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Nairn’s wanted to investigate improving the shelf life of its products, particularly where rancidity remains a challenge whilst reducing saturated fats, and ensuring there is no compromise on quality and flavour.

Nairn’s met with Interface – The knowledge connection for business, to explore possible opportunities of developing partnerships with a University or research institute with the necessary expertise required to assist Nairn’s two-fold concerns. Interface introduced Nairn’s to various Scottish universities and research institutes before opting to partner with the James Hutton Institute. Nairn’s has commenced a collaborative research and development Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the James Hutton Institute.

UWI Technology Ltd was set up in 2009 to develop a patent pending elapsed time indicator (ETI) known as the UWI Label.  Inventor Pete Higgins came up with the idea of a smart label which would indicate how long any jar had been opened for and, therefore, whether or not the food inside had gone off.

Challenge

The company was looking to establish a collaborative project with an academic group to help advance the technology of the label and develop its commercial potential, ultimately providing a working demonstration of the UWI label for investors.

Solution

Through Interface, UWI was introduced to Heriot-Watt University, who had renowned expertise in micro-engineering and colour chemistry.

Besides having the huge potential to be an effective consumer food waste reduction solution, it was soon realised that the idea had significant global applications such as the pharmaceutical industry, medical science and aeronautical manufacturing.  The collaboration received Scottish Funding Council Innovation Voucher funding, followed by further funding support from the EDTC/Product Realisation Centre Scheme for expanding the work to meet additional commercial demand.

Benefits

Company update 2021

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.

Adrok Ltd is an award winning technology developer and provider of unique imaging and mapping solutions based on proprietary technology known as the Atomic Dielectric Resonance (ADR) Scanner.

The technology has been developed by Adrok’s founder and science director, Colin Stove, who has been successfully imaging ground targets from space for the UK government, the European space Agency, NASA and commercial organisations for over forty years.

This scanner has the ability to identify and image any substance down to molecular or atomic level. Adrok’s patented technology works by sending a narrow beam of energy into the ground using micro and radio waves and allows the depth penetration of this energy to be much greater than conventional methods.

There are two main markets where Adrok focuses its commercialisation efforts to apply its technology developments; Subsurface earth imaging (Geological) and Medical markets.

In the Geological market, ADR is applied to provide meaningful images of unique material classifications of the structure and the content of the earth’s subsurface (hydrocarbons, precious minerals, water).

The Business Challenge

Gordon Stove, Adrok managing director, said: “The contribution our technology can make is multifaceted. Very little of the Earth’s subsurface has been mapped to date and the potential of ADR technology could significantly improve this situation in terms of delivering dielectric readings of up to 80km below the surface, at a far faster and more economical rate than has previously been possible.”

The Earth’s crust is currently mapped through seismic technology, which measures the elastic property of rocks and is expensive in terms of time and equipment. The company sought academic expertise to develop a two dimensional ADR bore hole image to determine dielectric rock properties at depths that will help them understand the deeper tectonic processes that can cause earthquakes and other natural events.

The Solution
The firm was introduced to Dr Randell Stephenson, Reader in Geophysics at the University of Aberdeen through Interface – The knowledge connection for business, which helps partner some of the country’s most innovative companies with leading academics.

The geophysicists worked with Adrok to see whether the firm’s existing one-dimensional virtual borehole system could be developed to generate two-dimensional subsurface profile images.

After preliminary analyses funded through a Scottish Funding Council Innovation Voucher, Dr Stephenson comments: “We need to conduct further analysis to determine the full resolution potential of ADR technology; however, if a two dimensional subsurface geological image can be achieved at depths of tens of kilometres, we will have a novel way of complementing existing information and potentially a far deeper understanding of the tectonic processes that produce the geology we see at the Earth’s surface.”

The approach represents a major advance in physics with a competitive advantage for additional industries including minerals, water, life sciences, civil engineering, defence, security and industrial quality control.

Edinburgh based 442 Design is a brand and interior design company that works with a wide range of companies including BAA, Tesco and PropInvest.  Specialist areas include: interior and graphic design, large format print graphics and signage; rebranding and interior design work in new premises and offices; with a focus on brand identity.

Challenge

The company was interested in expanding its focus from retail interior space to developing external promotions and point of sale showcase units for pedestrian precincts.  The new product design involved creating glass units to showcase products from nearby shops eg. clothes, books, accessories etc. and include touch pads to allow potential customers find out more about the products and encourage them into the stores.

Aimed at driving increased footfall and spend, the product is intended to be a highly engineered, large glass display case which is used for promotion. It will use solar energy to charge the display lighting and is intended for use in outdoor environments. The customer benefits include lower installation and power supply costs, reduced carbon emissions and clear environmental responsibility profile.

