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Background

The Easter Ross Seaboard is a stretch of coastline approximately fourteen miles in length and the Seaboard villages of Shandwick, Balintore and Hilton are situated halfway along this coast. They are often referred to locally as ‘the villages’ or ‘the Seaboard’ and have a strong background in the fishing industry. The Seaboard Memorial Hall (SMH, also known as the Seaboard Centre), which started out in 1958 as a small village hall, was rebuilt in 2001 and is now a modern adaptable venue with excellent conference, training and arts facilities.  It is the hub of the local community accommodating regular user groups and a community café.

Challenge

Seaboard Memorial Hall Ltd (SMH) was looking to create a new and permanent Heritage Community Centre to serve the local community and attract new tourism to the area.  The Centre was to be based on the extensive and exceptional collection of paintings and memorabilia of John Paterson (1872-1945), a fishing station owner and amateur artist.  Over 200 paintings survive, many being portraits of local people who modelled for him.  The fishing industry that sustained the local community no longer exists but the family has retained a wealth of related materials that will form the core collections for the heritage centre.  The fishing sheds and studio are still in existence and form an integral part of the story.

The immediate aim of SMH was to develop a workforce plan for the centre, identifying the new skills and expertise that would be required for the successful and sustainable operation of the heritage centre.  Such a facility, through the development of a diverse and flexible workforce, both paid and volunteer, would benefit the local community by enhancing this area as a destination of cultural interest.

Solution

After being referred by Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE), the SMH contacted Interface, who were able to secure the expertise of the University of St Andrews Museums, Galleries and Collections Institute (MCGI).  The MCGI is the research arm of Museum and Gallery Studies at St Andrews. The Museum and Gallery Studies Masters course at the University of St Andrews is the longest running course in Scotland and over the past three decades has built up practical, vocational and research expertise in all areas of museum work.

Their collaborative project was funded by a Scottish Funding Council Workforce Innovation Voucher.

Benefits

The resulting products from this collaborative project were:

For the first time, the Heritage Centre will be able to tell the story of the Seaboard area and its past fishing industry, using the time capsule of one local man, his life and work as a lens to focus on and engage with the wider fishing community and society, bringing the rich history of the area to life.  It will bring in new visitor and tourist business, and it will enable the local population to use their personal knowledge of the area in different ways and pass on that local knowledge to visitors and the local younger generation.  It will also offer new workforce opportunities to develop expertise and practice in the many aspects of heritage management.

Impacts

Background

Established in Inverness in 2004 by Carole MacKintosh, Highland Counselling Services Ltd, trading as Scottish Counselling Services, has grown from a small local service provider into a market leading organisation covering the Scottish mainland and islands with adults, children and young people as their client groups.  Scottish Counselling Services provides a confidential counselling service to both the private and public sector for a wide range of life-affecting issues.

Challenge

Looking to the future sustainability of the business, the lack of suitable software that could handle the varying requirements of the business had reached a critical point. Although Scottish Counselling Services had undertaken their own research, they had been unable to identify a software package that could meet the needs of their individual team members.  Scottish Counselling Services (SCS) wanted to work in collaboration with an academic with Computing Science expertise to develop a system which would more accurately meet their needs.
 

Solution

Interface was able to successfully match SCS with Dr Bruce Scharlau of the University of Aberdeen’s School of Computing Science.  Dr Scharlau had founded ‘The Software Factory’, an initiative created specifically for industry to realise their ambitions through work with the University to deliver software solutions.

Scottish Counselling Services worked with Dr Scharlau to develop a new system which would enable business growth whilst taking account of secure data storage of records, and efficient work-flow processes. No such system previously existed, so the project output was instrumental in enabling the business to move forward, refining its service offering, thereby securing future sustainability.

The project was funded by a Scottish Funding Council (SFC) Standard Innovation Voucher.

Benefits

The new online system moved the staff from working with paper forms, a telephone, and managing staff and appointments via a spreadsheet to an online prototype, saving a day per week in admin work. This was all set up within the web application with encrypted records and minimal risks to privacy. The system has proven invaluable to the company.

We are now using our software and I am really enjoying having a focused system that we are all connected to. I am constantly delighted with the feedback from our team and how easy they all seem to be finding it. It has been such a good project for us all.  Carole MacKintosh, Managing Director

Follow-On Activity

After such a successful initial collaboration, Scottish Counselling Services and the University of Aberdeen continued their collaboration with work to further develop and advance the software in preparation for commercialisation; enabling it to be offered under a subscription service that could be offered to other counselling providers, introducing a new income stream for the organisation.  This application will also enable SCS to improve efficiencies within the business, and thus spend more time on business development, generating additional income in a cost-efficient manner.

