Tue, 14 March, 2023
Recent years have seen the Tees Valley gaining real strength in terms of innovation and research, with data from IUK ranking the area third nationally in funding relative to the size of the workforce (2019 data*). However, less than a third (28%) of funded projects were delivered in partnership with local businesses. Further to that, despite the high levels of innovation funding coming into Tees Valley, R&D intensity and business expenditure on R&D has still remained generally low in the past years relative to national levels.
These are statistics that potentially explain the small rates of growth in scale-up businesses (1.4% p.a.) and the requirement for 9,500 additional Tees Valley businesses to close the ‘enterprise gap’ in the UK.
A survey conducted to shed more light on the barriers that are constraining business expenditure on R&D for Tees Valley SMEs revealed that there is:
- A lack of awareness of the innovation funding landscape, with businesses unclear as to what is available and how/where it can be accessed;
- Perceptions amongst both large and small businesses that they were unlikely to be eligible for funding by virtue of their size; and
- Issues relating to the complexity of the bidding process and the time/cost impacts of this to the business, which were felt to be disproportionate relative to the level of funding available in some instances.
These are exactly the issues that the TIA programme has been addressing over the last 3 years, supporting Tees Valley entrepreneurs and solopreneurs in the challenging process of applying for the necessary grant funding that will allow them to bring innovative products to market and grow sustainably.
Over the last 9 months, TIA has welcomed 20 new Tees Valley SMEs. Of those among them that decided to apply for grant funding, a total of 11 SMEs managed to secure over £2M of IUK grant funding, achieving a 65% success rate in our applications.
Here we’d like to share some of these successes, in the hope that any entrepreneurs hesitating to engage with the grant funding process will be able to see themselves in these success stories.
(*Statistics: Tees Valley Local Industrial Strategy, July 2019)
Net Zero Focus:
- Catalsys – Won the Net Zero Launchpad CR&D
Catalsys has developed a novel, high efficiency technology to produce ammonia/hydrogen mixes. Research indicates that such mixes could be used in conventional, unmodified natural gas engine generators. This project will investigate the practical implementation of this hypothesis.
Catalsys’ project, in collaboration with Brunel University and Skanska, will evaluate a means of achieving decarbonisation and reducing other emissions associated with fossil fuels by using green ammonia (NH3) as an energy source for on-site power generation.
Successful development of this product will provide construction site operators with a commercially viable option to produce on-site power for utilities and electric vehicle recharging.
- Catalsys – Won the Net Zero Launchpad MFA
Catalsys developed a novel chemical reactor and catalyst system that will efficiently crack ammonia at the required scale. The system will fit in a shipping container, is self-contained and only requires a low-power electrical connection for instruments and minor plant items.
The Catalsys system is a complex, yet compact, chemical process that will be located on customer sites. It must be able to respond to each customer's unique demand profile for hydrogen and it needs to do this based on signals received from downstream refuelling station equipment as specified and installed by others. The products are supervised/controlled by a central "virtual control room" to avoid the cost of manual operators at each site. Operational data will be continuously collected and analysed, enabling safe operation and predictive maintenance capabilities.
The project plans to begin manufacture of commercial units in the Tees Valley from mid-2024. The commercial success of the product will be dependent on a robust and highly capable autonomous control system, ensuring trouble-free operation and conformance with very stringent safety requirements. The system will be the first-of-a-kind with unique control functionality. In this project, Catalsys will work with a Tees Valley-based sub-contractor and Teesside University to undertake the development, design and testing of the control system.
- ZEBCO UK – Won the Fast Start Competition
ZEBCO UK are pioneers in the use of infrared technology heating systems for multiple applications, using a range of fuels. Their technology will provide both heating and hot water for domestic and commercial applications. Infrared technology is a unique heating source that is directional and isn’t absorbed by air. This eliminates any waste heat, thereby significantly reducing heating costs and providing corresponding environmental benefits. Reductions in heating costs can exceed 25% and will reduce pay back times significantly. Infrared technology also eliminates any carbon monoxide and nitrous oxides from the living environment, reducing the carbon footprint by up to 80%.
- Harris Brick Safety Systems – Won the Fast Start Competition
This company addresses a big problem caused by the collapsing of walls in construction, after they have been built but before the cement is set due to high winds. This problem is of great concern among builders due to the associated health and safety implications. The collapsed walls must be removed, the materials disposed of and then new walls constructed, increasing outlay and delaying construction. To prevent this, Harris Brick Safety Systems are developing BrickBud, a re-usable propping system that can support walls whilst they are vulnerable. No form of re-usable wall propping is available.
