This was presented at the end of the 10 week Ensure programme which entailed me presenting to all the academics and students involved in the Ensure programme and as a final review of the work pursued in the 10 week period.

2.  I have just completed my second year at
Loughborough University studying
Architectural Engineering and Design
Management, a course held by the civil
and building school
 I was chosen to be part of the research
project team for MEGS-KT through
‘Ensure’ for ten weeks over the 2012
summer period

3. The Midlands Energy Graduate School (MEGS)
is a collaboration between the University of
Birmingham, Loughborough University and the
University of Nottingham combining their
capabilities for energy related research and
teaching. MEGS will help meet the growing
demand in the UK for more highly trained low
carbon technologies researchers. MEGS will
achieve this through enhancing the
postgraduate training programme for energy
researchers by delivering a mix of both
specialist knowledge and multidisciplinary
training

4. When I first saw all these abbreviations I
was a bit confused too. Megs-KT stands for
the midlands energy graduate school
knowledge transfer project. We are trying
to develop a platform where knowledge
can be transferred between small and
medium enterprises and
professionals, students and graduates in
the built environment.

5.  So that we could start contacting the correct
companies, we needed to define what we meant
by SMEs…
 We came to a decision to use the definition
provided by the EU law:


6.  This was still an extensive definition for us to be
working with so we needed to filter it still
Geographically: They were restricted by only including
those that either were based or worked for the East
Midlands

7. Sectorally: They were to be restricted to
those small companies that work in the
domestic sector not the commercial sector

8. They were then also narrowed down to those
companies that are related to the energy
division.

9. •Is their company based in any of the following areas:
Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Rutland, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire?
•If not, are most of their jobs/projects in the followign areas:
Are they in the Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Rutland, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire?
East Midlands?
•Do they supply/install renewable technologies?
•Do they generate renewable technologies?
Are they in the
energy sector?
•Are most of their jobs/projects for domestic buildings?
•Are they related to the built environment?
Are they in the
domestic
sector?
•Is their company made up of less than 250 people?
•Do they make a turnover of less than 50 million euros P.A ?
Are they an
SME?

10. 1. We firstly conducted a literature review
on the research that has already been
made on this topic. The taxonomy and
ontology of professions in the supply chain
were studied. Many reports discussed the
roles of SMEs in the industry but not many
analysed the roles of professions in the built
environment…and that is what we were
looking for.

11. 2.We then tried to create a database of
contacts that matched the criteria we
were looking for by researching
appropriate companies and networking at
local events

12. 3. We then produced a questionnaire
which analysed the company’s needs,
difficulties it may be facing, the roles and
responsibilities of the interviewee and the
online documents they accessed most for
their companies needs.
This information would give us a general
idea of how the company interacted in the
supply chain and any gaps they may have
in their knowledge

13. 4. We then started holding interviews with
those who had agreed for us to contact
them further about the project in the
questionnaire. These were all transcribed
and documented.
We even work shadowed some companies
and video taped them in action.

14. 5. Our next step is to hold workshops with
the community we have created, and
allow them to input their thoughts and
opinions into our final platform and allow
them to create a solution for their needs

15. 6. The last step will be to engage the
community and obtain their feedback on
the final output of the project (which will be
in the form of a website).
This website will hopefully be used by the
community we have created and other
interested SMEs, students or freelance
builders looking for more information on
renewable energies in the domestic sector.