State of the art bilingual communication for live interactions

AKT21 project promises societal benefit and unique innovation: an AK2TI project between Haia Communications and Bangor University

This Case Study is based on information provided by the AKT2I partners.

North Wales-based Haia, recent winners of the Best Startup in Wales 2023 and the Digital Startup of the Year, * provides a multilingual platform for online and hybrid events.

With previous events run on the platform by customers including MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), the NHS and the Welsh Government, Haia is on a “thrilling ride to redefine the possibilities of online and hybrid experiences”.

Looking to enhance the speech-to-translated-text (STTT) feature on its online and hybrid platform, Haia entered into an AKT2I partnership with Bangor University (BU) whose academics have developed state of the art methodologies for Welsh, and other less-resourced languages.

The Challenge: Integrating Speech to Translated Text for using neural network models

The AKT2I project aimed to support Haia in accelerating the integration of STTT in its events platform using neural network models. This would enhance English and Welsh bilingual communication in real time for meetings, conferences, and other events where both languages are used concurrently. The knowledge gained would be transferable to other multilingual situations worldwide.

The requirement for improved STTT capabilities was driven by Haia’s growth strategy to become market leaders in Wales for bi-lingual online and hybrid events. The STTT functionality is estimated to increase revenue by approximately 20%.

The Project: De-risking proof of concept development

AKT2I provided the opportunity to access skills and expertise whilst limiting commercial risk. It was not possible to understand the efficacy of neural network STTT on the Haia platform without implementing and testing within the platform itself; so the AKT2I programme allowed Haia to de-risk this proof-of-concept development activity whilst also accessing specialist expertise.

The project set out to provide machine based STTT from Welsh into English. The performance was analysed with respect to speed, efficiency and accuracy. Haia and BU hoped to benchmark the neural network driven STTT methods against other translation options and understand the requirements for further developments.

The project implemented and analysed two STTT models for use in the Haia platform. It was possible to train and test these models using three datasets. The results were analysed for baseline performance metrics, and model selection and improvements were made. Assumptions regarding the STTT model selection were tested and challenged and the project team was able to select the most appropriate model for Haia’s purposes and begin the process of wider integration.

The Outcome: Unique innovation positions Haia for global growth

A significant element of this project was to ascertain the viability of STTT models for use on the Haia platform. A computationally efficient and accurate STTT pipeline solution of speech to text (STT) and machine translation (MT) models were developed.

These developments could be sequenced in a pipeline to achieve full STTT within the Haia platform. The technology was observed by candidate users as successful for communicating meaning but still has opportunity for improvement.

The positive test results, and subsequent improvements in the models, demonstrated the suitability of this technology for this purpose. This was a highly positive result as it provides Haia with the confidence to progress this innovation – unique in the sector – and supports the company’s wider business strategy.

Haia’s platform in action at the Senedd.

Welsh language – just the start of things to come?

It is anticipated that the innovation could be applicable to other language pairs. As a future development, this would position Haia in a unique position in the global events platform market.

These opportunities will be realised through continued partnership activities seeking to scale-up and mainstream the technology into the Haia development pipeline.

Wider language use brings positive societal impact

This project could deliver a significant societal impact by increasing the use of Welsh in hybrid events where a human interpreter is not feasible. It can contribute to normalising the use of Welsh in all manners of bilingual hybrid events and gatherings.

Haia is committed to continuing the collaboration, having recognised how Bangor University is able to provide knowledge, skills, and expertise that are otherwise unavailable on the open market. The partnership is now developing plans to apply for a grant to scale up the development and implementation off the STTT technology.

“This AKT21 project has been invaluable to Haia. It has allowed us to understand and evaluate a technology that was otherwise inaccessible. We intend to continue this partnership with Bangor University to further the good work”. Tom Burke, CEO, Haia

For further information about this project please contact post@haia.live or s.ghazzali@bangor.ac.uk

New Low Carbon Concrete mix to contribute to Net Zero Carbon targets

AKT2I between JP Concrete and University of East London.

This Case Study is based on information provided by the AKT2I partners.

After water, concrete is the most widely used substance on Earth. If the cement industry were a country, it would be the third largest carbon dioxide emitter in the world with up to 2.8bn tonnes, surpassed only by China and the US*.

And yet, concrete is the material we rely on for so much of our modern development: our buildings, infrastructure, sea defences. However, as cement – the main ingredient in concrete – is responsible for 8% of carbon emissions**, there is an urgent need to find resilient, durable and low-carbon concrete solutions to help address the climate emergency.

As a leading UK supplier of precast concrete products, JP Concrete (JPC) is keen to innovate and research in this area, a desire which also reflects its clients’ requests for “green” concrete solutions that are also low-maintenance and durable.

