Uni to double number of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
Over the next five years, the University is looking almost double the number of live projects in progress at any given time.
Pictured with the University's Vice-Chancellor Professor Bob Cryan (centre) are the KTP poster prize-winners Harvey Kangley (left) and Sathpal PanesarTHE University took another step towards achieving its goal of increasing its portfolio of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs), which help businesses improve competitiveness, productivity and performance.
Under its new strategic plan, the University is working towards an ambitious target of 25 live projects in progress at any given time. Currently, Huddersfield can boast an average of 15.
Funded by UK Research and Innovation through Innovate UK, KTP projects are part of the government’s Industrial Strategy to help businesses improve through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills that reside within universities.
In March, the University welcomed national KTP Programme Manager Richard Lamb on a fact-finding visit and Huddersfield’s current KTP associates, who lead the work of the project, were invited to enter a poster competition to showcase their work.
Two prizes were offered, one for associates who have been in post for less than 12 months and one for those in their second or third years of the scheme.
Impact was an important factor for the judges and the posters had to demonstrate both the innovation behind the work and company’s goal in using the scheme and, importantly, how the associate was accomplishing the objective.
The winners were Harvey Kangley, for the post-12 month prize, and Sathpal Panesar, for the under-12 month award – see below.
The competition was judged by the University’s Director of Research and Enterprise Professor Liz Towns-Andrews, the Head of Researcher Environment Anna Seabourne and the Vice-Chancellor Professor Bob Cryan, who started his career as an associate on the predecessor of the KTP, the Teaching Company Scheme.
“KTP is a strategic focus for the University of Huddersfield and a number of the programmes have received national recognition for their success from Innovate UK,” said Laura Forester-Green, who is the University’s co-ordinator of knowledge transfer research and enterprise activities.
“Across the University, we are taking steps to increase our portfolio throughout all of our schools of study, to complement our high-performing School of Computing and Engineering. In particular, we see growth opportunities for programmes within our School of Applied Sciences and School of Art, Design and Architecture.”
Harvey Kangley
KTP associate at Associated Utility Supplies
Harvey Kangley is near the end of the second year of a three-year KTP as the associate with Associated Utility Supplies (AUS) of Clayton West, Huddersfield. The company sources, makes and supplies equipment for the electrical supply and railway electrification industries. Harvey was challenged with introducing a formal design process and the use of a computer-aided design package to increase the number of products designed within the company. Both would then operate alongside a new computer-aided analysis system. AUS would then be able to increase and better meet customer requirements as well as adding more value to products. A benefit, which was not clear at the outset, was the ability of AUS to respond to changing requirements from Network Rail, who recently introduced a new design methodology which it required all its suppliers to follow. As a recent Huddersfield BEng (Hons) graduate and given his understanding of design methodologies gained through the KTP, Harvey was able to readily assimilate this new requirement.
Sathpal Panesar
KTP associate at Bob’s Business
Cyber crime is an increasing and on-going problem for companies of all sizes throughout the world. Bob’s Business is a Barnsley-based cyber security awareness organisation that provides engaging cyber security education to employees in all types of businesses. Sathpal Panesar, a Huddersfield psychology MSc graduate, joined the company as the associate less than a year ago. The KTP will develop a psychological understanding of when and why computer users engage with phishing emails. Based on the data collected, Bob’s Business will employ behavioural analytical techniques to implement an evidence-based intervention that will help reduce the risk of cyber security attacks. His supervisor is Dr Chris Street. As part of the KTP, Sathpal will undertake the first real-world test of Dr Street’s Adaptive Lie Detector theory, a psychological account which explains why people tend to believe that messages are typically trustworthy and genuine.
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