Background

Investment Solver Ltd was founded in 2014 by Manuel Peleteiro.  The company has developed a digital platform called Inbest, a data analytics platform that aims to democratise the access to wealth management. Inbest enables financial institutions to provide a holistic, personal and realistic financial planning service. This solution automates the financial planning process by gathering and analyzing customers’ financial data.

Challenge

The company approached Interface in 2015 with the concept around developing a platform that would help users learn and understand their finances, empowering them to make better financial decisions. At the time, investment providers were launching online investment propositions targeted at digital consumers, but a large majority of this market segment was not engaged with saving and investing.

Investment Solver was looking to collaborate with academics interested and researching the fields of:

• Cognitive science

• Information visualisation

• Computer interaction science

• User interface design

Enhanced Support in the Interim

Whilst the company was refining its business proposition and technical offering, Interface connected them with Edinburgh Napier University who supported them in applying for a RSE (Royal Society of Edinburgh) Fellowship, hosted by the University.  They were successful, and as an awardee, the company were able to focus solely on refining their business ideas, whilst receiving one year’s salary, expert training in entrepreneurship, and access to mentorship from business Fellows of the RSE and other successful entrepreneurs in the business community – all of which are vital for an early stage business.

Interface also connected them to Dr Roberto Rossi, Director of Post Graduate Programmes at University of Edinburgh Business School, as they were looking to develop a sound and innovative marketing strategy.

Dr Rossi’s Project Management students worked with the company to carry out focus groups to test the problems that first home buyers face and evaluate whether HouseUp, one of the company’s applications, would help them.

“I am very happy with the output of the project and I have used their insights for the product road map and in presentations with clients”, said Manuel.

Due to the success of the student project, the relationship developed between Interface, Investment Solver and Dr Rossi, resulting in another collaboration between the company and Dr Rossi’s students the following year.  This was a market-orientated project which would help the company guide decisions on one of their product features.  They provided the students with the working prototype of HouseUp, which they used in customer interviews. As a result of the study, Investment Solver gained a better understanding of the characteristics of potential customers and their needs.

“As the norm, the students have done a terrific job”, said Manuel.

Interface continued to keep in touch with Investment Solver to make them aware of additional opportunities that existed within the universities and possible research funding grants.

Solution

Connections with the company were enhanced when Dr Rossi drew upon the expertise of his colleague, Dr Raffaella Calabrese.  She was conducting research to investigate models that integrate socio economic indicators to model and estimate property valuations in a given area while Manuel was looking to build an application to automatically calculate a customer’s financial situation.  Together, they were awarded funding via The Data Lab to part fund an industrial doctorate to analyse data such as banking data and user data and preferences, to develop a system which will offer a long term financial plan for the user. This financial plan, which will include advice on savings and spending, will automatically be adapted to changes in markets and/or other user related data.  The PHD student is being supervised by both Dr Miguel Carvalho (School of Mathematics) and Dr Raffaella Calabrese (Business School) who quotes:

“It was great to see how this collaboration developed from student project to a research collaboration with the benefit of seeing how our research directly impacts the company, helping them to develop and enhance their offering. 

Together, this project helps address financial inclusion and financial well-being in society by developing an affordability model to help people to find out how much they can comfortably save.”

Follow-On Activity

As part of their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, over £11k was awarded by the Data-Driven Innovation Programme (DDI) to the University of Edinburgh Business School in collaboration with Investment Solver.  The aim of this project was to support vulnerable people to identify the benefits that they were entitled to and to provide short term affordable lending to bridge the gap that would be repaid once the individuals received their benefits. DDI would support lenders in making such decisions by providing a credit application check that would take into account the amount of benefits that the applicant was entitled to receive.

This would be achieved by developing and applying the Inbest Benefits calculator that uses individuals’ banking data to calculate the income benefits users can claim and monitors their entitlement according to changes in their financial situation.

Background

KINGDOM Scotland is developing Scotland’s first creative luxury fragrance house by introducing rare and evocative scents.  As a luxury brand, they source high quality ingredients and their perfume oils are the best grades available. KINGDOM Scotland will draw on the rich flavours and textures of Scotland’s cultural heritage – from landscape and mythology to whisky distilling and the history of perfume in Scotland – in order both to inspire its products and shape its brand. In doing so it hopes to ‘bottle Scotland’ and provide consumers with experiences which put them in touch with Scotland’s complex and fascinating past and present.