To progress this innovation, JPC entered an AKT2I partnership with the University of East London (UEL) which has long-established material and structural laboratories and a wide range of advanced testing facilities. The teams were already in dialogue and the AKT2I support provided the right framework to formalise and accelerate their partnership and test innovative ideas.

The Challenge: Partnership tests novel self-healing concrete to extend the life of key infrastructure

Despite concrete being such a vital and widely used material, it cracks leading to corrosion of the steel bars reinforcing it. In the UK, repair and maintenance accounts for over 45% of the total expenditure on construction (the latter estimated at £120 billion annually***).

So the aim of this AKT2I was to find ways to improve the durability of low-carbon concrete products and examine key factors such as cracking, corrosion and early-age strength.

To this end, the partners aimed to develop an experimental study investigating the application of a pioneering, lower-carbon concrete mix that enables self-healing of cracks and protects steel bars, creating a more sustainable, resilient concrete solution.

New bio-agents were used for a novel mix of self-healing concrete to significantly extend the service life of infrastructure, especially that which is exposed to harsh environments, with applications for coastal defences, retaining walls, tunnels, culverts and below ground structures.

The Project: Specialist testing facilities enable comprehensive experimental lab studies

A comprehensive laboratory testing programme was undertaken to examine the proposed novel concrete mix. This was focused on assessing the viability of adding two admixtures (one for automatic self-healing of cracks and the other for corrosion inhibition of steel bar reinforcement) and identifying the optimum mix.

The testing comprised measuring compressive and tensile strengths of the proposed low-carbon concrete product. Water permeability testing and photogrammetry were also undertaken to assess the crack healing. Accelerated corrosion tests were performed to assess the corrosion protection of steel bars embedded within the concrete.

Due to the availability of expertise and specialist testing facilities, the experimental testing of the new bio-concrete mixes took place at UEL which also provided space and IT equipment. A dedicated Associate was employed full-time on the project. JPC provided all materials and admixtures required and committed time from Innovation and Marketing Directors and Factory Managers. The close collaboration between academia and industry on this project allowed for the innovation to be realised.

Concrete specimens curing.

The Outcomes: New collaboration increases life spans of lower-carbon concrete solutions

The AKT2I has helped accelerate the examination of certain concrete solutions and led to the development of a new lower carbon concrete mix which enables automatic self-healing of cracks in concrete (removing the need for manual repair and maintenance) and provides protection against corrosion (enhancing durability).

The project will enable longer life spans of low-carbon concrete solutions that will enhance ecosystem resilience, addressing societal challenges linked to Net-Zero Carbon. The AKT2I partners estimate that automatic healing of cracks and corrosion protection will save 15~20% of total maintenance costs, which translates to significant environmental and economical savings to the concrete sector as a whole (in the UK, repair and maintenance of non-housing construction accounts for around £64bn****).

The innovation will be applied to newly manufactured concrete products, especially sea defences and retaining walls. And the successful development of the new product range will also help scale-up current limited applications of sustainable structural walls for the next generation of “green” infrastructure networks, expanding JPC’s share of the low carbon concrete market.

Positive Outcomes for all Partners – and the Planet!

The outcomes of this industry-academic partnership will lead to enhanced understanding of viable low-carbon innovative construction materials, with benefits for both parties – as well as the planet – and further collaboration between the partners is planned.

New testing methods were developed which will be useful in investigating future innovations in this challenging area; and UEL – which provided independent rigorous validation of new products, key in gaining the confidence of specifiers, contractors, and under-writers – has underlined its expertise in this sector.

As a result of the AKT2I, JPC (operating within the construction sector which is traditionally slow in responding to change and innovation) can now strategically position itself as an innovative force in the sector and the leading provider of self-healing concrete technology; and is able to make important strategic decisions about future new product development and marketing to clients and designers.

Without AK2I support, the partners confirmed that this innovation concept would not have progressed to the extent that it has.

“We are extremely pleased with the outcomes from the AKT2I research into corrosion inhibitors in concrete. Ali and the team have delivered another fantastic project and the findings will be extremely valuable in developing more resilient precast concrete products in the future.” Phil Sayers, Director, JP Concrete

For more information about this project, contact Dr Ali Abbas, Associate Professor, University of East London: abbas@uel.ac.uk

* https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/feb/25/concrete-the-most-destructive-material-on-earth

** https://www.chathamhouse.org/2018/06/making-concrete-change-innovation-low-carbon-cement-and-concrete

***Construction statistics, Great Britain – Office for National Statistics

****Building Maintenance Costs and the Contribution to the UK Economy (bcis.co.uk)

Pioneering world leading clean technology for oceangoing vessels

AKT2I between Silverstream Technologies and Newcastle University.

