Partnering for Innovation Event
From small beginnings to big innovations – what happens when industry and academia collaborate
Creating innovation partnerships was the theme of the day at the University of Sheffield when it hosted a ‘Partnering for Innovation’ event attended by more than 120 business and academia representatives from across the Yorkshire region and beyond. 
The day was bustling with talks regarding innovations which had been created through partnerships with the University of Sheffield and delegates were also provided with the opportunity to discuss new collaborations through a dedicated ‘speed-dating’ session.
To set the scene for the day, Professor Mike Hounslow, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Engineering, welcomed guests and emphasised the enormous benefits from innovative collaborations for both academia and industry, and the increased importance of these partnerships in the current economic climate. He also highlighted the breadth of industrial partnerships at Sheffield from local SMEs to larger corporates such as Siemens, Rolls Royce and Boeing.
The first half of the programme was dedicated to innovations across the healthcare and materials sectors. Kicking off the session was Malcolm Mckechnie from Reckitt Benckiser who outlined their well-established ‘open innovation’ process, which sources new technologies and ideas from partners outside the business. A constant flow of new ideas was critical - ‘it’s not called the fast moving consumer goods market for nothing’- and they look to universities for longer-term ideas, which may reach market in 5-10 years. The talks continued with Sam Guerin from Ilika Technologies who focus on rapid discovery and screening of new materials for applications in energy, electronics and healthcare. Through their collaborations with the University of Sheffield, Ilika has developed new materials and secured research contracts with international ceramic companies. Next was Edward Draper from JRI Ltd, a manufacturer of orthopaedic implants in Sheffield, who discussed how academic collaborations were helping the company to develop a new medical device for highly complex shoulder replacements.
Tony Hutton from global mineral processing company, Minelco, then took the delegates through the benefits of a KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnership). KTPs offer businesses access to graduates and academic colleagues to work on innovation projects, whether it is to improve existing products and processes, upgrade manufacturing logistics or develop a marketing strategy. Tony started working with Minelco as a KTP Associate on a project which provided the company with access to the University’s equipment and knowledge and resulted in additional income directly related to the work of £1.4 milli
on from a £60K outlay. After the KTP project, Tony took up a position as Assistant Technical Manager at Minelco.
Rounding off this session was a ‘pitch’ competition from University of Sheffield KTP Associates who presented their innovation projects to the audience for the chance to win a prize. Covering topics from radioactivity analysis to new heat exchangers, the winning KTP ‘pitch’ was from Annie-May Hugo who is working with Halifax-based i-Plas on recycled plastic products including a new railway sleeper.
Leading the topics of ‘Construction and Infrastructure’ in the afternoon session was Paul Copping from TRL (Transport Research Laboratories). Paul took delegates through the future generation of roads and the concept of the ‘forever open road’ through the adoption of existing innovations such as pre-fabricated lanes to add new carriageways without having to close the road, solar powered lane markings, contactless charging of electric vehicles and re-harnessing energy from vehicle movements to disperse snow and ice.
Delegates were then taken through short updates of the University’s recent ‘Building for the Future’ and ‘Assisted Living’ Innovation Award winners. Eight companies gave details of their projects that either respond to the energy challenges faced in the built environment or tackle some of the demanding challenges in caring for and providing independent living for an ageing population. Innovations discussed included:
• Brooks Devlin - smart battery systems to retain the energy generated within the home
• Esulation Technologies - an insulation buffer for buildings to reduce heat loss
• Green Structures - a system to temporarily store high or low temperature energy for later use
• HMA - a mobile technology platform for assisted living
• Kingkraft - the manufacture of bathroom equipment for disabled people
• Material Edge – the study of energy savings resulting from switching from steel to Glass Reinforced Plastic lintels
• Plumis – a low cost water mist fire protection system
• Recovery Insulation - insulation materials made from recycled denim
The event was rounded off with extensive networking between delegates including pre-arranged 1:1 meetings where the beginnings of new innovations and collaborations were discussed. Delegates also had the opportunity to view various exhibits from the University regarding new technologies, courses and industry information gateways.