Challenge

The director and founder of KINGDOM Scotland, Imogen Russon-Taylor, was initially inspired by her experience working with Scottish whisky brands. She was struck by the connection both between whisky and heritage and between whisky and perfume. Both are produced by traditional distillation methods; both evoke a complex sensory experience; and both rely upon the innovative use of ingredients or flavours to distinguish themselves from competitors. Imogen began to consider the potential for a new brand to ‘bottle Scotland’ and to use perfume to share old narratives in new ways as there were rich stories associated with perfume and natural ingredients in Scotland.

Imogen didn’t have the skills to access these stories through archives and national records so she approached Interface to help her find the necessary university expertise. 

Solution

Imogen was put in touch with PhD student, Dawn Hollis, a historical researcher at the University of St Andrews, to help her look into the history of Scotland’s perfume and to look into sourcing ingredients that had a heritage in Scotland. 

As Dawn focussed her research on the archives and Herbarium collections of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Edinburgh, Imogen became increasingly keen to incorporate the results of this research into a ‘Botanicals’ range, with a focus on ingredients either found within or with a strong connection to Scotland. Dawn suggested drawing upon the collections of famous or interesting Scottish botanists in order to add more exotic flavours to this range, focussing her research on the collections of George Forrest (1873-1932) and Isobel Wylie Hutchison (1889-1982).  Profiles were drawn up for both a ‘Botanical Floral’ perfume (inspired by the collections of George Forrest and featuring scents of champacha, rhododendrons, and honeysuckle) and for an ‘Arctic Poppy’ perfume  (now known as Albaura, inspired by Isobel Wylie Hutchison and drawing on ‘green’ Arctic scents).

The project was funded by a Scottish Funding Council Innovation Voucher.

Benefits

This project will support the development of what is certainly the first Scottish luxury perfume house in many years, if not the first in Scottish history. It is underpinned by the considerable expertise of its founder, whose original inspiration for KINGDOM Scotland was drawn from her experience in the Scottish whisky industry.

Worldwide, Scottish whisky is worth £5billion, making it one of Scotland’s most considerable exports. The global perfume industry, however, is worth £22billion. By bringing both together, KINGDOM Scotland aims to tap into multiple markets, offering considerable benefits in terms of increased revenue and employment.

“Working with St Andrews was very just for this project.  It’s the oldest university in Scotland and by delving into Scotland’s perfume past, it’s been the perfect partnership to bring this project to life”, said Imogen Russon-Taylor, KINGDOM Scotland Ltd.

“Carrying out research on behalf of KINGDOM Scotland was such an exciting and challenging venture – it was fantastic to collaborate with a new Scottish company and to ask new questions of the historical archives based on their needs and interests. It was also wonderful to see my research having a genuine impact on the development of KINGDOM Scotland’s new ranges – not many historians can say they can wear the results of their research as a luxury perfume.” said Dr Dawn Hollis, University of St Andrews.

Kingdom Scotland from University of St Andrews on Vimeo.

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.

Background

Following the success of the Safetray, which allows waiting staff to safely carry trays of food and drink, entrepreneur and inventor Alison Grieve was on a mission to change the way the world holds things and developed a new and unique product called ‘G-hold’.

The G-Hold is a multi-purpose handhold invention that can be placed on the back of any type of tablet or reader, big or small, for a comfortable hold.  

It allows users to easily and safely handle hand-held devices such as iPads and tablets without causing strain, with one hand leaving the other free to operate the device and perform related tasks (e.g. drawing, writing) simultaneously. The G-hold handhold attaches to devices using either Micro Suction or permanent adhesive, with a retractable finger support which enables users to hold their device comfortably and without the risk of dropping it.

G-Hold’s are sold globally and manufactured locally in Scotland by McLaren Plastics in Loanhead.

Challenge

Alison wanted to obtain scientific data proving G-Hold’s ergonomic attributes in preventing injury and to evaluate its overall performance.

The entrepreneur was keen to understand more about the muscles around the carpal tunnel in the wrist used when tablet users grip their devices as opposed to using the G-Hold.

