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

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/

The Innovation Voucher Scheme is supported by the new SFC funding stream Strategic Priority Investments in Research and Innovation Translation (SPIRIT) and offers each higher education institution funding to meet up to 50% of the costs of one or more new collaborations with Scottish SMEs.

Glasgow Caledonian University is working on projects with Oak Tree Inn, Q&Q Foods, William Latto & Son and Cordale Housing through Caledonian Business School and the School of the Built and Natural Environment.

To find out more about Innovation Vouchers or business development funding, call 0141 331 3189.

He commended the sector’s robust response to challenges brought by the continued tough economic climate and recent disruptions to air travel.

Glasgow Caledonian University’s tourism experts in the Moffat Centre produces the Visitor Attraction Monitor, an annual report on the performance of Scotland’s visitor attractions, with analysis by geographic location and other key variables. The associated Visitor Attraction Barometer is a monthly review of attractions’ performance data. It provides a regular monitor of performance based on returns from visitor numbers provided by a representative sample of attractions. Find out more about our tourism expertise. At the Applied Knowledge Exchange, we can offer your business assistance in the tourism sector.

Mr Mather also highlighted VisitScotland’s recovery plan in support of tourism businesses that have lost bookings over the past week because of the Icelandic volcano.

The initiative will see tourism businesses offered free marketing and advertising opportunities on VisitScotland’s Perfect Day website, complemented by a £100,000 radio and press advertising promotion, to stimulate interest in Scotland and encourage visitors to take a ’staycation’.

Our PgC Social Enterprise course was a hot topic of the day!

Find out more from wwww.gcu.ac.uk/business or give us a ring on 0141 331 3139 for a copy of our promotional DVD, which features Mel Young of the Big Issue and Homeless World Cup.

Biopta, which was set-up by Dr. David Bunton and Professor Chris Hillier in 2002, now employs 18 people in testing drugs for the pharmaceutical industry using ethically sourced human tissue. 

The firm has benefited from investment of more than £2million from a combination of GCU, Scottish Enterprise’s Proof of Concept Award and the Scottish Co-Investment Fund through matched investment from Braveheart Investment Group and TriCap.

Speaking today, the First Minister congratulated Biopta on being a further example of Scotland’s great innovation traditions, adding that the company counts eight of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world among its clients.

Find out more about our business successes.

BLOODHOUND THE 1000 MPH

CHALLENGE

Glasgow Caledonian University and Scottish Power are co-sponsoring an exciting event featuring John Piper, Chief Engineer on the JCB land speed record car, talking about Britain’s latest attempt at the world land speed record.

The lecture will concentrate on the Bloodhound car, but will also talk about how the challenger cars tend to be very different and therefore there is no need to be secretive about the technology. The talk will include a general overview of the aims of the project, then the story of the design so far with some great visuals on the stress analysis work carried out by Arup.

Come to the event on: 22nd April 2010:
5:30pm for 6:30pm
Saltire Centre/Carnegie Lecture Theatre
Glasgow Caledonian University
Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow, G4 0BA
For more information and to register your interest please contact:
Andrew Cowell on a.cowell@gcal.ac.uk
Find out more about the event here

The Manchester United manager, who received an Honorary Doctor of Letters in 2001, held a masterclass on campus, met parents and children from the award winning Caledonian Club and talked tactics with the University’s football teams during the visit.

Read more at www.gcal.ac.uk

Jim Woodburn, Professor of Rehabilitation at GCU, is working on the A-FOOTPRINT project to develop new orthotic devices to support or correct musculoskeletal problems.

See more about Jim’s work in this video clip. Biomechanics – Jim Woodburn

The Applied Knowledge Exchange is also working with Promedics Orthapaedic with its orthapaedic research, through the Business Transformation Fund grant that allows SMEs to work collaboratively with Glasgow Caledonian University and access specialist expertise including consultancy, contract research and access to facilities or equipment.

Glasgow Caledonian Uni has had several successful KTP partnerships with businesses including Novograf.

Current KTPs include those with Fearsom UK and If Only Holidays Limited.

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.

At the Applied Knowledge Exchange, we welcome enquiries about funding and eligibility for Knowledge Transformation Partnerships from business and third sector organisations.

The main speaker at this year’s event will be Lord Smith of Kelvin, Chancellor of the University of the West of Scotland.