Five businesses are set to work with University of Salford researchers on projects after securing more than £1.2m in government funding.
The cash, provided by the UK’s national innovation agency, will allow the university to help businesses develop new solutions in artificial intelligence, digital construction, advanced manufacturing, social housing retrofit and sustainable energy.
The businesses have collaborated with the university through the government’s Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) scheme, which helps them work with universities to develop new ideas, technologies, or ways of working and provides access to specialist knowledge.
Salford’s new partnerships with Cara EPS, Heyside Group, Whichrate, UPOWA and TSK Group will support the businesses to solve strategic challenges and build economic resilience over periods of either two or three years.
Led by academic teams across the University, the projects will also benefit from flagship campus facilities, such as the Northern Engineering and Robotics Innovation Centre (NERIC).
“Securing five new Knowledge Transfer Partnerships is a powerful reflection of our long-standing commitment to co-creating meaningful solutions with industry,” said Professor Simon Green, Pro Vice-Chancellor Research and Knowledge Exchange at the University of Salford.
“Here at the University of Salford, collaboration sits at the heart of everything we do. For more than 50 years, since taking part in the very first pilot of the KTP scheme, we have worked side by side with businesses to address real-world challenges, stimulate innovation and help our region thrive.”
Three of the projects focus on integrating AI software for more efficient business functions that drive the productivity of the organisation. TSK Group is developing AI-powered tools to transform how product data is used in workplace design and build, enabling more sustainable, compliant and innovative environments.
The collaboration with Cara EPS will create a digital asset management (DAM) platform to bring more accurate, effective, efficient and transparent data handling and asset management in the housing sector. By integrating bespoke artificial intelligence (AI) models with holistic data, it will provide enhanced, more accurate and better asset data to enable more informed decision making for multiple stakeholders in social housing asset management.
Whichrate will be supported by academics Dr Ali Alameer and Dr Taha Mansouri to develop bespoke AI-driven tools to automate motor insurance claim analysis, enhancing efficiency and accuracy. The aim is to reduce case turnaround times, identify fraud and unlock scalable growth, transforming data handling in the UK’s high-volume motor insurance sector.
Dr Alejandro Garcia-Miranda Ferrari, Collaborative Research and Development Manager at the University of Salford, said: “It’s a really exciting time for us here at Salford, we’re thrilled to announce our latest projects in collaboration with businesses across the region. By aligning our academic expertise with the needs of our partners, we ensure that knowledge is not only created, but applied – supporting business resilience, job creation and sustainable growth across the North West and beyond.”
The project with UPOWA is focused on contributing to a greener future, reflecting the University’s commitment to sustainability and tackling the climate crisis. The 24-month KTP will involve developing and embedding a scalable framework that improves operational efficiency and workforce capability in solar PV installations.And the three-year KTP with Heyside Group focuses on enhancing efficiency, reducing waste and improving worker safety by developing an integrated production line that automates post-moulding processes.
The partnerships are perfect examples of The Power of Us, the University’s rallying call and shared story of progress, resilience and achievement built on teamwork and collaboration.
The North West is the leading region for KTPs outside of Scotland. Since 2015, Innovate UK has funded KTP projects in over 500 businesses in the region.
Since their launch in 1975, the Government has funded over 14,000 Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP), uniting top businesses with researchers and graduates to solve real-world challenges, adding billions to the UK economy. From 2010 to 2020 alone, Innovate UK invested £200m in 2,000 projects, adding £2.3bn to the UK economy.