The academic expertise needed for this project lay in the area of Biomechanics. It involved the understanding of how human biology and mechanical devices can be developed to work in harmony so that the experience is comfortable, flexible and efficient without producing any adverse strain type side effects.

Solution

Interface put Alison in touch with a range of relevant academics from Scotland’s universities who were keen to investigate the ergonomic benefits of G-hold in reducing the risk of repetitive strain injuries for heavy users of electronic devices.

Through support from Interface, Alison was successfully matched and chose to collaborate with Dr Ukadike Chris Ugbolue from the University of the West of Scotland, within the Institute for Clinical Exercise & Health Science to carry out a technical feasibility study on G-Hold, evaluating its performance and examining the effect on the arm, wrist and hand of users.

University of the West of Scotland has expertise available from the Institute of Clinical Exercise and Health Science (ICEHS). The Institute comprises the Centre for Clinical Exercise & Rehabilitative Science and the Sports Academy and is involved in research areas related to exercise science.

Dr Ugbolue is a Biomechanical Engineer with expertise in biomechanics and musculoskeletal disorders affecting the hand such as carpal tunnel syndrome. With strong interests in ergonomics and bioinstrumentation Dr Ugbolue is a perfect match for this project.

This project was funded through a Scottish Funding Council Innovation Voucher administered by Interface. The resulting data was so powerful that it was translated into an image for prospective customers to understand more easily. The graphic was used in the marketing materials and during the ErgoExpo in Las Vegas and it caught the eye of both Apple and Microsoft.

In April 2017, G-hold secured new deals with Apple and Microsoft and they are now designing a new version specifically for Microsoft’s tablet/PC hybrid, Surface Pro, which will launch in the summer.

Business benefits

CEO and Inventor, Alison Grieve stated:

Academic benefits

Additional impacts

G-Hold and the University of the West of Scotland’s Institute for Clinical Exercise & Health Science won the Innovation of the Year Award at the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards 2019 for product testing and proving ergonomic benefits for a patented handheld which reduces wrist strain when holding tablets and other handheld devices.

March 2020 update: G-Hold is designed, manufactured and assembled in Scotland and is approved by Apple Ergonomics, Microsoft Surface, Amazon Devices and Panasonic, G-Hold’s patented holders have partnered with some of the world’s largest technology companies and are top sellers on HSN and QVC.

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.

Background

Ecometrica is an end-to-end environmental software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider that is recognised as one of the world’s top sustainability brands. Incorporated in 2008, the company has unrivalled experience in helping businesses and governments identify risks and opportunities by combining satellite earth observation data with local information and business intelligence on the award-winning Ecometrica Platform. Ecometrica now has over 250 corporate clients, including ARM, Pearson, Compass Group, Etsy and Hertz.

Ecometrica brings together recognised experts in environmental and sustainability accounting, and their software supports all aspects of sustainability planning, operations and reporting. Their data and services are available from all their worldwide locations. Founded in Edinburgh in 2008, they also have offices in Montreal (2009), London (2012), Boston (2014) and Mexico (2017).

In 2013, a project team, led by the University of Edinburgh and comprising of local SME partners, LTS International and Ecometrica, successfully applied to the DFID (Department for International Development) Hectares Indicator Project – International Climate Fund (ICF) forestry programme.  DFID awarded £32,000 to the team to review and suggest improvements to their methodology for quantifying hectares of avoided forest loss and forest restored as a result of international development finance.

SFC Innovation Voucher Follow On Funding

In 2014, a Scottish Funding Council (SFC) Follow On Innovation Voucher of £11,600 was awarded to Ecometrica and Dr Edward Mitchard from the University of Edinburgh (UoE) for a project titled Earth Observation support for assessing the performance of the UK government’s ICF forest projects.

This follow on funding allowed Dr Mitchard to undertake additional analysis over Brazil to test the suitability of different earth observation (EO) satellite products for monitoring forest change. The project results gave Ecometrica a better understanding of the accuracy of the EO products, and enabled them to improve their testing and performance assessment offerings to institutions such as DFID, DECC, DEFRA, World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank.