442 Design sought to power these small showcase units by solar energy, however to branch out into this, the company required an investigative study to provide recommendations on energy requirements, size, cost and design. For this they looked to find the relevant expertise within Scottish Universities.

Solution

The company was referred by The University of Edinburgh to Interface – The knowledge connection for business, which brokered links to Professor Tariq Muneer from the School of the Built Environment at Edinburgh Napier University.  The relationship developed and the feasibility study yielded beneficial results identifying initial target cities and clients. 

Interface also supported the company in identifying a source of finance to offset some of the costs – feasibility funding under the Scottish Government supported SEEKIT programme (EDTC) hosted by Edinburgh Napier University.

Professor Muneer calculated the energy and carbon emissions saved by lighting the pod using solar rather than conventional energy. This is crucial information for customers as corporate responsibility is increasingly important.

Professor Muneer comments: “The commissioning and completion of this project is a good demonstration of the three-way collaborative links – industry, the academic world and Interface, who acted as the matchmaker. Quite often research work carried out by universities resides only within the campuses or in academic journals. Through organisations such as Interface, application of the above research work can achieve its flowering.”

“The glass ‘buypod’ units have been hugely successful and this adaption of the product into being run on solar energy is a very exciting development” said Laurence Smith, Project Director at 442 Design. 442 Design is familiar within the proven components of the glass pod but unfamiliar with the potential capability of solar technology, where the links with Edinburgh Napier University have provided invaluable assistance. 

Looking ahead, Professor Muneer will compile a detailed report on light/lux levels at various locations, and will take lighting specification for the pod and advise on variances in hourly levels of solar energy required to light the pod throughout the year. This information is vital to customers to enable maximum impact throughout the year.  Corporate social responsibility is important to 442 Design, and energy and carbon emissions saved will be assessed.

The Benefits

Both bodies benefited through this new partnership.  Working with Scottish Enterprise innovation advisor, Jim Shields they are now identifying scope for further activity in prototype design  and are investigating their eligibility for R&D/innovation grants.

Find out more about 442 Design here.

Edinburgh-based Blackwood Foundation has researched how design and technology affects the day to day lives of Scotland’s disabled population.

The nationwide research enables housing associations and disability bodies to understand the living experiences of those with a disability, sensory impairment or support requirements, through identifying what works effectively in the home environment.

The Business Challenge

In 2010, and working in partnership with Capability Scotland, The Blackwood Foundation held 11 workshops throughout Scotland to gather the views of the disabled on what pleased or frustrated them with design and technology across a range of contexts in terms of independent living.

These workshops were also observed by industry representatives from local authorities and housing associations.

The Blackwood Foundation required an academic partner to document these workshops and produce a post-project research report for future use.

The Solution

Interface facilitated an introduction between The Blackwood Foundation and Phillippa Robertson-Rieck and Nick Watson from Strathclyde’s Centre for Disability Research, School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Glasgow.

The academic team compiled data collected from 97 disabled individuals. The data itself was segmented into three technology categories – ‘generic’, ‘specific’ and ‘appropriated’.

‘Generic’ refers to technologies aimed at enabling independence such as computers, remote controls and cooking aids. ‘Specific’ refers to technologies and design, including specific domestic applications and designs, aimed at enabling independence which have been specialised for certain disabled people. ‘Appropriated’ includes examples of both design and technology where disabled people have been innovative in creating their own solutions.

This collaboration resulted in the report ‘Design and Technology as an Aid to Living Independently: Disabled people’s views and experiences’.

Key findings included:

• Inaccessibility and inappropriate design was the single most important and common design frustration, i.e. the width of fixtures and fittings, plug sockets too low down; kitchen cabinets too high or low; inappropriate door handles; inappropriate taps and inaccessible bathrooms
• Access to computers and the internet was central to the lives of many participants and the reliability of an internet connection was a major problem
• Level access was seen as a crucial design feature that facilitated independence and accessibility

The Blackwood Foundation has launched a social media site which acts an information forum for the disabled and those in the relevant disability fields to share knowledge and increase awareness of design and technology solutions available to them.

Keep up with the Blackwood Foundation here.

Martin Energy Limited was established in 2004 to develop novel ways to reduce energy costs and improve the environmental performance of the electricity industry. The company has recently re-branded and is now known as Flexitricty.

The Business Challenge

Flexitricty is, in effect, a “virtual” power station – a low carbon resource of reserve electricity which supports the National Grid by running generators and reducing consumption when the national electricity system is under stress. Due to the nature of the business, it operates on a 24/7 basis.

Partners

The company prides itself on being a ‘knowledge business’ and places great importance on its highly qualified and experienced staff, so working with university academics is central to the company’s growth strategy as Flexitricity’s managing director, Alastair Martin, explains.

