Applied Knowledge Exchange

Some of Glasgow Caledonian University’s areas of expertise feature in a new Business Insider Special Report  on Knowledge Exchange.

We have highlighted the CIC Start Online project, our High Voltage Engineering team, some of our Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) and our Work-Based Learning Academies.

For the full supplement, please click here.

A new green scheme that recycles food waste has been launched.

The Commercial Food Waste Collection Service, run by Keenan Recycling, creates BSI accredited compost from items such as leftover food, coffee grounds, cups and paper towels collected from businesses and restaurants in the North East.

First Minister Alex Salmond officially lanched the scheme. The Scottish Government published its Zero Waste Plan last month. It sets out key actions and new targets to tackle the near 20 million tonnes of waste produced in Scotland every year.

Glasgow Caledonian University’s Caledonian Environment Centre is a unique team of professionals with expertise in waste resource management, carbon management, environmental sustainability and bioenergy.

One of the most distinguished and recognised environmental organisations in Scotland, Caledonian Environment
Centre has strong links with Scottish Government, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, local authorities,
WRAP, Zero Waste Scotland, and Scotland’s economic development agencies.

Find out how the Caledonian Environment Centre could help your business along the path to a ’Zero Waste Scotland’ by calling the Applied Knowledge Exchange on 0141 331 3189.

Trying out a new little Animoto video for our website.

The Scottish Funding Council has issued a new call for proposals to its Horizon Fund for knowledge exchange proposals addressing the needs of Scottish industry.

Resources available for projects in the latest call will be approximately £4m per annum for three years.

This year the call will focus on the key sectors identified in the Scottish Government’s Economic Strategy, including the creative industries (including digital content and technologies); energy; financial and business services; food and drink (including agriculture and fisheries);  life sciences (including biotechnology and translational medicine); and tourism.

The SFC is keen to receive proposals for projects that involve Scottish small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

Proposals are to be submitted by Universities by 17th September 2010.

Glasgow Caledonian University has also benefited from this year’s Scottish Funding Council’s Innovation Voucher Scheme, which aids first links between Scottish universities and SMEs. This year, GCU received funding for six proposals, worth over £48,500.

The scheme, administered by Interface, provides funding of up to £5,000 to universities for projects with Scottish SMEs. SMEs contribute a matching value of cash, staff time or access to facilities. The funding can be used for a broad range of collaborative activities including developing new products and services, improved production processes or experimental testing and measuring.

For more information on how your business could work with Glasgow Caledonian University, contact the Applied Knowledge Exchange on 0141 331 3189 or visit www.gcu.ac.uk/business

AGRICO UK is working with Glasgow Caledonian University on a two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP).

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships is Europe’s leading programme, helping business to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills that reside within the UK knowledge base. 

With the help of Glasgow Caledonian University’s food science experts in the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Agrico aims to introduce laboratory techniques to support the development of novel potato genotypes with specific nutritional properties.

The Applied Knowledge Exchange can help your business with a Knowledge Transfer Partnership – give us a call to find out more on 0141 331 3189 or visit www.gcu.ac.uk/business

Samantha MacLean, Programme Leader for the MSc Human Resource Management at Glasgow Caledonian University, presented an award to Kelly Rossi of First People Solutions at the Scottish Recruitment Awards in Glasgow this month.

Rossi picked up the award for Individual Volume Specialist of the Year and won the award against a colleague and a representative from Search Consultancy at a glittering ceremony at the Hilton Hotel.

Glasgow Caledonian University completed the research for the Scottish Business Insider Awards, using the expertise of Samantha MacLean and the Caledonian Business School to design the categories for the awards and oversee the research process for the nominations.

Technology Transfer Opportunity Mechanism (TTOM) Awards have been set up to enable Scottish SMEs to transfer technology from Scotland’s Universities, and are now open for applications. The closing date is 27th August.

Grants of up to £5000 are available to tackle problems relevant to the SME, paid at a maximum rate of 75%, with the remaining 25% being cash or in-kind contributions from the client company.