“The Innovation Voucher is a fantastic scheme that made it really easy for me to work with a local SME and conduct research with real and immediate impact. My relationship with Ecometrica has grown since the Follow On Innovation Voucher was awarded, with it contributing to the development of ideas towards our current much larger collaborative projects. I would strongly encourage other academics to engage with Interface, who administer this SFC  programme”, said Dr Edward Mitchard, University of Edinburgh.

Benefits of the Collaborative Project

Edinburgh University and Ecometrica will continue to establish a leading position in Europe for this type of work. The benefits to the University of Edinburgh will be felt in terms of its international research and innovation ranking, and its reputation in the fields of forest ecology and the application of space technology. Ecometrica expects to continue its growth in this area:

• Academics and students at the University of Edinburgh School of Geosciences are among the first to gain unlimited access to millions of pounds worth of state-of-the-art Earth Observation, geospatial intelligence and satellite mapping applications, thanks to a groundbreaking memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the University and Ecometrica. The MoU formalises the ongoing collaboration between Ecometrica and the University of Edinburgh, which is expected to be worth around £4.5m to both parties over a five year period. Ecometrica will make its Mapping suite – a web-based, universal, disruptive geographic information system (GIS) – available on a limitless basis to the University, so that it can be used for research and teaching purposes.

• Ecometrica won a contract from the UK Space Agency’s International Partnership Space Programme worth over £14m. The ‘Forests 2020’ project is to help countries improve the management and protection across 300 million hectares of tropical forests – 12 times the size of the United Kingdom – and sees Ecometrica lead an international consortium that brings together many of the world’s leading experts on forest monitoring. The University of Edinburgh contributes to this project by expanding and automating their accuracy analysis of the existing University of Maryland products, and research alternatives for when this performs poorly (as well as expanding the deforestation analysis into the future using full carbon models to help with scenario analysis). This project also funded 3-year licences for University of Edinburgh staff to use Ecometrica’s EO Labs to disseminate results of their analyses.  The initiative, now involving seven countries, has already led to many new partnerships and collaborations worldwide, and has been invaluable in developing solutions, while ensuring they are ideally suited for monitoring every aspect of modern environmental concerns. ‘Forests 2020’ has recently been extended to include monitoring banana plantations, soya farms and palm oil plantations.

• Both Indonesia and Ghana have made commitments to working with Ecometrica in the decade ahead, enabling a greater focus on sustainable forest management and the conservation of tropical forests.  The company is also working with a growing number of blue chip corporates, committed to better understanding their roles and responsibilities in tackling climate change.

• Through this project, Edward Mitchard at UoE developed a greater understanding of which forest cover change products work best in which landscapes. This knowledge led to a guidance document on forest change monitoring produced under contract from DFID, and to an understanding of areas and types of forest change where no current product works well. There is clearly a wide user base for forest change products. Dr Mitchard applied for funding from the EU and UK research councils and other sources to develop better, satellite radar-based methods for mapping forest change, with clear long-term commercial implications (that could potentially be developed in partnership with Ecometrica).

Background

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual event, staged on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle in August each year. It is an internationally renowned hallmark event which is attended annually by 220,000 people, recorded by the BBC, and is broadcast to around 100 million people.  It has been running for 66 years and is a globally recognised brand.  

As an event management company, the Tattoo runs other events, including overseas Tattoos, and has global influence in the events industry.

Performers from 48 countries have taken part and using the latest in sound and vision, the Tattoo is very much an “experience” for the visitors.

Challenge

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo aspired to enhance the audience experience by augmenting the production of the show and/or the venue and also to be a platform for encouraging and promoting new, leading edge technologies year on year.

The company had identified the following three potential areas of development:

• 3D (visual effects – 3D/holographic or latest projection technologies, e.g. a moving image of jet or train). There are opportunities to create three dimensional images throughout the arena which are likely to be complimentary to the projections and lighting systems already used.
• Smells (olfactory options – e.g. smell of gunpowder or fuel).
• Sound (acoustics – e.g. directional).  An advanced sound system is already in place but this could be enhanced.

Solution

Following a referral from Scottish Enterprise, Interface partnered the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo with Professor Kenny Mitchell and Dr Oli Mival of Edinburgh Napier University to work on this collaborative project, funded by a Scottish Funding Council Innovation Voucher. Edinburgh Napier brings a wealth of experience in the area of digital and augmented reality. Professor Kenny Mitchell is an imaginer and head of research for Disney UK, as well as a professor within the School of Computing at the University.  Dr Oli Mival is an internationally recognised expert in the areas of Human Computer Interaction, User Experience and Interactive Design.