This Case Study is based on information provided by the AKT2I partners.

The global marine vessel market was valued at USD 165.12 billion in 2021, and it is expected to reach a value of USD 191.25 billion by 2028.* The growing size of the global maritime fleet calls for innovation in energy efficiency technologies, and that is exactly what Silverstream Technologies specialises in.

Named fourth fastest growing company in Europe by the Financial Times in its FT1000 report earlier this year, Silverstream Technologies is a world leader in maritime clean technology and has a patented air lubrication system (ALS), the Silverstream® System, which fundamentally changes the interaction between water and a vessel.

It is the resistance between the hull and the water which causes the biggest energy cost to a vessel’s operation; and the Silverstream® System decreases this friction, dramatically reducing fuel consumption and associated emissions, regardless of fuel type.

The Challenge: First time partnership to develop innovative technology

Silverstream Technologies entered in to an AKT2I partnership with Newcastle University whose unique large scale cavitation tunnel (a closed loop water flume) would enable the partners to develop new experimental capability to further exploit the potential of ALS. This AKT2I partnership was the first time that the two partners had worked together, bringing together a very well-matched fit of skills, knowledge, capabilities, facilities, experience, and ambition.

The Project: New experimental capability to establish global expertise

Experimental testing is essential to fully exploit the potential of ALS but has only been possible in very large commercial testing facilities outside the UK that are not well suited to exploration of ‘what-ifs’.

Newcastle University has the capability to lead research in this field, building from strong foundations in experimental ship hydrodynamics and thanks to their cavitation tunnel, which holds huge potential for innovative ALS research.

Longer term the partnership could lead international research investigating the underlying science of ALS. In turn this could enable further technology development, expand industry adoption, and maintain Silverstream as market leaders.

Silverstream engineers monitor the performance of the Silverstream® System whilst in-service.

Developing a test rig to innovate ALS

The project focused on the design, manufacture, and validation of a bespoke test rig to interface variants of Silverstream’s technology in Newcastle’s cavitation tunnel. The focus on the rig development also enabled the partners to effectively share knowledge on their respective capabilities and needs.

The design work showed that, prior to manufacture, the feasibility of air injection into the tunnel needed confirming, especially the challenge of air recirculation which could compromise test quality. The project responded by developing an innovative concept test using existing laboratory equipment.

The design optimisation and validation work produced final design drawings, a testing specification, an outline testing procedure flow chart and a list of ancillary equipment and instrumentation. Manufacture is now out to tender, anticipating fabrication in summer 2023 aligning with post-project collaboration activities.

The Outcomes: Potential for sizeable sales increase for Silverstream and international research leadership for Newcastle University

The main achievement of the AKT2I project is a manufacture-ready design and specification for a bespoke test rig for Silverstream’s air lubrication system (ALS) technology interfaced to Newcastle’s cavitation tunnel.

The discoveries from the AKT2I project were driven by the rig design process and are significant for future collaboration between the partners.

The AKT2I positively demonstrated the overall viability of air lubrication experimentation in Newcastle’s cavitation tunnel. The project demonstrated further opportunities for broader research in ALS than originally anticipated, and it was successful in adapting the rig design to encompass this additionality.

The partners commit to completing the initial test rig validation post-project, with the intention to produce a journal paper documenting the academic findings and future potential of the experimental approach.

Further opportunities will be realised by future collaboration between the partners, and potentially several other third parties including Southampton University and Akzo Nobel. The partners believe these collaborations will grow Silverstream’s industry leadership, leading to substantially increased sales, and position Newcastle University as an international research leader in this area.

“The project confirmed the feasibility of the rig design for experimental works. Without the support the work would not have been completed in the UK nor operational until 2024. The support gained should allow for the facility to be operational within 2023, accelerating value delivery through Silverstream’s R&D portfolio” . David Connolly, Chief Technologist at Silverstream Technologies.

Without AK2I support, the partners confirmed that this innovation concept would not have progressed to the extent that it has.

If you’d like to find out more about this project, please contact Simon Benson: simon.benson@newcastle.ac.uk or David Connolly: david.connolly@silverstream-tech.com

*Source: SkyQuest Technology Consulting Pvt. Ltd

What is the value of digital cultural content?

An AKT2I partnership between University of Exeter and The Space looked to create an impact measurement framework to find out.

This Case Study is based on information provided by the AKT2I partners.

Measuring the value and impact of digital culture on and for individuals, communities, wider society and economies is complex. And, as digital platforms for culture proliferate so too does the need to better understand its social, cultural, educational and environmental impact.