By commercialising the BrickBud system, the construction industry could save approximately £12.65M plus reduce the carbon footprint of construction by 946 tons of CO2 per annum.
- X-Heat – Won the Fast Start Competition
X-Heat aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of the outdoor space heating industry by transitioning away from conventional burner appliances and developing a novel catalytic infrared patio heater. Modern day patio heating appliances are inefficient, costly to run and produce harmful emissions, not to mention being poorly designed for their intended application. The majority of the heat being produced is convective and located at the highest point possible, this warm air instantly rises warming the atmosphere instead of benefitting the people sat by the heaters, making them poor on efficiency. In addition, harmful emissions are released within the vicinity of the people using the heater, negatively affecting human health. X-Heat’s design addresses all of these shortcomings; eliminating waste heat, harmful emissions and poor fuel efficiency.
- Laytrix – Won the Net Zero Launchpad MFA
Laytrix has developed an innovative, patented vessel spread for cost effective installation and decommissioning of offshore oil and gas pipelines. This technology could be further developed for use in the construction of pipelines for hydrogen transportation, carbon capture and storage transportation, and for the installation of tendons in floating offshore wind platforms.
This technology is closely aligned with the Tees Valley Net Zero Strategy, being able to play a part in enabling the production of clean electricity, clean hydrogen and carbon storage whilst utilising the Tees Valley manufacturing and engineering supply chain to build the system.
The project will look to deliver and validate design work for the floating offshore wind market and then build a 1/10th scale prototype, which will allow Laytrix to demonstrate the technology to prospective customers ahead of receiving an order to build and trial the system at full scale.
- NZ Energy Systems – Won the Fast Start Public Competition
NZ Energy Systems are designing and deploying an intelligent energy storage system that stores energy that is generated on-site as well as cheap time-of-use tariff energy in their intelligent and autonomous battery energy storage system so it can then be utilised as efficiently as possible. Their system is designed to monitor the national grid frequency and use forecasts of the customers’ energy use profile (duty cycle) to balance the energy store’s storage and distribution against the needs of the customer and the national grid as a weighted output.
This project directly tackles energy efficiency and the reduction of energy wasted or on-site renewable energy under-utilised whilst also tackling the reduction of peak energy usage and the way in which energy is managed at key points in the day.
The benefits could translate extensively industry-wide and substantially help to grow the NZ Energy Systems business whilst reducing energy bills for customers and reducing the strain on the national grid at key times in the day. This project will allow a new breed of energy storage and control methodology to be developed and tested in real time.
Health Sector:
- Wisgo – Won the Fast Start Competition
Wisgo-Medical Ltd will develop Triangulate, a product comprising 3 mutually supportive clinical modules which deliver a uniquely powerful innovative data bundle to measure both illness severity and likely prognostic significance. Combined, these 3 physiologically independent modules triangulate evidence of illness severity/likely prognostic significance to deliver more effective information with a greater predictive value than is currently available from existing single assessment protocols. With the benefit of this assessment and the provision of an affordable point-of-care report, the WISGO Triangulate system is ideally positioned to facilitate real-time management of clinical care, positively contributing to best clinical outcomes.
Benefits from this product when compared to existing procedures include: (a) Converting wasted patient waiting-time into the useful activity of collecting relevant history data; (b) Reducing use of health care professional time when collecting vital signs data; (c) Improving accuracy and quality of both a) and b) above; (d) Expediting the process in A&E departments for all inflammatory markers.
- Tough Life Products – Won the Fast Start Competition
Tough Life Products Ltd aim to make a smart exercise device based on the existing 'Switch Fitness' design, and also develop an appropriate app to interpret data into useable performance indicators to motivate users.
Their product aims to target physically inactive people, particularly those who are elderly and those with onset of disease; patients in rehabilitation; and those with restricted mobility. This new 'Health Switch' device will help users gradually improve their upper-body fitness and bone strength without risk of injury, whilst motivating them through an app so that they can monitor their improvement.
'Health Switch' will be able to be used in a seated position, such as a wheelchair. It will work on the principle of isometric, 'time under tension' exercise so, instead of using weights or resistance bands, the user will work against their own strength; the more tension they put in, the stronger they get, making it effective and challenging throughout their health improvement, irrespective of gender, age or fitness.