The project aimed to landscape the novel application of emerging and near to market technologies for potential deployment in The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo live performance (both for the Edinburgh shows and the touring productions).  The end goal was to define and provide a design and integration roadmap for the digital and multisensory augmentation of the audience UX (User Experience) to add a new, never before experienced dimension to an already world leading production.  The display needed to enhance the experience of the live user without detracting from the experience of those viewing the performance on TV, DVD and other media.

The collaboration included exploring currently available and future technologies, along with the spatial requirements of temporary outdoor venues, such as the Castle Esplanade and equivalent venues throughout the world.

The use of real time digital AR (augmented reality) in a large scale outdoor live event was the key innovation for the project. Whereas the use of digital audio and visual elements such as lighting and sound have always been used as part of the performance, the project evaluated and explored emerging augmentation technologies (for example real time laser projection mapping and directional auralisation sound “spot lights”) that far exceeded the norm and it is hoped will pioneer entirely unique and innovative visual, auditory and olfactory experiences.

“Working with the team at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has been a very interesting and productive process providing an excellent research opportunity in a real world setting. The interdisciplinary project enabled the University to draw on its wide ranging expertise across the School of Computing to explore the best way to augment the audience experience with a variety of potential emerging technologies. We look forward to a continued collaboration to help implement the ideas, insights and opportunities generated by the project work.”   Dr Oli Mival

Benefits

Technology in the area of digital and multisensory augmentation is still relatively new, and it is only through this project that the company and academic team will be able to better understand the capacity and limitations of the technology.  Scottish Funding Council Follow-On Innovation Voucher funding to further develop the designs for a digital and multi-sensory augmentation of the user experience is a potential option to embed the developments from the initial study.

Company

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has developed a hugely successful production and international brand based around its iconic event in Edinburgh, showcasing military and cultural acts from around the world in its celebration of music and entertainment.  The Tattoo is committed to staying at the forefront of technology in order to make the user experience more immersive, vibrant and exciting for live audiences as well as those watching on television.

University

The University will benefit from in-depth analysis of the available technologies in the areas of digital and multi-sensory augmentation. Working with an established and world renowned event will develop the academic team’s understanding of the real world deployment opportunities and challenges relating to the new technology.

Economy

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is already a huge draw for tourists throughout the UK and worldwide.  Further enhancement of the audience user experience would ensure that the production remains a draw for a worldwide audience, increasing tourism footfall in Edinburgh and throughout Scotland as a whole.

Follow-On Activity

Following the original collaborative project with Edinburgh Napier University, the REMT did a broad fact finding exploration into available technologies to deliver improved innovation to their event.  On the back of this, they have invested in further R&D and are delivering a new mobile device app for their 2017 performances, offering new services to their audience.

Commenting on the new feature, Brigadier David Allfrey said:

‘Whilst we always work to remain true to history and heritage – to remain authentic – we are constantly looking to innovate and evolve.  As part of this, we are exploring leading edge technologies and expertise to help deliver the very best experience for our live and digital audiences.  We are launching an app this year – the first in three stages of development – to cater for the wishes of an increasingly technically aware and demanding audience.  We do not wish to draw folk away from the fabulous spectacle of the Show but we want to present a range of information and services that might make the whole experience even more fun and memorable.  This first version will help us to better understand what our audience desires.  It will allow us to shape what we develop for future shows.”

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.

Background

Droman Crime Solutions Ltd is a collective of Cyber Security specialists covering a range of backgrounds including Police, Defence, Academia, Government, Industry and Business Systems.

The company was set up in Scotland in January 2015 with a mission to use technology to deliver education and raise awareness to areas like cybercrime.

Considering the rapidly changing nature of technology, the company was looking to develop a prototype demonstrator of cyber security training for police officers through games-based learning instead of a traditional classroom-based training.

Challenge

Cybercrime continues to be one of the fastest growing areas of crime in the UK and upskilling police officers in how to respond to and prevent cyber-crime is vital to ensure that Scotland continues to be a safe place to live and do business.

