Technology

This group is chaired by Simon Clarke of Aker Kvaerner.

The TVEP Virtual R&D Centre

This portal, which is available to members in the 'member area', provides a unique opportunity for companies, wishing to improve their business, to locate appropriate new technologies and innovation across Europe.

Additionally, if your company has a specialism it would like to promote to the European market this can be achieved via the same mechanism.  Anonymity is assured for all enquiries.

Out of interest click through and look at this portal. You will be extremely impressed by the potential this offers your business.

Technology Masterclasses 

Tomorrow may never come but the future will soon be upon us and, with it, the challenges to maintain the competitiveness of your company over the next decade. Changes in technology will, inevitably, affect the way things are done and TVEP has asked a number of ‘leading-edge’ specialists to present a series of masterclasses to inform you about a variety of the new technologies you will certainly be dealing with in the not-so-distant future. 

 
These 90min sessions will be held every 2 months and will be made available on DVD to TVEP members. If you would like to find out more about the masterclasses or request any of the DVDs please contact Malcolm Potter on 07951 725 475
 
The masterclasses are small-scale with restricted numbers so if you would like to attend it will be first come, first served.
  

Masterclass DVDs available for free for members:

  • Science and Innovation Futures, presented by Dr Raymond Oliver of Cenamps 
  • Advanced computational mechanics for product analysis and design, presented by Professor Roger Crouch of Durham University
  • Opportunities in distributed energy and fuel cells, presented by Dr Graham Hillier of the Centre for Process Innovation.
  • 4D Simulation and Design and Engineering Construction presented by Professor Nashwan Dawood of the University of Teesside
  • Nano and Microsystem Technologies, presented by Zulf Ali of the University of Teesside

 

 

Technology Challenge

TVEP are soon to pioneer our very first Techology Challenge!
 
The aim of the TVEP Technology Challenge is to raise SME awareness of the range of technology solutions available in general, and in particular, the technology capability in the North East by solving the technical problems faced by local engineering businesses.
 
Objectives:
  • To raise engineering SMEs awareness of practical sources of technology assistance in the North East
  • To raise the profile of technology transfer agents
  • To explore the availability of funding for technology solutions
  • To offer incentive to participation in the form of additional funding and prizes
  • To measure success in terms of value-added to the business and jobs sustained and/or created


The TVEP sector survey indicates that few companies carry out their own research, none of the companies we interviewed having a separate R&D Department.  Mostly development is carried out by the company's own operational staff as part of their normal jobs.  In some cases this is causing some resource difficulties, though of the limited extent to which serious development is being carried out we did not find this a frequent occurrence.

How companies source new technology is instructive.  Most learn of new technology either from their customers, their suppliers or from other contacts directly in their own industry area.  Professional and/or trade journals were cited by 62%, trade fairs and exhibitions by 36% and business associates/word of mouth by 41% of the companies surveyed as the significant sources of information. 
 
In the face-to-face interviews, the acquisition of new technology was especially noted in cases where a company is working in close partnership with a technically demanding customer or in a market sector which has rapidly changing technical or specification demands, and companies believe they find ways of locating technology as necessary,
often by developing it themselves in terms of the advanced design skills they possess within their own organisations.
 
What was clear in both parts of the study was the lack of links between most of the companies contacted and universities or colleges as potential sources of new technology. 
 
The Technology Transfer Challenge aims to address this issue by challenging the responsiveness of technology providers to offer solutions to actual technical problems identified by local businesses.
 
Centre of Excellence for Engineering

TVEP are working to develop an Innovation Centre of Excellence that works on the next generation of products & processes. This facility will help to provide build the future of the manufacturing sector in Teesside.

Background

The implementation of improved and new technology is an opportunity to provide businesses with competitive edge in a global market place. Despite a general industrial acknowledgement of this technology transfer is slow and problematical, particularly for the relatively small companies that make up the majority in the engineering sector

This project brings together industrialists, technologists and academics to set up a forum to examine initiatives that will bridge the gulf between ‘supply-push’ and ‘demand-pull’.

Objectives:

  • Increase employer awareness of the variety and scope of new technology opportunities
  • Create a forum between industry and academia to improve communication.
  • Create a forum that will iencourage entrepreneurial (new products and business solutions) activity
  • To initiate pilot initiaitves to encourage industry investment in knowledge-driven, value adding innovation and technologies.
  • To market the successful industrial application of innovation and new technology as case studies for employers.

TVEP recognise that further support and development is needed in the areas of innovative practice and new technology for local companies to become more competitive.

“In today’s market place characterised by high uncertainty, change and innovation, stimulating and creating new industries through technological advances is central to successful economic growth, employment, competition and sustainability” (Hung, 2006).

On this basis the partnership’s technology group employed MSc student, Stephen Szypura and set about the creation of a “CAPABILITY DOCUMENT”, dealing with the transfer of technology from various sources of R & D, through to commercialisation via industrial enterprises including SME’s.

After much deliberation, and having taken advice from existing “technology transfer” practitioners it was decided that the Capability Document should become a detailed piece of research into the general area of innovation, technology transfer and best practice.

This has resulted in the production of an invaluable document that is available on the members section of the site.

View discussions and conclusions from the research

TVEP will respond to the recommendations in respect of initiatives in 2007.

Other Developments

TVEP & Teesside University Pioneer 3D Modelling Course

The Technology Group is:

Chair: Simon Clarke - Aker Kvaerner

Cess Short - ARRK

John Bignall - The Bignall Group

Ahmed Abbas – University of Teesside
Keith Blundy - Aegies Associates Ltd

For more information on Tees Valley Engineering Partnership or technology please contact us