Support in finding appropriate academic expertise can be provided by Interface.

TTOM encompasses emerging technologies in sectors such as Energy, Life Science, Digital Media, Enabling Technologies (including optoelectronics, electronics, microelectronics and software) and Sustainable Transport.

For more information, contact the Applied Knowledge Exchange, or vist the TTOM website.

Scotland’s first Zero Waste Plan has been published by the Scottish Government, setting out key actions, including new targets, to tackle the near 20 milion tonnes of waste produced by Scotland every year

It aims to drive change and inspire households, businesses, community groups, local authorities and the wider public sector to change the way they view and deal with waste.

The plan will introduce landfill bans for specific waste types, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and capturing their value; separate collections of specific waste types, including food (to avoid contaminating other materials), to increase reuse and recycling opportunities and contributing to the Scottish Government’s renewable energy targets; and new targets that will apply to all waste: 70 per cent target recycled, and maximum five per cent sent to landfill, both by 2025.

Glasgow Caledonian University’s Caledonian Environment Centre works closely with private sector organisations and Scotlands’ councils to reduce waste. Find out more about our work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/business/clientscasestudies/casestudies/

This year’s Scottish Environmental Technology Network (SETN) annual conference will be held at Glasgow Caledonian University on 15th June 2010.   

The environmental technology conference is this year a collaboration between SETN and the Caledonian Environment Centre at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Caledonian Environment Centre will be supported by GCU’s business gateway, the Applied Knowledge Exchange.

Funded by the SEEKIT programme of the Scottish Government, the event is free for SMEs to attend and will inform businesses about developments in the Scottish environmental technology sector, EU environmental legislation and R&D tax credit workshops.

SETN provides services to Scottish SMEs to improve their competitiveness in the environmental sector including areas such as contaminated land assessment & remediation, waste management, resource recovery, water and wastewater treatment, sustainable urban drainage systems and environmental management.

The Caledonian Environment Centre offers a dedicated team of professionals with expertise in waste resource management, carbon management, environmental sustainability and bioenergy.

Simon Glen, project officer at the Caledonian Environment Centre at GCU, will be speaking at the event, along with representatives from Zero Waste Scotland, EAE Ltd and Environmental Law Chambers.

SETN is led by the Contaminated Land Assessment & Remediation Research Centre based at The University of Edinburgh and works with research base groups from around Scotland.

Campbell Dallas has won the Scottish Accountancy Awards’ Fastest Growing Firm, sponsored by Glasgow Caledonian University.

Pro-Vice Chancellor Mike Smith presents an award

Johnston Carmichael was recognised for its push into the central belt when it picked up best medium firm ahead of Anderson Anderson & Brown and Campbell Dallas. Campbell Dallas received a special commendation in that category.

Glasgow Caledonian University’s Caledonian Business School has sponsored the award for the past two years. The school has significant expertise available in accountancy, risk management, and work-based leadership and management programmes.

The firm saw fee income rise by an impressive 16.4% during 2009, despite a freeze on rates, and received a special commendation in the Best Medium Firm award, which was won by Johnston Carmichael.

Lord Smith of Kelvin, chairman of Weir Group, was given the outstanding achievement award at the event. Currently he is chairman of Weir Group and Scottish & Southern Energy and a non-executive director of Standard Bank Group Ltd. In addition, he is chairman of Glasgow 2014, a member of the Council of Economic Advisors to the First Minister of Scotland, chancellor of the University of the West of Scotland and patron of the Scottish Community Foundation.

KPMG was named ahead of rivals Deloitte and Ernst & Young in the big firm category, while its pensions advisory group was picked out as the team to watch.

The judging panel was chief executive of British Polythene Industries John Langlands,Weir Group’s Professor Ian Percy, area director for West of Scotland commercial banking at Bank of Scotland Craig McNaughton, chief financial officer at Hudson Aileen Brown and president of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in Scotland Peter Fee.