“We had researched all the various government-backed schemes, grant aided assistance and other options to engage the services of a university partner to help our research and develop plans, but the complexities of unravelling the most appropriate scheme and the most suitable university to work with was time consuming. However, when we met with the Interface team through a contact at Scottish Enterprise, we knew from the initial conversations that they could distil this to meet our requirements.”

The Solution

Interface – The knowledge connection for business helped broker collaborative links with two academics from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Engineering and Electronics, Dr Dimitri Mignard and Professor Dr Gareth Harrison.

The collaboration is working well. Flexitricity was successfully awarded a two year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) to explore ‘the supply and demand balancing in the National Electricity System and has now employed a KTP Associate to fulfill the terms of the KTP agreement.

Alastair adds; “I worked for large power generation operators for a number of years and more specifically high energy fossil fuel generators. I soon realised that it was possible you can have efficiency within an electricity generation plant, but that is often at the expense of flexibility. It would appear you cannot have both. However on the energy consumption side, there is a lot of flexibility with no efficiency penalties, so Flexitricty was borne out of the potential to harness this.

I realised that what was needed was as an efficient way of managing the process as a real time operational system and that’s precisely what we have done with Flexitricity”.

Dr Gareth Harrison comments;

“We are now working our way through the KTP in collaboration with Flexitricity and I’m delighted to say the synergy within this partnership between Flexitricity and ourselves is very complimentary. The academic capability within the university’s energy and engineering departments are looking at ways of developing new systems with Flexitricity which will help enhance the efficiency of matching electrical consumption to the supply/demand balance.”

Follow-On Activity

Flexitricity are currently (March 2019) involved in the Smart Hubs demonstrator project which will also use vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology to enable cars to deliver electricity back to the smart grid.  The project, which will look at integrating “various battery storage options”, would allow large numbers of electric vehicles to be charged without placing further pressure on an already-constrained grid. 

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:

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.

Canon Medical Research Europe Ltd (previously Toshiba Medical Visualization Systems Europe Ltd) in Edinburgh is a key part of Canon Medical Systems Corporation’s global R&D network and is responsible for the design and development of cutting edge products and technology for use in medical imaging equipment.

The Business Challenge
 

Keen to tap into the expertise available within academia, Canon Medical Research Europe Ltd became aware of Interface at an event and arranged further meetings to discuss the company’s research and development requirements.

A specification was agreed and Interface undertook an expertise search for potential academic collaborators.

Ian Poole, Senior Scientist commented, “Interface offers companies access to a diverse network of world class expertise and plays a vital role in facilitating the partnerships.”

Interface identified the knowledge and facilities required within the SINAPSE POOL.
SINAPSE, the Scottish imaging network, is at the forefront of research in the field of brain imaging and brings together six of Scotland’s top universities – Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews and Stirling.

Canon Medical Research Europe Ltd recognised the opportunity to capitalise on the extensive expertise within SINAPSE and was keen work with the group.

The Solution

Interface worked with SINAPSE and Canon Medical Research Europe Ltd to develop a successful Staff Exchange Programme with the University of Edinburgh and the University of Aberdeen.

Both parties have experienced significant benefits from this collaboration. The programme is a true example of successful knowledge exchange between academia which involves Canon Medical Research Europe Ltd employees spending time in a clinical environment and SINAPSE researchers and students spending time at the company premises embedded in an industrial environment.

Canon Medical Research Europe Ltd were able to explore with researchers the different technologies, techniques and approaches which can be used to develop images that may result in new or improved clinical diagnosis. The programme also provides university researchers with the opportunity to see how their research can be transformed into marketable products within an industry environment, building awareness of the tough requirements involved with commercial software. In addition the programme acts as a catalyst for innovation within Canon Medical Research Europe Ltd in providing an environment which is conducive to exploring new ideas.

Two Engineering Students at the University of Edinburgh also undertook placement at Canon Medical Research Europe Ltd.

The Future

The initial partnership between SINAPSE and Canon Medical Research Europe Ltd continues to flourish and has led to discussions regarding a larger collaboration which will build on the current project. The company has also announced its decision to launch a major new R&D programme in healthcare imaging informatics at its Edinburgh facility.

Ken Sutherland, Director of R&D at Canon Medical Research Europe Ltd’s Edinburgh facility commented, “Its great that we can tap into some of the first class academic research going on here in Scotland and at the same time play a useful role by sifting and highlighting those aspects of research that look most promising in terms of commercially viable innovation”.

Dr. Siobhán Jordan, Director at Interface commented, “The Staff Exchange Programme further demonstrates the importance and potential benefits of business and academia working in partnership. I am sure the recent news announced by Canon Medical Research Europe Ltd will present future potential collaborative opportunities between the two networks.”