This work was part funded by an SFC Advanced Innovation Voucher.

This has been an amazing and challenging project but one that I am really proud to have been a part of.  I feel excited about future developments and opportunities that I know will evolve because of what has been produced.  Carole MacKintosh, Managing Director

Building on the previous collaborations, an internship was then created to consolidate the ‘lite offering’ of a Session On Demand platform designed to aid secondary and primary schools in Scotland in offering counselling to all of their pupils.  This project used the same student from the University of Aberdeen who was involved in the initial collaboration and was funded by an SFC Student Placement Innovation Voucher.

My experience of the project has been extremely positive.  The prospect of being part of a team developing a web application from the beginning felt daunting, however the team were supportive and patient throughout.  I felt out of my comfort zone many times as I was working in an area that I had no previous experience in, however, we managed to work out what was needed by organically processing and checking out what worked, what didn’t work and what need amending.  It came together from actively listening to each other but mostly from the expertise and guidance of the development team.  This was an experience I enjoyed and feel that what we have achieved will have a positive impact on our service users and organisations.

The additional commercial benefits include being able to demonstrate our innovation and credibility as an organisation to potential clients.  This I feel has opened many doors and also created many more opportunities.  It has also helped expand my own thinking on how to create additional opportunities.  Carole MacKintosh, Managing Director

Additional activity

Scottish Counselling Services also worked with both the University of Edinburgh Business School and the University of Strathclyde on various student-based projects to aid in the growth and development of their business.

Background

Andrew Slorance is a pioneer in the development of wheelchairs. He founded Carbon Black Systems Limited, the company behind the revolutionary light-weight carbon fibre wheelchair that he himself designed.  Having set up a new company in 2015, Phoenix Instinct Ltd, his ultimate goal was to design an “Intelligent System” wheelchair that would have a responsive centre of gravity and other Intelligent System (IS) features – a total revolution of the wheelchair as we know it.
 

The idea was an intelligent manual wheelchair featuring a smart Centre of Gravity (CoG).  The system would self-adjust the wheelchair’s CoG so it was always the same as the user’s CoG.  The result would be a wheelchair with very little weight on the front wheels giving easier pushing and turning while also being very rearward stable.  For the first time ever, a wheelchair would be entirely in sync with the user’s body movements.

Challenge

Andrew wanted to work in collaboration with academics who had expertise in intelligent system engineering and carbon fibre engineering to undertake a feasibility study to determine if his idea of incorporating cutting edge smart systems into an old concept – the manual wheelchair – was practical and achievable. 

The analysis would shape Phoenix Instinct’s application to the Toyota Mobility Challenge* prize fund as well as demonstrating to Toyota that the company had academic support for the project.

Solution

Phoenix Instinct was referred to Interface from Highlands & Islands Enterprise and, by exhibiting great tenacity in finding the most appropriate academic partner for the company’s requirements, Kirsty Buchanan, Business Engagement Executive at Interface, was able to connect Andrew to the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). 

UWS have a long history of collaboration with external organisations to help drive innovation and deliver real economic, environmental and societal impact. Improving the health, well-being and mobility of wheelchair users through development of the next generation of SMART wheelchair technology represented both an academically challenging and worthy endeavour which UWS were happy to support.  The project was supported by the School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences, whose expertise in advanced composites, rapid prototyping (including 3d printing) and product design was utilised throughout the project.

Benefits

The company achieved their goal in working with an academic partner to develop the Toyota Mobility Challenge application and, as a result, were one of five finalists successful in receiving a grant of $500k to develop their concept; as well as the opportunity to attend workshops, receive mentoring opportunities with engineering experts, and collaborate with end-users.  The finalists ultimately pitched their concept to Toyota to win a prize fund of a further $1 million.  Phoenix Instinct were crowned the ultimate winners at a virtual, live-streamed event in December 2020, winning the $1 million prize fund to help bring its Phoenix i wheelchair to market. 

*  The Challenge invited engineers, innovators and designers to submit ideas for game-changing technologies to improve the mobility and independence of people with lower-limb paralysis. Central to the Toyota-supported challenge was the need to work with end-users to develop devices that would integrate seamlessly into their lives and environments, while being comfortable and easy to use.

