.
Please note that Interface administers the Innovation Voucher Scheme on behalf of the Scottish Funding Council. All funding applications are reviewed on a case by case basis by the Scottish Funding Council, guidelines can be found here.
React2 is a specialist software company based in Peebles, developing speech and language therapy rehabilitation tools for both adults and children suffering from brain injury and trauma.
Since 1998, the company has developed a suite of speech and language therapy (SLT) software called React, which has been a leading product for SLT, sold to therapists and private individuals throughout most English speaking countries.
The Business Challenge
React2 recognised the need to investigate, for the first time, the mechanisms underlying stroke patient recovery using computer assisted home therapy. This led to their Managing Director, Dean Turnbull, meeting with Dr Siobhán Jordan of Interface and the Knowledge Links team to investigate how the academic sector could support the development of the young business and to take forward the ideas of React2.
The Solution
The result has been a successful collaboration with SINAPSE, the Scottish university research pool for brain imaging. The research is being undertaken at the Brain Research Imaging Centre (BRIC), a member of the SINAPSE collaboration, at the Division of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Edinburgh at the Western General Hospital.
The project is investigating the patient recovery through leading edge functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). The academic alliance injected fresh, new approaches to the business and may lead to further developments of the React2 software, which contains a vast number of new exercises in an easy-to-use and up-to-date interface, and is a huge step forward in computer based therapy. The React2 development has combined the development skills of NHS speech and language therapists, as well as specialists from around the world.
PhD student and speech therapist, Anna Jones, who is leading the research, comments: “The results will assess the overall effectiveness of Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) and its long-term benefits. ‘React2’ could dramatically improve SLT for many stroke patients, allowing for more intensive therapy than is currently available.”
React2 sees the potential in e-health as the way forward for patient care.
Managing Director, Dean Turnbull, is thrilled by the collaboration: “This is the sort of research that we as a small company could never fund ourselves, but through Interface and SINAPSE, we are working with the foremost brain imaging specialists in the world. It’s fantastic.”
A 3 year studentship, part of the Knowledge Exchange in Translational Imaging grant funding from Scottish Funding Council to SINPASE, will take the research forward, and the next step of the project will investigate the long term mechanisms underlying stroke patient recovery using computer assisted home therapy and will investigate the patient recovery through leading edge fMRI imaging. This will involve the University of Edinburgh’s Brain Imaging Research Centre at the Western General Hospital’s Division of Clinical Neurosciences. Dean believes that this will result in significant business growth, with increased sales and new employment within the company.
“We are delighted that the collaboration between Propeller Media and University of Edinburgh, facilitated by Interface. Importantly, this relationship highlights how SME’s can benefit from expertise available”. Siobhan Jordan, Director of Interface
One of the UK’s leading salt traders, Peacock Salt, turned to Scotland’s academic sector to help in the technical challenge of designing a new, natural, green and economically viable method to make (sea) salt domestically.
Initially a shipping company, J C Peacock & Co Ltd is a small family business based in Ayr, which was established in 1874, evolving into a salt trading firm. Peacock salts are used for general de-icing and water softening properties as well as for industrial use in the food, agriculture, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.
Keen to investigate salt production in Scotland, the company met with Interface – the knowledge connection for business – to help source an academic partner that could provide the right mix of experience required for the project.
With help from Interface, Peacock Salt was able to connect with Dr Carl Schaschke from the University of Strathclyde’s Department of Chemical and Process Engineering. Dr Schaschke had experience with natural salt production methods, such as purification of brine from volcanic craters and solar evaporation.
The Business Challenge
Earlier methods of making salt in Scotland were uneconomical; therefore Peacock was keen to lead the way in developing a new, industry-leading method. Ultimately, they envisaged a new salt production plant being built – similar to innovative new plants in other parts of the world, such as Bad Salzuflen in Germany.
The main challenge in production terms was turning sea water (ca. 3% saline solution) into a concentrated solution of ca. 26%, which is when salt crystals start to drop out of solution. The quality of the crystals is affected by the latter stages of the evaporation procedure.
Peacock Salt offers the largest variety of salts available in the UK. With over 6,000 customers, the company’s range includes salts from around the world such as Rock, Sea and Manufactured salts.
Peacock Salt’s operations manager, Gregorie Marshall, was keen that the process used as natural a method as possible: “Ideally we wanted to develop a salt production process that used green energy, where little additional input of heat and electricity is required, while also developing a new plant which itself would become a tourist attraction.
“We needed expertise in the areas of chemistry, chemical technology, chemical or process engineering to carry out research which would investigate and design the most suitable method of producing salt in Scotland. We also wanted to identify and analyse suitable sites using geographical and meteorological data.”
Three universities came forward as potential partners for the project but ultimately, Peacock Salt chose to move forward with Strathclyde as Dr Schaschke had direct experience in salt production.
Initial discussions were leaning towards taking the project on as a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), however it was decided that an initial financial feasibility study was required before progressing the KTP.
The Solution
Peacock Salt was introduced to Carrie Shaw from the Strathclyde Links project, who was able to assist the firm source funding for the feasibility study, which was completed by Professor John Finch, of the University of Strathclyde Business School’s Department of Marketing.
Professor Finch, working with PhD student Emma Reid, provided Peacock Salt with a market/business viability report that provided in-depth analysis of the market for a sea salt produced at a facility in Scotland, including developing business scenarios in order to assess product positioning, price and current competitors in the market place.
A KTP to investigate a Scottish salt production facility took place in 2011.