This was the impetus behind an AKT2I project which brought together The Space and the University of Exeter Business School in a first-time collaboration designed to apply academic expertise to solve a key challenge in the cultural sector.

Founded in 2013 by Arts Council England and the BBC*, The Space is now an independent not-for-profit organisation connecting artists and audiences online. Based in Birmingham, The Space enables the arts, culture and heritage sectors to engage and inspire audiences using digital and broadcast content and platforms. But how to measure the impact of such content?

The Challenge: What do funders, content producers and audiences value?

This AKT2I project set out to scope potential frameworks for measuring impact aiming to

  1. Identify the dimensions of value that are highest priority for funders, content producers and audiences.
  2. Identify framework models within and adjacent to the cultural sector that map well to these priorities.
  3. Identify metrics within each value dimension that correlate strongly with value creation whilst being simple to gather, monitor and analyse for organisations with limited digital confidence, infrastructure and skills.
  4. Create a practical prototype tool that can be user tested on The Space’s recent 11 environmental themed commissions.

The work drew on University of Exeter Business School’s unique expertise in developing metrics for organisational performance, and the measurement and evaluation of complex social and cultural initiatives e.g. Bristol’s Festival of Nature and Coventry City of Culture, plus wider digital economy expertise.

On a mission to measure positive impact

Internally, a robust impact framework would enable The Space to provide evidence to its funders – ACE, Arts Council of Wales, Creative Scotland, BFI, British Council and others – of the impacts of its interventions, and to refine their effectiveness.

Externally, cultural sector leaders need to align their limited resources with the most effective ways to achieve societal benefits such as audience diversification, cultural value creation and the minimisation of environmental impacts.

In its nine years of working in this area, The Space had yet to identify a framework robust enough for funders; creative enough for artists’ reflective practice; or agile enough to respond to a rapidly changing digital landscape.

The Project: Creating a meaningful evaluation framework

The team got to work designing the impact framework using a range of different inputs:

  • extensive desk research on national and global models of digital content evaluation in cultural and adjacent sectors;
  • prototyping from evaluating recent digital cultural commissions by The Space, focused on environmental sustainability themes and sustainable digital production;
  • a total of 16 interviews conducted with commission representatives, funders and consultants.

The team was then able to develop a preliminary framework whose design reflected the findings from their research activities.

This framework is comprehensive, multi-dimensional and multi-levelled incorporating both economic and non-economic modes of value (such as welfare, wellbeing, environmental impact) that produce intended and/or unintended benefits for individuals, their communities and wider society, over the short and long term. These are assessed on three levels – the intrinsic, extrinsic and environmental.

The Outcome: A new way of measuring impacts

The intrinsic aspect puts a focus on how the experience of arts and culture impacts individuals on an emotional level, rendering it subjective. The extrinsic aspect is more objective, reflecting the contribution of culture on specific economic and social outcomes such as employment creation, tourism and educational outcomes. While the environmental encapsulates the wider macro-level impact of digital cultural content on individuals and their communities (e.g. political, technological etc).

Given that the original aim of the project was to research existing frameworks and identify dimensions to be considered when designing a framework, the project has achieved well beyond expectations by developing a preliminary framework that can be built into a practical prototype tool to assess the impact of digital cultural content produced by the organisation’s commissions.

The partners agree that this development would not have progressed to the extent that it has without the AKT2I intervention.

“The research support has been invaluable in accelerating our understanding of the current status of value measurement in the sector and opportunities to innovate in this area. Our researcher and their supervisors have helped stretch our thinking and provided a great starting point for the next steps in our development.” John White, Chief Operating Officer, The Space

For more information about this project, contact s.v.g.ocallaghan@exeter.ac.uk

Performance engine specialists in world of motorsport innovate electric vehicle recovery

This Case Study is based on information provided by the AKT2I partners.

With a global reputation for delivering innovative engineering solutions for motor sport race teams and series worldwide, Gibson Technology (GT) is a leading supplier of expertise in high performance engines.

That engineering expertise has recently been deployed to help solve an increasingly urgent problem for the burgeoning electric vehicle (EV) sector: the unpredictability of the range of battery electric vehicles.

The Challenge: Creating a model for EV recharging systems

Owners of EVs often experience charging anxiety and range anxiety and this AKT2I partnership between GT and Loughborough University (LU) looked to innovate a solution: compact and efficient electrical generators fuelled by hydrogen to recharge stranded vehicles.

The project aimed to develop a computer model to improve the design of the recharging system dynamics, enabling quieter, durable and efficient charging systems; optimising performance and size, improving reliability, and reducing the time and cost taken to develop the electrical generator. In addition, the model was designed to provide GT with a better understanding of the various performance parameters of the generator set.