The company was lacking the academic and technical expertise to develop a working demonstrator using game technology and provide evaluation of technology informed learning and was seeking an academic partner to create and develop this new learning tool.

They were looking to create a web based solution that can be easily accessible on a tablet, smartphone or desktop computer to allow flexible learning schedule and can be easily and quickly updated to reflect changes in technology.

Solution

Thanks to the funding from the Scottish Funding Council Innovation Voucher, administered by Interface, Droman Crime Solutions partnered with Abertay University and Police Scotland to deliver this new game-based solution to combat cybercrime.

Abertay University has an internationally recognised expertise and reputation as the UK’s leading university in computer games education and creative arts.  It combines the three essentials for the partner to deliver this prototype: a highly technical domain (cyber security), a state-of-the-art delivery medium (serious gaming) and the assessment of learning required to assess the impact of this technology.

Benefits:

This project will enable a cross-disciplinary co-operation which will serve as a platform to further projects and research in areas of serious games and cyber security.

The Scottish economy will benefit through the transfer of knowledge from a Scottish university to a Scottish business.

Upskilling the Police Service of Scotland in how to respond to and prevent incidents of cyber-crime will lead to Scotland being a safer place to do business and ultimately enable a more resilient Scottish economy.  

Paddy Tomkins, chairman of Droman Crime Solutions, said: 

“Cybercrime continues to be a top-level threat to the UK generally and has the potential to disrupt commerce, public services and international confidence.

“Thanks to funding from the Scottish Funding Council administered by Interface, we have spent over a year working with our partners in Abertay University and Police Scotland to develop this new learning tool.

“Our innovation has the potential to ensure that communities across Scotland are served by appropriately trained, skilled and confident police officers and staff.”

Dr Iain Donald, Lecturer in Interactive Media Production at Abertay, commented:

“We specifically designed this as a game-based solution to the challenge of training thousands of police personnel who might be the first responders to an incident of cybercrime by telephone or scene visit.

“Currently, as evidenced by various inspection reports, UK criminal justice organisations experience significant difficulties in providing mainstream training to large numbers of their operational front-line staff.”

“Interface has helped Abertay bring industry to the classroom. Within the School of Arts, Media and Computer Games we’ve greatly enjoyed the diversity of project, companies and innovative solutions that have enabled us to collaborate with a wide range of Scottish Tech companies.”  

Follow on activity

The project had resulted in both new products and new jobs. Paddy Tomkins aanticipates that turnover would increase and would result in 5 new jobs. In addition, they have invested £100k into R&D.

Additional notes

The project was awarded with the 1000th Innovation Voucher by the Scottish Funding Council administered by Interface.

Droman Director Paddy Tomkins discussing how games can be used for cybersecurity training on the BBC Crimewatch Roadshow 22nd June 2017. 

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.

Background

Whilst two and a half times more heat is consumed than electricity globally, new developments in heat have not been the focus on considerable innovation in recent years.

Sunamp Ltd, which is based in East Lothian, was founded in 2005 by successful technology entrepreneur, Andrew Bissell, who wanted to produce an innovative solution to develop heat batteries that store energy as heat, which can be released on-demand to provide heat and hot water.  
 

Challenge

As over half the world’s population live in densely populated cities and countries there is a clear need for heat energy stores in homes to move beyond gas and for homeowners to adopt solar and heat pumps without compromising on space requirements. Therefore Andrew set out to develop a truly practical heat energy store that was much more efficient and compact than hot water tanks and physically small enough for people to easily store in their homes.

Sunamp’s innovative idea was to create heat storage systems, using Phase Change Materials (PCMs) that are capable of storing and releasing heat as they change phase. In this way excess energy, which would normally be wasted, can be stored as heat for later use. The patented, non-toxic Sunamp Heat Battery stores and provides heat to warm a building or deliver hot water. The energy is released in much the same way as a hand warmer works. 

The issue that Sunamp faced with PCMs is incongruent melting, which affects the PCMs ability to store and release heat over a long lifetime. As a consequence, this was hampering the performance in Sunamp’s heat batteries.
 