Follow On activity
Following this successful project, Peacock Salt got back in touch with Interface to seek an academic partner to develop chemical brine which would allow them to extend their current offering of liquid de-icer.
This required the development of an additive that lowers the freezing point of the brine, and therefore the working temperature of the de-icer, without having any detrimental impact on the handling of the material. The additive would also enhance the salt or brine’s ability to adhere to the surface it has been applied to, offering a longer residual effect whilst not impairing the de-icing capabilities.
Interface successfully matched Peacock with Dr Mohammed Yaseen and Professor Andrew Hursthouse from the University of the West of Scotland to lead on this project. The team investigated the additives that can be applied to de-icers and examined performance improvements such as freeze-point suppression, reduced environmental impact and increased residual effect.
As a result, this would deliver an enhanced product offering for the business in the relatively innovation-free winter maintenance market. It will also have a positive impact on the business operating in the UK and potentially open up new market opportunities further field.
In addition, Peacock Salt is currently working on another collaboration project facilitated by Interface.
As a key supplier of de-icing salt and winter equipment to local authorities, businesses and private individuals, Peacock Salt were keen to tackle another industry challenge. During winter, de-icer salt is spread on the roads every day when the weather conditions dictate, mostly when the temperature is predicted to be below a certain level. When spreading for multiple days no account is taken as to how much de-icer salt is left on the road.
The company was keen to develop an innovative method to measure the amount of di-icer salt on the road as the vehicle moves along, so it can be determined whether any more de-icer salt is required. Additionally, they wanted to develop a method of reporting this information back to the vehicle driver/equipment to enable them to alter the spread rate of de-icer.
Interface successfully matched Peacock Salt with Professor David Flynn from Heriot-Watt University, School of Engineering & Physical Sciences, to draw on his experience in research and knowledge exchange and guide the project. The project is funded by the Scottish Funding Council Follow-On Voucher, administered by Interface.
Napier University helped Scottish life sciences company, The Medical Device Co Ltd., save time and money trying to find a solution to an engineering problem it was trying to solve.
The Medical Device Co. Ltd managing director, John Targell said: “We specialise in helping clients in the plastics and disposable medical device industry take their ideas from initial concept to production.
The Business Challenge
“One of our clients wanted to do something out of our realm – in an area around thermodynamics – and luckily I met Dr. Siobhán Jordan, director of Interface at a seminar.”
After an introduction by Interface – the knowledge connection for business, The Medical Device Co. has been given help with technical challenges by Napier University engineering experts.
The Solution
As a result, the company has been told what they were trying to achieve would not be feasible as it defied the laws of physics! However, this information allowed them to search for an alternative solution the company has now implemented.
John Targell continued: “This information was invaluable as letting us know that something is not possible saved us an immense amount of time and work.
“My previous experience with universities many years ago was that the collaboration process can be quite long-winded and the experts tend to be non-commercially focussed. However, my recent experience has been excellent. I’d certainly go to Interface again for help. They’ve made me realise that working with universities is a quick and straightforward process and ultimately the experience has saved us a lot of unnecessary work.”
Dr. Siobhan Jordan, director of Interface said: “This is an excellent example of one of the ways universities can help Scottish companies with their individual business challenges and Interface is keen to help business across all sectors and sizes access similar assistance.”
With a reputation spanning over 100 years, East Kilbride based Mentholatum are a recognised leader in the sale of Topical Pain Relief products.
The Business Challenge
Looking to diversify into the skincare market the company had developed a new range of skincare cosmetic products based on novel ingredients for the treatment of acne. Requiring academic analysis to be carried out on their range before they could be taken to market, the company was referred to Interface by Scottish Enterprise. They needed to gauge performance and efficacy in the key areas of:
- reduction in skin redness
- control of sebum production
- anti-bacterial properties
- promotion of clear skin
The Solution
Following a full search of the academic base in Scotland, Interface introduced the company to Dr Richard Weller at the University of Edinburgh, who had relevant industry experience.
Leading the eight week clinical protocol study on the OXY range, Dr Weller conducted a full analysis report and published a white paper on the results, both of which have proven invaluable to Metholatum.
As Colin Brown, Director of Research and Quality Development at the company explains:
The introduction from Interface to the University of Edinburgh has been invaluable for the launch of our Oxy range for the spot prone skin market. The increased credibility we have received from working with the University and with Dr Weller has also improved our opportunities to gain increased market share in the healthcare/personal care market.
The collaboration was also beneficial to the University in terms of highlighting the scope of their research to the wider business world, as Dr Weller comments:
The Mentholatum consultancy work has been very successful. We conducted a full clinical trial of its anti-spot products. To date, this work has gained considerable interest in two major British dermatology journals, and I suspect it will gain additional favourable media attention.
Creating Sustained Relationships
So successful has this collaboration been that Mentholatum see the partnership of University and business as filled with potential for future projects. Colin explains further:
This initial introduction has opened many doors within the University and also the wider Scottish academic network. We envisage this partnership with the University of Edinburgh as being long term and see many mutual benefits from working together.
2016
Since this initial project for their OXY skincare range, the company have funded a three year SUPA (Scottish Universities Physics Alliance) PhD studentship which investigated the application of Magnetic Resonance Elastography.
They have also sponsored a second PhD studentship through SINAPSE, a consortium of six of Scotland’s top universities’ medical imaging groups, including the University of Stirling and the University of Dundee.
This Scottish imaging network is at the forefront of research in the field of brain imaging.
Looking to the future, Mentholatum is now collaborating with the Department of Physics at the University of Edinburgh on a project which will support the measurement of the rheological properties of its products.