This partnership brought together the engineering experience of GT with the expertise of LU academics who, via the AKT2I, would be able to demonstrate the impact of their research in contributing to the UK’s push towards finding more environmentally friendly technology solutions.

The Project: E-Drive: a hydrogen fuelled, portable electrical generator set

The project set out to create a method for the matching and dynamic optimisation of couplings between a hydrogen powered prime-mover and radial flux eMachine to enable lightweight, portable EV recovery power generation.

The partnership developed a quick and efficient computer simulation tool to provide a design optimisation solution to GT for their hydrogen fuelled electrical generator. It was established that with the use of this simulation tool, GT was able to accurately predict the performance of its generator set without the time-consuming trial and error prototyping approach to finding an optimised design of its critical parts. This will help GT accelerate the development of the generator set and will help make it more compact, durable and efficient, in turn helping meet GT’s business goals sooner.

Regular technical meetings, reports and collaborative working between GT and LU teams enabled the transfer of knowledge and information between them which helped grow the knowledge base of both teams; and all the project objectives were met successfully.

The Gibson Technology and Loughborough University AKT2I partnership team with GT’s vehicle transporter. (Left to right) Josh Fuller, Hamza Mughal, Matt Simpson, Nick Morris, Ian Lovett, Ramin Rahmani and Rhys Thomas (and Nader Dolatabadi not pictured).

The Outcomes: Collaboration delivers wide ranging positive impacts: Environmental, Commercial, Academic and Professional

Through this project, GT has learned more about an important scientific measuring instrument/device which could potentially be useful for testing GT’s products in the future and help the company improve its understanding of its products’ performance. The outcomes of the AKT2I, by accelerating the development of the generator set, will also enable GT to achieve its business objectives faster.

This partnership has enabled the LU academic staff to demonstrate the impact of their research into more sustainable technology solutions. The LU Associates have benefited too: they have gained knowledge and experience in applying their skills to solve practical, industrial problems; improved their project management skills; and gained an insight into the design and performance testing procedures used in industry. The Associates will use this project work to demonstrate competency for IMechE’s Chartered Engineer (CEng) registration which will help in the development of their future careers.

GT and LU will present the novel outcomes of the computer model developed at the reputable Leeds-Lyon Symposium on Tribology 2023 which will enable them to share their experience with their peers from industry and the research community and gain valuable feedback. This project has laid the foundation for future collaborations between GT and LU.

“The AKT2I project has delivered an innovative tool that will speed our development of a lightweight, compact, efficient and durable genset by reducing the need for costly and slow trial and error test work. It has also shown the value of Loughborough University as a collaborative partner.” Ian Lovett, 2023, Gibson Technology.

 For more information about this project, please contact kt@lboro.ac.uk or academic lead Dr Nick Morris N.J.Morris@lboro.ac.uk

AI innovation for asthma prevention

Bristol-based Aware Technologies (Awaretag) provides smart solutions for “healthier and more energy efficient homes”, specifically helping to protect landlords and tenants from mould and damp.

With self-install sensors, Aware’s AI provides insights about building use and quality, and how these can affect the risk of damp and mould, with metrics transformed into easy to interpret 3D animations and scores.

This AKT2I project aimed to expand Aware’s technology offering for application in Asthma prevention by integrating a SAMMS (SMART Asthma Monitoring and Management System. The partnership linked Aware with a specialist team at the University of Huddersfield’s School of Computing and Engineering, led by Dr Maryam Hafeez.

The key aims of the SAMMS were to 1) open a new revenue stream for Aware by integrating Asthma monitoring features in to their existing product; 2) help doctors and patients manage and improve Asthma care using Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF), digital diaries and AI based predictions; 3) make society more aware of Asthma symptoms and help early detection and better care at the patient’s own premises.

The Challenge: Predicting and reducing the Risk of Asthma Attacks

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease affecting millions of people worldwide. While there is no cure for asthma, it can be managed effectively with the right treatment and care. One approach is to monitor and manage indoor air pollution which can exacerbate damp and mould growth which in turn can lead to asthma symptoms.

Maintaining optimal indoor air quality – affected by several factors including temperature, humidity and ventilation – can help reduce the risk of asthma attacks. Aware’s approach involves Asthma patients using personalised diaries – to record their perceptions of their environment – which also contain PFR (Peak Flow Rate) information, as well as predictive data around damp and mould growth, all of which could increase the likelihood of an Asthma attack.

In this context, a proposed asthma model would make correlations between all the related features, such as PFR readings, indoor temperature and humidity readings and individuals’ perceptions (mental wellbeing aspects) of their environment.