Solution

Through Interface, Sunamp was successfully matched with Colin Pulham, Professor of High-Pressure Chemistry and Head of the School of Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, to analyse the PCMs to develop systems that store renewable energy as heat. They did this by developing additives, which would reduce the effects of any incongruent melting and, therefore, significantly improve the PCM’s heat storage properties. This initial project was funded through a Scottish Funding Council Innovation Voucher and although provided some early results, it was only in the close out meeting that the discussions led to further areas to be investigated. The resulting project proposal was successfully awarded an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Case studentship which subsequently resulted in the PhD student upon graduation joining the Sunamp team as their Materials Scientist.
 

Benefits

Since the initial partnership that Interface brokered with the University of Edinburgh in 2008, Sunamp has continued to develop their relationship with Professor Pulham and commenced a new relationship through Interface with Dr Tadhg O’Donovan, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences; Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering at Heriot-Watt University. The value of the relationship between University of Edinburgh and Sunamp has supported career development and employment for post graduate and undergraduate students, a new area of research into phase change materials, leveraged several £100k of funding and facilitated access to facilities such as the Diamond Light Source UK facility. The collaborative partnership will be submitted as an Impact case study to the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 highlighting the significant benefits that have been realised.
 

Professor Colin Pulham stated:

Follow on Projects

Under an Energy Technology Partnership ​(ETP) student agreement two significant discoveries in relation to Sunamp have been published. Professor Pulham now has a Sunamp focussed team working within the University and some of the collaborative projects have secured EPSRC Impact accelerator and Innovate UK funding. 

In 2014 Sunamp secured a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Heriot- Watt University which aimed to integrate and optimise Heat Batteries with Solar Thermal and Solar Hybrid PV-T (Photovoltaic-Thermal) Panels to develop a competitive, on-demand heat supply solution for domestic households.

In April, 2016, Sunamp raised £3.2m for its sales and manufacturing function in its latest funding round led by an international private investor in the energy market.

“The global thermal energy storage market is expected to reach $1.8 billion by 2020 and we are excited about the potential of our product to solve a worldwide problem,” said Chief Executive, Andrew Bissell.

In August 2017 a consortia, which includes Professor Colin Pulham ​with Sunamp and Vantage Power, was awarded £250k from Innovate UK for a project that will look to develop a novel vehicle thermal management solution that addresses hybrid electric bus cabin warm up and thermal loads in stop/start and all electric modes.

In 2017, Sunamp and the University of Glasgow’s School of Engineering partnered on a £2 million project linked to clean power and heat generation from the China-UK Research and Innovation Bridges programme, a joint UK/China initiative under the Newton Fund, developing solutions for agri-food, energy, healthcare, and urbanisation.

Andrew Bissell from Sunamp and Prof Pulham from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Chemistry won the Powerful Partnership Award at the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards 2019. 

Sunamp signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chinese company Trina Solar, the world’s largest solar solutions company. Trina Solar aims to jointly address the 66m Chinese homes that are heated by coal, converting instead to solar PV-powered heat pumps backed up by energy storage in Sunamp heat batteries so heat is available whenever needed. The excellent performance, quality and stability of the PCM developed early in the University of Edinburgh/Sunamp partnership was foundational to Trina selecting to work with Sunamp. There is potential for very large orders benefiting Sunamp, University of Edinburgh, the inventors and the UK and Scottish economies, and also benefiting the environment via decarbonisation and improved air quality. 

The company also secured £2.2 million in funding from Japanese energy provider Osaka Gas.

Sunamp also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Jiangsu Gomon Renewable Energy Development Co which aims to create an “innovative and unique” heat pump water heater for household use. The partnership aims to develop an innovative and unique heat pump water heater for the residential market, using Gomon heat pumps and Sunamp high energy-density, high power-density Heat Batteries.

Watch the interview with Professor Pulham and Andrew Bissell here: 

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.

Background

Founded in the early 1900’s, Bon Accord was a family-run soft drink manufacturer who distributed carbonated soft drinks to households across Scotland until the company ceased manufacturing circa 2000. Using the recognised Bon Accord name, and with a new generation at the helm, the family, led by the great, great, granddaughter of the founder, have re-branded and re-launched Bon Accord soft drinks.

Challenge

Conducting some initial research, Bon Accord was struck by the lack of Scottish all-natural, non-alcoholic drinks available on the market and were looking to fill this gap.

Solution

Interface connected Bon Accord to Food Innovation at Abertay (FIA), who has the technical expertise as well as industry and consumer knowledge to assist Bon Accord in its development of a range of premium, carbonated soft drinks.