Follow-On Activity

With continued support from Interface, Phoenix Instinct further developed their award-winning technology in partnership with UWS through a knowledge transfer partnership (KTP).  The company’s workforce and sales of its products doubled, and additional profits of more than £1 million, directly attributable to the KTP, were forecast over the next five years (from late 2021).
A second KTP aims to bring the manufacture of electronics used in the production of the wheelchair inhouse by 2024.  Both KTPs were jointly funded by Innovate UK and the Scottish Funding Council.

Andrew Slorance at Phoenix Instinct said: “Working with UWS KTP partnership brought the company specialist skills, knowledge, and University support that have been fundamental to the success of the project.  The KTP funding through Innovate UK is a fantastic programme that we recommend highly.”

Dr Tony Leslie, Senior Lecturer in the School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences at UWS, said: “It has been a pleasure to work with Andrew Slorance and Dr Jakub Rycerz on this KTP project. Andrew’s design is a step change in wheelchair development. Andrew has driven the project to ensure the project team never lost sight of how the ongoing design decisions could impact on wheelchair users in their daily lives, and that has been key to the project’s success.

“Recognition must also be given to KTP associate Jakub, whose contribution and commitment has been exceptional throughout the project, developing a number of innovations to ensure Andrew’s vision was realised.”

Background

Independently run since 1797, Johnstons of Elgin makes beautiful knitwear, clothing and accessories from luxurious wools. The company is synonymous with unique heritage, craft and style; yet, it continues to lead the way in technical innovation, using state-of-the-art techniques and tools to create timeless products for the world’s leading luxury fashion brands.

Challenge

In 2011, with increasing pressure on companies to curb carbon emissions, together with spiralling energy costs, Johnstons of Elgin wanted to analyse its energy usage across the main business units of dyes, weaving, logistics, finishing and yarns. At the time, it was very difficult to differentiate across the company the exact costs associated with each of these utilities and energy costs.

An initial consultation with Interface and a site visit led to a project scope designed to investigate options to improve company performance whilst reducing costs through energy and carbon management.

Solution

Interface identified expertise in six universities and subsequently brokered a partnership between the company and The Energy Academy at Heriot Watt University.

Through a PhD studentship, a project was initiated to review strategies that would enable the company to reduce energy costs and market the carbon footprint in each area of the business as well as each product.

Follow On

To further elevate its own brand, improve its global competitiveness, and improve productivity, Johnstons is now innovating in the quality control and measurement of the finish on high-end cashmere fabrics. 

Challenge

A reliance on human touch and feel in assessing the quality of such luxury products has traditionally been standard in the industry and is estimated to be a direct contributor to the 25% rework rate recorded in Johnstons’ finishing process. This existing subjective measurement approach leads to product variability and waste.

Solution

An Interface enquiry resulted in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the University of Strathclyde to carry out pioneering research into innovative techniques and technologies for objectively measuring traditionally subjective finish attributes of its woven cashmere pieces.

As a result of the KTP brokered by Interface, Johnstons went on to partner with a nationally recognised leader in measurement through A4I (Analysis for Innovators) to design and develop a system for objective and quantitative assessment of its product finish. The system developed will not only help Johnstons to drive down its costs associated with reworks and remakes, but it will also verify the potential for scaling up to 100% inspection of product moving at speed through Johnstons manufacturing line.

These projects were partly funded by £60k of Innovate UK funding. 

Impacts

Company – This measurement system has increased their accuracy by 30%, reduced their rework rate by 90%, their rework waste by 30% and reduced the cost of producing their quality fabrics by 80%.  In a world where finish is artisan and considered subjective, being able to satisfy high-end designers with more precise specification of choice of finish is invaluable.

Academic – The KTP Associate has since been employed by the company in the role of Technical Director.

April 2021

Johnstons of Elgin’s commitment to sustainability recognised with Queen’s Award. Scotland’s second oldest family business has been awarded in the Sustainable Development category for its 360-degree approach to sustainability and leading the way in ethical manufacturing.

Background

Renewable Parts Ltd. (RPL) is one of the leading suppliers of parts for wind turbines in the UK. They are an independent supply chain specialist, providing worldwide delivery of quality parts and consumables direct to site from an extensive collection of centrally held stock.