The Project: A novel ML model combining objective and subjective data

Based on the needs identified by Aware from its experience in the social housing sector, the AKT2I fund was used to develop a novel machine learning-based mechanism that collects human and environment data and predicts the chances of Asthma attack without having to physically visit a doctor.

The subjective data on individuals’ perceptions of their environment was done through designing surveys or questionnaires requiring individuals to rate their comfort levels in relation to factors such as temperature and humidity.

Aware’s Home Hub, datasets and visualisation tools were instrumental in accurately determining the indoor environmental conditions; and Aware’s existing network of housing associations and charities were key in designing the survey for data collection.

All of this data has been used to develop SAMMS ( SMART Asthma Monitoring and Management System) which studies the feasibility of using the daily peak expiratory flow (PEF) score of Asthmatic patients along with data about their housing conditions (heating and moisture leading to damp and mould) to predict worsening Asthma. SAMMS has developed and integrated Asthma monitoring and management capability into Aware’s existing home environment monitoring system.

(L-R) Dr. Maryam Hafeez: Principal Investigator AKT and AKT Associates Abdelaziz Salama and Mohammed Hameed

The Outcomes: Unique classification model to Predict and Manage Asthma risk

The key innovation is combining a variety of significant factors to make an accurate prediction of Asthma attacks. The impact of subjective human perceptions (the mental wellbeing aspects) has not been factored into such predictions before.

This unique combination of data makes it possible to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that contribute to asthma symptoms. This enables the development of personalised asthma management plans which take into account an individual’s unique environmental and lifestyle factors.

A major focus of the study was to predict the growth of damp and mould and study its correlation with worsening Asthma. Another important aspect of the proposed asthma model is the use of feedback on mental well-being.  The information collected in the study used the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing scale and incorporated this into the overall prediction system.

Aware also collected patient data including the indicators of Asthma related symptoms including wheezing, shortness of breath, and the use of rescue medication along with temperature and humidity values of patients’ homes over a long period of time.

Based on all these factors, Aware has developed a machine learning model that predicts the onset of an Asthma attack.

Depending on the specific classification provided by the ML model, risk of damp and mould growth is evaluated, and a patient’s asthma condition is categorised as either well-controlled, partially controlled, or poorly controlled. The model can also indicate the likelihood of an imminent Asthma attack.

New product features lead to company and job growth

Financially, accurate damp and mould prediction along with asthma monitoring and management features should secure business for Aware Technologies from multiple Councils across the UK. For potential investors, Aware Technologies will be able to showcase new features helping attract funding to grow its team with another 5 full-time employees.

The outcome of this project is Aware’s enhanced home hub, able to monitor and manage Asthma patients which is a new capability.

In summary, this partnership has facilitated a significant advancement in both innovation and business continuation domains. The partners are already looking for opportunities to extend this collaboration.

“We have built a model of thermal and moisture performance that can be applied in any home whilst people are living there and predict Asthma attacks. This is a big boost for the social housing sector that needs better information for decarbonisation and managing risks of mould/damp and Asthma”. Leonard Carey, Founder Aware Technologies

For more information about this project, contact Dr. Maryam Hafeez, email: m.hafeez@hud.ac.uk

On Farm Carbon Capture

An AKT2I collaboration between First Milk and the University of Strathclyde

This Case Study is based on information provided by the AKT2I partners.

First Milk is a British farmer-owned dairy co-operative. Registered in Scotland, it is a B Corp, committed to a regenerative approach throughout its operations, aiming to create a positive impact and make dairy a force for good.

The cooperative comprises 700 UK-wide farming families – members and co-owners of First Milk – whose focus is on ensuring that cows live worthwhile lives grazing rich, diverse pastures that capture and store carbon in soil.

Predominantly a B2B operation, First Milk is a long-term supply partner to many leading organisations in the dairy and food sector; and it operates two creameries which produce award-winning cheeses, whey proteins and specialist dairy ingredients.

This AKT2I project aimed to support First Milk’s aims to increase carbon capture in soil. The project centred on analysing and visualising carbon levels within fields – according to geography, soil composition and farming practice – to improve understanding and better plan for increased carbon sequestration.

First Milk partnered with Professor Craig Michie’s team at the University of Strathclyde (UoS). The two organisations had collaborated before but this AKT2I partnership created rapid momentum to deliver this data analytics/presentation project, providing verifiable measurement of carbon sequestration. This data is important for the sector and has wider impacts in the quest to combat climate change.

