BUSINESS
Surrey Research Park, together with the University of Surrey, recently launched a competition designed to help businesses innovate and grow. The Collaborate22 competition was open to all tenants and companies within SETsquared and Rocketdesk
Left to right: Michael Chambers, Solacote; Dr Amir Taba, Direk; Professor Nick Bacon, Fitzpatrick Referrals
COLLABORATE22 COMPETITION The competition, funded by the Higher Education Innovation Fund, was aimed at encouraging UK-based companies, in particular Surrey Research Park tenants, to gain first-hand experience of working with the University; enable companies to harness the University’s world-leading expertise and facilities; support the development of new relationships and accelerate existing relationships with the University; and explore real challenges or genuine barriers faced by the business. This is something which can only be addressed with the help of academic expertise. The projects were chosen where there was an ability to use the results of the Collaborate22 project to pump-prime larger projects in the future.
Collaborate22 was used to fund the cost of such projects and were expected to involve mainly exploratory consultancy and technical services from the University. The funding covered the cost of the services delivered by the University of Surrey and may have also included direct costs incurred by the company as part of the delivery of the project. The University was ideally looking to award four to five projects, valued at £20-25,000 each. Collaborate22 could only be used to benefit the applicant Business Partner and the University; a project could not involve any third parties.
Projects could, for example, focus on ‘Build Back Better’ or future-proofing your organisation post-Covid, or perhaps explore specific challenges, testing new products or introducing new processes within the business. They may also involve a feasibility study or proof-ofconcept — designed to help businesses innovate and grow.
aims to address global warming and climate change, by harnessing renewable energy from the sun ❜❜
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❛❛ Project Sunergy’
Tim Riches, Chief Commercial Officer at Surrey Research Park said: “We are delighted to award funding to Surrey Research Park companies Direk, Fitzpatrick Referrals, and Solacote, for three innovative projects. The funding will enable the companies to access academic expertise and facilities in Chemical and Process Engineering, Veterinary Medicine, Biosciences and Medicine, Health Sciences, and Mechanical Engineering Sciences. In addition, the companies will benefit from the talent of our postgraduate and doctoral students. Tim Riches comments: “These projects are an example of one of the many ways in which the University of Surrey collaborates with companies on Surrey Research Park and beyond to explore real challenges and genuine barriers faced by business, exchange knowledge and create impact. We look forward to seeing the outcomes of the projects and developing further collaborations”.