Challenge

The UK & Ireland market for wind turbines is substantial and growing strongly, with the lifecycle of a wind turbine typically estimated to be 25 years.

Critically, as turbines age, parts consumption rises and customers begin to seek alternatives to long-term service agreements due to shortening planning horizons. This is the point that the need for repair development becomes particularly vital.

Renewable Parts Ltd were looking to develop an innovation programme for the repair of wind turbine parts requiring significant technical expertise from a Scottish university in the areas of market research, technical assessment, design and test before production-ready solutions could be delivered.  Following on from this, they were also interested in setting up a Centre of Excellence hub in the field of wind turbine parts repair. 

The company also wanted the academic partner to identify and work jointly with industry partners to develop these remanufactured component parts on a commercial basis.  

Solution

The company was referred to Interface by Highlands & Islands Enterprise. Interface successfully matched the company with the University of Strathclyde who has expertise across the business and technology areas that the Renewable Parts Ltd project required.

In this collaborative project, the University was looking to apply a multi-disciplinary approach to identify the tasks and areas to be researched.  They believed that the combination of the department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, the Strathclyde Institute for Operations Management (SIOM) and the Scottish Institute for Remanufacture (SIR), hosted at the University of Strathclyde, provided the multi-disciplinary approach needed for the new business models/process that Renewable Parts wanted to investigate, as well as the technology expertise required for remanufacturing of wind turbines.

The project investigated data on wind turbine component failure rates to identify which components could be remanufactured/repaired/reconditioned, and the Strathclyde team completed a report for the company which outlined a number of potential components that might be of interest.

Benefits

Renewable Parts Ltd was successful in not only establishing a partnership with Strathclyde University but in securing funding from the Energy Technology Partnership. The total cost of their initial project was £23,075, with ETP contributing £13,575 in cash, and RPL contributing £9,500 in-kind.

The funding allowed RPL to develop implementation processes for two of these components, enabling the remanufacture/repair/recondition of said parts in-house. This meant that RPL could create a new manufacturing base in their original site of Lochgilphead in Argyll, an economically fragile region of the Highlands and Islands, creating jobs and supply chain opportunities.

In December 2018, the company secured a £171k grant from Zero Waste Scotland.  Renewable Parts, which has an operations centre in Renfrew, will use the money for refurbishment projects developed out of Lochgilphead in conjunction with its research partner, the University of Strathclyde.

Chief executive James Barry said: “The opportunity to improve recycling rates within the wind industry is significant.”  “The award provided a huge vote of confidence in Renewable Parts and the innovation programme it is driving with the university, in what is seen as a growth industry for Scotland.”

Follow-on Activity

RPL are now in phase two of project implementation, pursuing funding opportunities through Government bodies and Industry, and working with University of Strathclyde as their innovation partner.

The company was a finalist for the 2018 VIBES (Scottish Environment Business Awards) in the Circular Economy category, in recognition of their commitment to tackling environmental challenges. They also reached the finals of the Glasgow Business Awards, the Scottish Resources Awards and the Inspiring City Awards.

Impacts of COVID-19 on the business

Certain commitments were pushed back for the initial few weeks of lockdown, however, with a business-as-usual approach, Renewable Parts Ltd continued to grow throughout this time and employed new members of the team in sales, HR, marketing and procurement.

This is (June 2020) a critical time for the business as the first generation of wind turbines are approaching the end of their operational lives – at around 20/25 years old – providing a significant opportunity to capture new business. The company is in the application phase for a second grant with Zero Waste Scotland to continue working with the University of Strathclyde as a partner for developing new capabilities to help its customers reach sustainable business models.

Background

Norscot is a family owned business which was established in 1984 by chartered surveyor Peter Body and his wife Teda.

The company is headquartered in Bower, Caithness where its factory is equipped with sophisticated computer-controlled machinery which, together with the skilled workforce, produces the widest range of building components and related products available from a single source anywhere in Scotland.

Norscot’s product portfolio includes standard and bespoke timber frame kit homes in a variety of styles and made-to-measure windows, doors, patio doors and conservatories in uPVC, timber, and aluminium clad timber.

Challenge

In the self-build market, clients expect the best service and want to know every detail of their project prior to construction. Traditional paper plans and current 3D CAD (computer-aided design) models are difficult for most people to visualise as finished homes, and do not offer the client the opportunity to walk through the home to ensure it meets their needs.