The Challenge: Visualising Carbon Levels – new insights for sustainable action

The project analysed the data from 108, 600 soil carbon samples across all First Milk farms. The data was then visualised and presented in a readily digestible way that also enabled comparative estimates of performance of individual farms against representative averages. This would mean that farmers could determine how much additional carbon could be sequestered.

The data was presented in a variety of ways through an interactive tool that also produces PDFs of the data in summary format for First Milk to share with its members. Carbon concentration (T per Ha) was presented in terms of farm soil type e.g. clay, loam, sandy loam etc. The dashboard enabled automated report generation on a per farm basis according to the needs of First Milk.

Patterns of carbon capture were clearly visible depending on the farm usage and soil composition. This was generally in line with what would be expected from the understanding that exists, but the project was able to quantify and present the data for every individual farmer and across each of the fields within the farm. This gives farms confidence to change practice as they can calibrate impact against their neighbours with similar soil conditions.

First Milk is now able to discuss with its members how their fields are performing relative to neighbouring farms with different practices. It gives First Milk the capability to integrate this work with changes to farming practice and hence demonstrate how the adoption of regenerative farming practice impacts on soil carbon.

This was not possible up until this point because the data was unwieldy.

The Project: AKT2I accelerates outcomes and de-risks future innovative work

AKT2I was the perfect vehicle for this initiative because it facilitated a rapid collaboration and turnaround which, while challenging, were critical in making things happen. The fast turnaround provides confidence for success in future work in this area. Essentially, it de-risks that work.

The tight project timescales necessitated having a very a clear set of objectives and deadlines, and regular weekly meetings. The partnership worked well because the balance between domain expertise and technical skills was appropriate. Neither partner could have done the work in this timescale alone. Close partnership between First Milk and the team from UoS, with the input of a seasoned researcher, enabled rapid progress. Had this project required the upskilling of an individual in technical skills it would have taken closer to one year.

A sizeable data cleansing task was undertaken. This would have been challenging had it not been for First Milk having an excellent overview of the data provenance. First Milk now has a clear understanding of the value of the work and the meaning of the data.

This innovation relies on the data interpretation and the simplification of the process so that the farming community can understand where their farms are, relative to their potential, and how to improve them. It provides First Milk with the tools to have meaningful discussions about the performance of its community of farms at a field level and provides independent verification of the impact of interventions on the farm.

The Outcome: Data insights to help sequester additional 100,000 tons of carbon

First Milk has a goal to sequester an additional 100,000 tons of carbon across its farming base. The analysis shows where farms have good carbon capture and where it could be improved.

Working with its farming base, First Milk will develop strategies to optimise carbon capture without impacting on the farm operation. This project has given the community a baseline which can be used to measure progress. A measurement campaign downstream will evaluate the impact.

The project was successful in meeting the objectives specified at the output. Some fine tuning in relation to data presentation was required but this was anticipated, and well supported by First Milk. The interface delivered has the potential to interact more widely with First Milk data.

The next steps are to take the findings of the work to all First Milk partners and to present to members of the Digital Dairy Chain project. This is anticipated to seed further collaboration.

Future work with the partnership may involve collaboration with new partners such as SAC Consulting to augment Agrecalc in delivering a full offering of carbon usage/capture advice.

The data provides in independent verifiable measure of carbon sequestration that will be valuable to the sector and more generally to combat climate change.

“The project has significantly advanced, in a short space of time, our capability to interact with our farm base to discuss with them the impact of regenerative farming practices on soil carbon capture. This is an exciting step towards integrating this analysis with other key data sources we have”. Toni Bruce First Milk

Anonymised example outputs from the tool are shown below.

Farm X

Figure 1: Anonymised Snapshot of Representative Data for a farm (Average Carbon stock per field).

 

Figure 2: Illustrative representation of farm data showing how individual fields (eg Roadside) and their average Carbons Stock (tn/Ha) and where the field ranks in relation to others on the farm (11/36) or the region (893/1334) in England and within the UK (2281/2885). The Violin plots show the distribution of carbon (tn/Ha) from samples take across the farm in relation to samples taken across England and the UK. This analysis is presented for different soil depths represented by levels. Level 1 = 0-15 cm, Level 2 15-30 cm, Level 3 30cm to 60 cm and Level 4 > 60cm. In the above example there is no farm data for Level 4.

If you’d like to find out more about this project, please contact Craig Michie: c.michie@strath.ac.uk

Supply chain transformation using big data

AKT2I Partnership between Queen’s University Belfast & SDG Construction Technology Ltd 

From self-build homes to multi-million-pound developments, offices to hotels and hospitals, roads to bridges, Northern Ireland-based SDG has been partnering with contractors for over 30 years to provide products, solutions, technical expertise, problem solving and industry insights in the construction sector. 