- MAC Plc – Won the Horizon Health Abstract
Research on poverty-related diseases (PRDs) in sub-Saharan Africa suffers from major technological and non-technological challenges that prevent high quality healthcare from reaching many areas. Not only their performance, but also the affordability, manufacturability, suitability for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and deployment of the (few) available diagnostics are the main barriers to ensuring good quality healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa. The HoliCare project aims to tackle such challenges from a holistic perspective, by bridging the gap between technological excellence, available infrastructures, capacity, and the local uptake of new technologies. MAC Plc have chosen to work with lower respiratory infections as a blueprint for their new approach, due to their huge clinical and socioeconomic impact and relevance to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Technology-wise, they propose a 2-tiered, digitally interfaced diagnostic approach that will start in the field using multiplexed lateral flow tests for rapid screening and triage, followed by a referral to a hospital (when needed) and a detailed follow-up diagnosis using a POC-instrument performing simultaneous nucleic acid amplification (LAMP) for pathogen identification and immunoassays for host biomarker quantitation. Digital and manufacturing infrastructures will encompass these technology innovations to ensure future local product development and quality controlled biobanks will be developed for executing reliable clinical studies. Training and human capital investment will be achieved by focussed, high-level training activities. Adoption and implementation activities will pave the way for the proposed diagnostic solutions to be successfully deployed, fitting the needs of local populations. The developments will be scalable, adaptable and transferrable to other diseases and national (eco) systems, aiming to contribute to the improvement of healthcare delivery in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
Creative Sector:
- Amazing Interactives – Won the Creative Catalyst Competition
Amazing Interactives’ ISW interplay system will be a technology game changer in regards to interactive curriculum-based exercise and learning, allowing primary schools to compete with each other at every level; classroom to classroom, school to school, nationally and internationally. The online platform will provide a medium to integrate pupils, whilst maintaining safe practices, reducing the need to travel and saving costs. An extensive library of both educational and fun content encourages all pupils to participate, whatever their ability, improving the wellbeing of primary school pupils through increased engagement, activity and learning.
Digital Sector:
- PragmatIC and Molecular Plasma Group – Won the Horizon Digital Emerging Abstract
Europe currently has a leading position in key digital technologies. However, functional electronics is one of several emerging digital transformation areas with no established players, but with the potential to significantly disrupt strategic sectors. Harnessing the full potential of functional electronics will enable Europe to exploit cutting-edge climate-neutral digital solutions to strengthen its leadership, and to seize on emerging opportunities by addressing existing technological gaps in multiple sectors. Functional Electronics has found application in a wide range of sectors and domains, including in hybrid integrated circuits (ICs) or flexible systems. Its global market was worth €15.4billion in 2017 and is expected to reach €37.7billion by 2023; a CAGR of 11%. Despite this growth, functional electronics can generate additional value via the adoption and implementation of new and efficient eco-design approaches at product, process, and business model levels. SusFE will advance the development of functional electronics for green and circular economy use by developing a sustainable design and production platform for roll-to-roll manufacturing of the next generation of wearable and diagnostic devices that combine a SusFE toolbox of sustainable components comprising a novel flexible integrated circuit (FlexIC) on polymer substrate with ultra-low power printed sensors/biosensors, and wireless communication driven by an organic and recyclable bioenzymatic fuel cell. This will lead to highly integrated and autonomously operating systems that are lightweight, environmentally sustainable, and low-cost. SusFE uses of a combination of sustainable materials and processes to deliver climate-neutral digital solutions, including wound monitoring, self-blood sampling/testing and point-of-care devices.
Prototyping:
A number of prototypes have also been delivered under the umbrella of the TIA programme…
- Applied Technical Products (Matchsaver) - Prototype automatic cover for sports pitches
- Lusstech - Sensor electronics and software for Lusstech’s proprietary pressure sensitive material
- X-Heat - Prototype ignition and control of a novel catalytic heater
- Shush Ear Defenders - Prototype ear defenders to reduce anxiety in autistic children
- IOTA Enterprises - Prototype control system for high power amplifier
- Amazing Interactives - Pressure measurement to “gamify” the user experience for a prototype spirometer for cystic fibrosis
Contact Us:
SMEs in the Tees Valley are invited to contact us at tia@twi.co.uk to see how we could help with your next project.
Tees Valley Innovation Accelerator (TIA) is receiving up to £1,575,338 of funding from the European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Northern Powerhouse is a key aspect of this Government’s approach to addressing the productivity gap in the North and ensuring a stronger, more sustainable economy for all parts of the UK.