Due to these visualisation issues, Norscot are often asked if they have a show house. This, however, would clearly be impractical, and of little real value, as the company offers a bespoke design service. At the same time, the existing Virtual Reality based solutions in the market are either not fully integrated with major Building Information Modelling (BIM) design packages or need very sophisticated interfaces from the end users. This makes it impractical for mainstream clients, especially those in remote locations, to fully utilise and appreciate the models generated by these packages, without having specific expertise and hardware.

Solution

Interface was able to introduce the company to the University of Strathclyde, who has a unique track-record of expertise and knowledge of the integration of BIM and gaming software, to create a specialised user experience that would incorporate the needs of BIM, the end user, and the company. 

Building design decisions typically involve several conflicting criteria in terms of decision making that need to be considered. The new product to be developed as a result of this collaboration was software which would bridge between existing BIM software and a newly created phone app into which the house design could be input to create a Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality (VR/AR) rendition of the finished home. The potential of such interfaces is highlighted when communication is needed between an occupationally trained expert (e.g. an architect) who uses a very complicated means of communication (such as conventional drawings) and a client who has no knowledge about their conventions.

A house rendition, once uploaded to the phone app, would then enable clients to ‘virtually experience’ their new home and also provide input/feedback at the design stage rather than down the line when it is more time consuming and costly to make changes.

The University’s role was paramount to this project in providing unbiased advice, helping the company identify particular needs and develop their strategic plan in relation to development of the final product.

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

Benefits

The idea of having a VR game-like fully customisable showroom which is integrated with BIM, and is available through an affordable smartphone, is something unique and makes it distinctive from any commercial product currently available in the market.

It is anticipated the project will ultimately result in a product/service which will assist the company to expand its market throughout the UK, resulting in increased sales and employment. This effect will be magnified through commercialisation of the product/service to other house builders, architects and so on.

Follow-On Activity

Norscot obtained funding from CSIC (Construction Scotland Innovation Centre) to enable them to continue with the development of the software to proof of concept stage.

A KTP from Innovate UK has been approved for Norscot to implement the software development. This will be a three-year project that imbeds the technology into the company and ensures it is market ready.  The KTP will also help to strengthen the relationship between Norscot and the University of Strathclyde.

“We were very satisfied with the way this project was managed and its outcome. Having never worked with academia before, we weren’t sure what to expect. There was a clear synergy between our objectives and the University’s capabilities and this project has given us the confidence to move forward with the development of the product / service under consideration. As a consequence of this project there is a clear focus and ambition on behalf of both the academic partner and ourselves to create something which we see as having significant value to the self-build housing market.” Peter Body, Chairman, Norscot Joinery Ltd

“This project provided a great opportunity for the Architecture Department to work with this company, and acknowledge the support of the Scottish Funding Council in making this possible. The company’s vision and insight was incredible and we had a great collaboration in formulating their needs based on our prior knowledge and the further research that we conducted. This project opened new avenues for us to collaborate on further projects, and applications for a CSIC-funded nine-month project and a KTP application have already been approved to further develop the collaboration.” Dr Farzad Pour Rahimian Leilabadi, University of Strathclyde

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

Dunnet Bay Distillers is a microdistillery located in Dunnet Bay on the coastline of the North Sea.  They produce award-winning Rock Rose Gin and Holy Grass Vodka.

The aim of this distillery is to develop a range of distilled products with a focus on locally sourced raw materials.

These include locally grown Rhodiola rosea, rowan berries, and seaweed harvested from the nearby coastline.

Challenge

In 2013, Martin Murray, company director and, at the time, an MSc student in the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling programme at Heriot-Watt University, contacted Dr Annie Hill at the University looking to generate recipe and process methodology for both a seaweed vodka and seaweed gin.

Solution

After contacting Interface, the distillery was awarded a Scottish Funding Council Innovation Voucher, administered by Interface, to cover the costs of their collaboration with Heriot-Watt University. 

Research work within this project led to the creation of a wide range of novel distilled spirits. The seaweed sample from the shore by the distillery was found to contain three types of seaweed rather than a single type leading to an increase in the number of distillations performed. Products included vodka distilled using a mixed range of seaweed types and using two different methods of distillation, three vodkas distilled with individual types of seaweed, and nine gins distilled with a variation in the botanicals used. Preference testing was carried out for the gins created including taste panel testing of seaweed gin with a range of commonly used mixers to determine the commercial potential of the products.