Funded by a Scottish Funding Council Innovation Voucher, the FIA team undertook

• New product development of flavoured carbonated drinks
• Research on consumer acceptability of each flavour and
• The provision of the data required for the nutritional information for product labelling.

Benefits

The company now has a range of three new carbonated drinks that can either be used as mixers for alcoholic drinks or be enjoyed on their own; tonic water, cloudy lemonade, and sparkling rhubarb.  It has also benefited from work undertaken by marketing students at Abertay University who helped it with market research on the rebranding of the company.

“Interface put us in contact with the Food Innovation team at Abertay University. From the outset, the team at Abertay were hugely enthusiastic about the project and their knowledge, expertise and first class facilities allowed us to develop our fantastic range of soft drinks and mixers.” said Karen Knowles, Bon Accord.

“The Bon Accord project was an interesting challenge for the FIA team.  The development of new flavour profiles using natural ingredients which also met with consumer acceptance was achieved after many recipes trials and consumer tests.  FIA was delighted to provide Bon Accord with three initial products to launch onto the market and look forward to working with it again in the future.”  Jennifer Bryson, Food Innovation @ Abertay

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.​

Established in 1991, Investors in People Scotland aims to help organisations and their employees make the most of their abilities.

The company vision is to help transform performance and productivity in Scotland by encouraging, enabling and recognising the use of the Investors in People methodology to improve the way in which people are led, managed and developed.
This way, organisations can become more effective, productive and competitive helping to grow the economy.

The Business Challenge:

The company was looking to commission independent research to assess the impact that Investors in People Scotland have on the range of organisations which they work with and the ways in which their activities contribute to the strategic objectives of the Scottish Government through Scotland’s Economic Strategy (2015) and the National Outcomes.

The Interface Solution:

Investors in People Scotland approached Interface directly, to seek help in finding an academic partner to undertake the research.

The Interface team worked with them to develop a project brief which then was sent on to a range of universities and research institutions across Scotland. After speaking to three eminent social science groups, the company chose to work with Andrea Glass from the Training and Employment Research Unit (TERU) at the University of Glasgow.

The Training and Employment Research Unit (TERU) is a multi-disciplinary centre for applied economic and social research, driven by a desire to offer practical solutions to the challenges faced by policy makers, practitioners, individuals and communities. This unit undertakes research and evaluation work and delivers specialist training for a wide range of clients across the UK.

The Benefits

This research focused on how and why organisations became involved with Investors in People Scotland as well as the impact and overall value it has had on the organisation.

This led to a new research opportunity reviewing the impact and value of Investors in Young People.  

Once again, thanks to Interface matchmaking service and having well-established access to all world-class academic expertise, the team completed a comprehensive search and managed to quickly identify the best academic match from across all disciplines.

Through both desk-based research and in-depth interviews, this project highlighted the market potential for Investors in Young People as well as the potential barriers to engagement and the possible routes to market through businesses and partners. This provided invaluable independent research and analysis to support future approaches to increase the reach and impact of the Investors in Young People accreditation beyond the pilot phase.

Peter Russian, Chief Executive at Investors in People Scotland, said:

“Interface provided an invaluable resource in helping us to quickly engage with high quality expertise in three of Scotland’s leading universities.  Working to a tight timescale we were able to commission a large research project which has been fundamental to confirming the value and impact of Investors in People”.

Andrea Glass, Depute Director of the Training and Employment Research Unit (TERU) added:

“Building on the very positive Year One review of Investors in Young People, TERU worked closely with Investors in People Scotland to provide an overview of youth employment policy, the youth labour market and an assessment of the employer marketplace to provide in-depth understanding of the operating context.
Drawing on TERU’s networks and expertise, the organisations that support young people to secure, sustain and progress employment were identified and assessed as potential key players in the roll out of Investors in Young People going forward.
This research offered an opportunity to build on the Training and Employment Research Unit’s (TERU) extensive portfolio of work to support the design, development and implementation of policy to address youth unemployment in Scotland.  Working closely with Investors in People Scotland was a very positive experience and allowed TERU to develop a comprehensive evidence base to help guide the future approach to increase the reach and impact of Investors in Young People”.