This document discusses how universities can serve as innovation partners for organizations by providing access to talent, expertise, facilities, professional development and networks. It provides case studies of partnerships between universities and organizations like Atom Bank, Tritech International, Parker Hannifin, and Mech-Tool Engineering, where the universities helped the organizations with challenges in areas like simulation modeling, underwater technology, market strategy, and productivity improvement. The document encourages organizations to see universities as a principal source of innovation to increase regional economic prosperity and provides contact information for representatives from various universities.

1. Scaling Up Ambitions
Universities as Innovation Partners
Dr Geoff Archer
AURIL Council Member and Director

2. “More organisations should see universities
as their principal source of innovation to
increase economic prosperity in their local
region”
Prof. Jane Turner
PVC Enterprise and Business Engagement
Teesside University
Inside Government conference on ‘Delivering Skills and
Economic Growth in the North East'.

3. Universities provide access to…
Talent
Expertise
&
The New New
Specialist
Facilities
Professional
Development

4. Universities provide access to…
Talent
Expertise
&
The New New
Specialist
Facilities
Professional
Development
Networks
Networks

5. 5 Universities
(and all their global connections)

6. Durham University / Atom Bank
Objective: “To enable Atom
Bank to understand the
functional and financial
relationship between its key
banking activities”
• Atom Bank (built for mobile)
• Chose to locate near Durham
City / Durham University
• Mathematics expertise in
simulation and modelling

7. Challenge / Opportunity
Marketing
Spend and
Pricing
Strategy
Sales and
Value per
Customer
Balance of
Saving and
Mortgages
Short-term
Borrowing
Minimisation
Competitive
Interest
Rates

8. Approach / Benefits
• Doctoral Associate
• Modular Approach
• Access to 2 Academics
• Access to Talent for Atom
Bank’s growth
• Awards

9. Newcastle University / Tritech International
Objectives:
“To enable previously impossible
subsea operations to be
completed”
“To improve diver safety”
• Tritech International Ltd
– Outstanding Performance in
Underwater Technology
• Jeff Neasham from the
University’s Communications,
Sensors, Signal And
Information Processing Group
(Coms2ip)

10. Challenge / Opportunities
Challenge
• GPS is not available
underwater
• Robotic Underwater Vehicles
(ROV) need accurate tracking
• To create an affordable
solution for small ROV (new
market)

11. Approach / Outcomes
Approach
• Access to EU and National
Funding and Networks
• Access to specialist facilities
• Licensed Technology
Outcomes
• Technology licensed into
product ranges in 2 different
markets
– ROV Tracking - Tritech
– Diver Tracking – Blueprint Subsea
“One of the most significant contributions to diver safety in
the last 50 years”- British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC)

12. Northumbria University / Parker Hannifin
Objective: “To enable Parker to
become more market-driven and
customer-centric, better aligning
their engineering strengths to
what customers want.”
• Parker (Domnick Hunter)
– Global market leaders in
filtration and gas production
technology
• collaboration using a
multidisciplinary approach,
combining university expertise
in Strategic Marketing and
Design

13. Challenge / Opportunity
Challenge
• Market erosion from the bottom up
– low cost/quality competitors
• Use of Sales Agents had distanced
them from customers
• Traditional hierarchical engineering
culture

14. Approach / Outcomes
• Embed new approaches to
innovation, which realised;
• New market insights & new product
development opportunities which;
• Secured new partnership in a major
export market worth over £1m p.a
• Created a new collaborative working
environment and culture in PDH
• Established a capability to better
understand and analyse unmet
market needs

15. University of Sunderland
Point of Care Centre @The Living Lab
Objective: To promote innovation
in patient pathways by facilitating
the adoption and evaluation of POC
diagnostics into practice. Based
within the “Living Lab” a real-world
test environment enabling co-
creation of products and services.
Working in partnership with
patients, industry and
commissioners to enable:
• Adoption of new models of care
• Product Innovation
• Workforce Development
• Evaluation

16. Point of Care Centre @The Living Lab
Supports decision-making
Readiness Assessment: technology agnostic and takes a holistic approach looking at
the entire care pathway and barriers to implementation.
Equipment Selection: reviewing the pros and cons of technology options to enable
informed decision making by the commissioner.
Workforce Development: design and deliver bespoke technical and clinical training
packages
Outcome Evaluation: evaluation of both the clinical and financial outcomes.
New Product Assessment: evaluation of prototype products with healthcare
professional and patients in a primary care environment to create a business case for
wider adoption

17. Point of Care Centre @The Living Lab
Partnerships "I have not experienced anything
quite so exciting as the University
of Sunderland's nursing and care
ambitions for the people of
Sunderland and beyond.
Sunderland is breaking new
ground.
Professor Lisa Bayliss Pratt, Chief
Nurse of Health Education England
Improving access to diagnostics for
patients with Learning Disabilities.
working together to deliver
training to community healthcare
professionals and user feedback
from real-world use of the Alere
equipment.

18. Teesside University / Mech-Tool
Engineering
Objective: “To apply multi-
dimensional strategies,
processes and systems –
typically used in high volume,
low variability manufacturing – to
a low-volume, high-variability
business."
• Mech-Tool Engineering
• Bespoke fire- and blast-proof
enclosures for highly
hazardous industries
• School of Science and
Engineering
(Dr Ruben Pinedo-Cuenca)

19. Approach / Outcomes
• Productivity Improvement
• Increased Confidence
• Business Leader of the Future
• Innovate UK's 2016 SME
innovation award finalist
• Major Contracts
• £50m Turnover Forecast

20. Case Studies demonstrated access to…
Talent
Expertise
&
The New New
Specialist
Facilities
Professional
Development
Networks
Networks

21. To help scale up your innovation ambitions……
Contact
Richard Parker Smith
Richard.Parker-Smith@durham.ac.uk
0191 334 9309 / 07795 603727
theforge@tees.ac.uk
01642 384068
Tim Pain
Tim.Pain@sunderland.ac.uk
0191 515 3479
Fiona Yip
fiona.yip@ncl.ac.uk
0191 208 5539
Bruce Watson
bruce.watson@northumbria.ac.uk
0191 227 4300