Follow-on Activity

Martin and his wife Claire have always been keen to make their distillery as green and carbon neutral as possible. With their production growing steadily, the waste generated also increased in tandem.  After such a successful project with Heriot-Watt University, the couple sought the assistance of Interface to source additional academic expertise to determine new ways of efficiently reducing and dealing with their waste.

Interface matched them with the University of Aberdeen who have since undertaken an initial review of Dunnet Bay Distillers’ berry waste and plan to take this project further to repurpose the waste for other uses.

Another area that generates considerable waste is the plastic packaging which covers the distiller’s iconic ceramic bottles during their long journey to Dunnet.  Martin worked with the University of Strathclyde and a student group to determine alternative uses for this packaging so that it does not end up in landfill.  The project is now complete and Martin is looking at implementing the suggested solution on site.

Another challenge Dunnet Bay Distillers faced as production increased was the ability to know if the water tank for distilling was near empty. Martin’s very basic method of hitting it with his hand to determine how full it was needed an upgrade but he simply did not have the time to research and implement any new technology.  Through working with Shaie MacDonald at Interface, a student from UHI North Highland College was recruited to develop a customised gauge for them.  The project has now been completed and the solution implemented and incorporated into a bigger piece of work by a consultant.

On seeking academic help within your business, never think a project is too small. The expertise out there is vast and until you work with an intermediary such as Interface, it is very difficult and time consuming to find a potential match. Interface can help you define your project clearly and take a lot of the time burden away so that you can get the right expert help when you need it, said Martin Murray, Director, Dunnet Bay Distillers.

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

Craine Communications is an Argyll based Telecoms engineering solutions company.  They provide the means for homes and businesses to access the internet in remote rural areas where there currently is no reliable service via mainstream means. To do this, Craine Communications installs a mast in a location to relay the broadband signal wirelessly via radio links. Placing the mast on higher ground enables better transmission quality and reach, thus allowing them to service more clients.

Challenge

The masts, which are built from scaffold poles on a solid frame require relatively little power. To supply this, the company will commonly run a power cable from the nearest building to a mast but this can be a challenge in remote areas where digital communication is often a valuable asset. This approach limits the available locations, and often leads to masts not being in optimum, or even good locations. As a small company, Craine Communications didn’t have the capacity to come up with an innovative solution and so approached Interface to seek an alternative solution and to explore possibilities of powering the masts using local energy resources. They needed an academic partner able to assess the local resource to a degree where it could be quantified with sufficient detail for the continuous power requirement; the modelling skills to evaluate an off-grid hybrid renewable energy system under known and typical weather and operating conditions, and an ability to evaluate the performance of a system to the required level.

Solution

Interface matched Craine Communications with Dr Wolf-Gerrit Früh from Heriot-Watt University, who had the necessary expertise in this field to come up with a self-sufficient mast using renewable energy. 

While there are examples of off-grid renewable power supply systems, for example traffic signals powered by PV (photovoltaic system or solar power) and/or wind which light up when a vehicle approaches, the novelty here is the requirement of continuous power supply, with the additional need to be as cheap as possible to make any financial sense.  As a result, there are currently no available solutions on the market for this application.

The approach proposed for this work was to apply recent research on energy storage requirements for 100%-renewables power systems, combined with a nonlinear optimisation to identify the least-cost solution while maintaining reliability.  The hope was to turn the equipment needed into physically manageable modules so that it could be carried or towed uphill across rough terrain. The equipment might then be modified so it could be easily anchored on the chosen, suitable site and be used and left to the elements with minimum maintenance.

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

Benefits

Company – The company are now able to immediately use the product to help build a further reaching, reliable internet network in the most hard-to-reach areas and provide superfast broadband access to the last 5/10% of the rural population.

It is hoped that the product equipment can also be used at outdoor temporary events, disaster recovery networks, mountain rescue options, seasonal usage for holiday homes, and road routes not covered by mobile phone networks (SOS stations) in remote locations.

Beyond the current, local market a new product could also reach a much wider market, with increased sales beyond Scotland. The University will look at the economic impact of these wider markets as they are identified.

Academic – The project provided a clear case study to validate and apply recent research to a real problem, and identified clear guidelines for designing the system to provide the required functionality.  This work has also identified some avenues for further research.

