Applied Knowledge Exchange

Over 60 companies and other organisations attended Glasgow Caledonian University’s first ‘Food for Thought’ event this week.

Our keynote speakers, Marks and Spencer’s Head of Sustainable Business Mike Barry, and Scotland Food & Drink Chief Executive Paul McLaughlin, gave a great introduction to the day. Delegates spent an afternoon networking with GCU experts in food sciences, sustainability, tourism, design and consumer behaviour and marketing.

For more on our food expertise, go to http://www.gcu.ac.uk/business/problemsolving/foodforthought/

Looking forward to planning our next event!!

A project has been set up to showcase Scotland’s island culture and creativity. Marketing initiative Scotland’s Islands has invited bids for funding from organisers of food and drink-related community events. More information on the BBC news website.

Here at Glasgow Caledonian University, we are inviting Scotland’s food and drink companies to a free event giving them access to our food and drink sector experts. “Food for Thought” takes place on 23rd March. To register, go to www.gcufoodforthought.eventbrite.com

Joe Docherty of Glasgow Caledonian University explains on the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce site how your organisation can benefit from KTPs.

KTPs are a UK-wide programme funded by the Technology Strategy Board along with the Scottish Government.  KTPs aim to help businesses improve competitiveness, productivity, and performance.  This is done by forming a partnership with a university, college, or other provider of knowledge and expertise.  The KTP then allows you to access the skills and expertise of the university or other partner institution in ways that will benefit your business.  

Find out more about KTPs from the Applied Knowledge Exchange at GCU.

Mark Anderson, head of European Programmes, represented Glasgow Caledonian University at the Triple Helix VIII International Conference on University, Industry and Government Linkages in Madrid, Spain.

Mr Anderson presented two workshops: the first gave an overview on knowledge transfer offices need to streamline and focus their activities not only formally but also structurally in order to create synergies for efficient and effective innovation at a national and international level in line with the Lisbon Strategy and 2020 Vision. The second workshop focused particularly on the GCU-led project KickStart which is developing and establishing Innovation Centres in Latin America.

As part of his presentation, Mr Anderson reminded participants that “We must learn to contextualise our activities and look beyond a narrow approach to innovation that focuses solely on patent activity, spin-off creation and pure commercialisation. University knowledge transfer has a great deal more to offer”.

Triple Helix is a field of international research that centres around the triangular relationship between University, Business and Government to aid prosperity. The main theme of this year’s conference was Triple Helix in the Development of Cities of Knowledge, Expanding Communities and Connecting Regions. This year’s conference was organised by the International Institute of Triple Helix – IITH and hosted by La Salle Innovation Park.

GLASGOW Caledonian University has been nominated for two Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Scotland Awards.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships is a UK-wide programme enabling businesses to improve their competitiveness, productivity and performance. Glasgow Caledonian University’s work with Rawlplug Ltd, one of the leading manufacturers of specialist anchoring and fixing systems used in construction, industry and retail markets, has been formally rated as outstanding by independent assessors as part of the KTP programme.

Lead academic on the project was Dr Bruce Wood of the School of Engineering and Computing, who oversaw a KTP project working with Mary Maclachlan involving finite element analysis and optimisation in fixture design. This KTP project was the third with Rawlplug, which previously worked with Glasgow Caledonian University to establish a new system for product design and development and implement a new CAD system.

In Caledonian Business School, the first KTP in Scotland on human resource management, led by Dr Gill Maxwell and Morag McLean of the Department of Management, has also been nominated for a KTP Scotland Award. The KTP with Integrated Environmental Solutions Ltd (IES) was formally rated as very good, the second highest category of rating, and was completed early this year. With GCU’s expert advice on HRM, IES now has an HR specialist in its Glasgow head office and a firm basis for developing HR strategy and practices to actively support rapid and on-going international expansion.

The KTP Scotland Awards takes place in February at the Doubletree Dunblane Hydro in Perthshire. For more information on either project or working with Glasgow Caledonian University on a KTP project, please contact Knowledge Transfer Manager Janette McAlpine on 0141 331 8877.

The number of people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK has increased by more than 150,000 to 2.8 million in the past year, warns Diabetes UK today.

The data, collected from GP practices, also show the nationwide figure of people registered as obese to have risen to over five and half million, an increase of more than 265,000. This now means one in 20 of the population is being treated for diabetes and one in ten for obesity.

Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) has been granted £20,000 from the Scottish Government’s South Asia Development Fund to deliver a programme in the management of diabetic foot disease in India that could prevent diabetes related limb amputations. Our Podiatry experts are training phsyicians in India next month.

We also have Masters level programmes in Diabetes Care and Management.

Give the Applied Knowledge Exchange a ring on 0141 331 3189 to talk about our diabetes expertise.

Applied Knowledge Exchange has launched its e-newsletter, which will inform our company clients and knowledge transfer partners about our activities.

To sign up to receive the newsletter, please email Fiona.Ramsay@gcu.ac.uk with your name and email address.

Thanks for reading!

Scottish Development International has detailed the new education links between GCU and India which were announced by First Minister Alex Salmond.

“Scotland is renowned for its world class education system and I warmly welcome these new commitments to share knowledge, expertise and skills with India,” said the First Minister.

“We have global strengths in key industries such as life sciences, energy, financial and business services, the digital gaming industry and information technology and we are keen to learn from the dynamic growth and specialism in Indian Universities.”

One of the partnerships between Glasgow Caledonian University and Indian institutions aims to prevent unnecessary suffering through diabetes-related limb amputations. Find out more…

The move follows a MoU that was brokered by SDI one year ago today between the Association of Indian Universities and Universities Scotland, as part of Scotland’s approach to work alongside the new global super power.

Hamish Dingwall, Director of Research, Innovation and Enterprise at Glasgow Caledonian University, features in this week’s Business 7 magazine.

His views on the value of Social Enterprises to the business sector are examined in the article.

Find out more information about the Applied Knowledge Exchange works with Social Enterprises.

Glasgow Caledonian University’s Applied Knowledge Exchange will be showcasing its expertise in environmental issues at the Sustainable Scotland Network Conference 2010. The SSN conference will take place on 4th November at Dynamic Earth and will include speakers such as John Swinney MSP and Lady Susan Rice of Lloyds Banking Group Scotland.

The Applied Knowledge Exchange will exhibit with colleagues from the Caledonian Environment Centre, CIC Start Online and Sustainable Food & Drink.

The Committee on Climate Change – the Governments’ official advisors – have called for a “step change in pace” if we are to meet the UK carbon emissions reduction targets; a message that was reinforced in the Committee’s advice to Scottish Ministers in February 2010. The Climate Change (Scotland) Act, as well as committing the country to delivering a 42% reduction in emissions by 2020, also places duties on public bodies relating to climate change that come into force on 1 January 2011.

Supported by the Scottish Government, COSLA, SOLACE-Scotland and SEPA, the SSN Conference is the sustainable development and climate change conference for local government officials and elected members, and all those who engage with local authorities in the process of making Scotland more sustainable.

For more information about our sustainability programmes in Scotland, please contact the Applied Knowledge Exchange on 0141 331 3189 or appliedknowledgeexchange@gcu.ac.uk.