Scottish Economy – A digitally connected Scotland underpins the Scottish Government’s core commitment to creating opportunities for all to flourish through increasing sustainable economic growth, opportunity and equality.  Figures are suggested for increased GDP ranging from £4-13 Bn per annum with GDP per capita estimated at £2500 by 2030 for those living in remote rural areas.

This project was extremely helpful with projecting the potential site costs to build the combined power source needed to power a remote hill top site. The solution would see a perfect powering of the radio devices and associated equipment thanks to the work from Wolf-Gerrit Früh. Overall it was a successful partnership and Craine Communications hope to put the solution into full use as soon as possible…. I look forward to working with Heriot-Watt and Wolf-Gerrit Früh in the near future and would highly recommend this Interface experience to any company looking to progress a project.

To tap into such an academic source has been extremely valuable, said Stuart Craine of Craine Communications.

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 2012, Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust is a community led regeneration project based in the North East of Scotland. The Trust was created to drive economic regeneration in the area and has a wide remit covering maintenance, regeneration and improvement of the community’s physical, economic, social and cultural infrastructure.

The Trust is focussed on developing the area to enrich the visitor experience, and extending their current season to include sports activities aimed at a younger demographic. Their long term plan being to market the area as the outdoor hub of Moray, these activities include a cycling festival, a motorcycle gathering and further development of the existing walking and whisky festivals.

The Business Challenge

Keen to use digital media to enhance the current visitor experience, the Trust’s aim is to develop the area’s technological infrastructure enabling it to support digital tourism. Conducting a trial marketing project in their already successful whisky sector, aiming to integrate the area’s oral tradition with local history in a site specific tour, would be the ideal first step in the process.

Based on the famous Glenlivet whisky, The Smuggler’s Trail would give them the chance to understand how technology would be used and at what cost; the practicalities of using it in rural areas- would GPS be an option or were localised servers more feasible; and how would they deliver the idea, would the data be held in the area or would visitors need to download it first?

The overall challenge of drawing in a younger audience required them firstly to ascertain market demand for their ‘outdoor adventure’ activities, carrying out local research but also seeking internationally successful examples offering key points to follow. They therefore needed marketing expertise.

If the Smuggler’s Trail tours are successful, the Trust’s aim is to take this new expertise and, combining this with the new market research, integrate digital technologies more fully into their overall future marketing plan.

The Solution

The Trust’s Local Development Officer, Lindsay Robertson, met Interface’s Kathryn Fraser at the Interface Digital Tourist event and Lindsay soon realised that Interface, with direct access to world class research expertise, would be able to help with both challenges.

Kathryn worked with Lindsay to create a working brief which would be sent to academics across Scotland inviting them to pitch for the project.

Having selected a number of interested parties from a range of universities and research institutions across Scotland, Kathryn put Lindsay in touch with Edinburgh Napier University, whose Centre for Interaction Design would be ideal. Having carried out research in digital applications they provided the perfect environment to test out the pilot project.

With this pilot now in development, Lindsay was keen to follow up by starting on market research for their overall rebrand. Knowing that Abertay University have an excellent Retail Marketing Programme, Kathryn put Lyndsay in touch with them.

Benefits

The Trust is currently considering findings delivered by both Edinburgh Napier and Abertay University. With access to leading digital technologies and space to trial the practical implications of their rurally based concept, Edinburgh Napier University has identified the most suitable platform and will be working with the Trust on its’ implementation. Crucially this research and development stage only required the Trust to match the academic time spent with their own. This will ultimately ensure the success of their ‘Smuggler’s Trail’ enabling this format to then be rolled out to other local heritage sites in their area.

As well as access to leading international interactive research, the Trust had access to top ranking university students who undertook their market research as part of their degree programme. This meant fully developed market analysis at no cost incurred to the Trust and hugely beneficial exposure to the commercial tourism industry for the students.

According to Lindsay,

“We are delighted to be working with Edinburgh Napier and Abertay Universities through Interface. The process so far has been extremely quick and easy and we hope that the key insights delivered from both institutions will have a huge impact on where we see ourselves in the future – we will certainly be incorporating the finds in our future marketing activity.”

August 2018

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited the recently opened Tomintoul and Glenlivet Discovery Centre, which received funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise to develop a fully immersive visual experience focusing on the past local illicit whisky industry.

Through Interface, the Tomintoul and Glenlivet Development Trust, which owns and manages the centre, accessed expert academic support from The University of St Andrews. Virtual reality technology is being developed as well as a 360 degree experience of an illicit still.