Offering over 2,000 products, SDG has a complex supply chain and looked to this AKT2I collaboration with Queens University Belfast (QUB) to progress innovation in its supply chain management. 

The Challenge: Developing digital models of the supply chain to support data-driven decision making

This project set out to develop a digital representation of the current supply chain at SDG. It aimed to support data-driven decision makings such as ordering decisions and inventory decisions at SDG.  

The project also set out to improve the design of the supply chain network and manage the risk of the supply chain at SDG. 

The innovation was a model that enables SDG to utilise its data resources and use data-driven decision-making methods in supply chain management. There were three main needs driving innovation. 

  • First, SDG needs to increase operational efficiency and productivity.
  • Second, SDG faces an increasingly uncertain business environment.
  • Third, SDG has developed a system to analyse sales data using big data analytics, tools and techniques. 

The innovation can build on the existing system and link the upstream with the downstream of the supply chain. 

An AKT2I was the right vehicle for this development as it helped SDG create a tool to manage supply chains.  

The Project: Visualising & analysing supply chain data

A digital representation of the current supply chain at SDG was developed by the AKT2I Associate.  

Data was then collected, and a simulation model created to understand the current supply chain at SDG. The AKT Associate then analysed the data by using the simulation Presentation Upload software Anylogistix. 

The top 100 customers from the last 12 months were well represented on the GIS map and the greenfield analysis was conducted to analyse whether any additional warehouses should be built to best serve the current customers and where to locate the additional warehouses. Therefore, the first objective was delivered on course. 

The second objective was to support the data-driven decision making such as ordering decisions and inventory decisions. A simulation model about different ordering and inventory policies was constructed and analysed to improve the design of the supply chain network and manage the risk of the supply chain at SDG.  

The last two objectives were linked with the first two objectives and were delivered on course. The innovation was the supply chain model that enabled SDG to utilise its data resources and use data-driven decision-making methods in supply chain management. 

AKT2I Associate, Hangfei Gou, was the project manager.

The Outcomes: Data insights support decision making, improve inventory management and reduce total costs

There were three main outcomes from this partnership. 

The first outcome was an improved understanding of the supply chain at SDG. The product flow and information flow among the company, the company’s suppliers and the company’s customers were examined. A figure was produced to show the product flow and information flow of the supply chain. 

The second outcome was the graphical presentation of the current supply chain at SDG. The results showed that most of the top 100 customers were located in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The current SDG warehouse at Armagh served those customers very well. However, the remaining five top customers were located in England, and could be served much better by acquiring another warehouse in the location of those five top customers.   

The third outcome was an innovative simulation model that examined different ordering and inventory policies for a particular product i.e., the min-max policy with safety stock, the RQ policy, and the Order on Demand policy.  

This project was undertaken across one product line. The results showed that the simulation model improves inventory management and reduces total costs. It suggests that this would be rolled out across all product lines, providing a digitised data-driven supply chain. It is anticipated that a joint knowledge base and business partner relationship would work effectively in the ongoing delivery, potentially through a period of 1-2 years via a programme such as KTP. 

“The graphical representation of the top customers looks amazing. The small number of customers makes big sales!” Louise Skeath, CEO at SDG. 

For more information about this AKT2I partnership, please contact aoife.lynch@qub.ac.uk 

KTP Associates Conference 2023 – Telling Your Story

Join us for the 2023 KTP Associates Conference – Telling Your Story at Bath Spa University on 7-8 September.

The theme of ‘story’ for the 2023 conference will provide a platform for delegates to focus on the importance of narrative in building and sustaining a successful personal brand and business.  The workshops will unpack the stories we tell about ourselves, who we are and what we’re capable of; the stories of failure and success that have shaped businesses of all sizes and how we can learn from them; and how thinking creatively isn’t only for ‘creative types’.  Bath Spa’s expertise in creativity and connectivity will support the delegates to take a fresh look at their understanding of what business means to them.

Day one will introduce delegates to the idea of storytelling in professional settings and support them to tell their own stories: either to reflect on their personal brand or their KTP project.  They will have the opportunity to be coached in professional storytelling techniques by AHRC Story Fellows producing their own short films or social media content to practise these skills, and to be inspired by a section of speakers including Prof. Bambo Soyinka the UK’s first professor of Story and AHRC Programme Director for Story.  There will be the usual opportunities for networking taking advantage of the beautiful campus grounds, and a gala dinner with keynote speaker and live music.

The second day of the programme expands the storytelling skills learned on day one to wider professional contexts.  A roundtable discussion with speakers from industry will give delegates an opportunity to hear the stories behind the headlines in peoples’ careers and how being able to articulate those stories has shaped their career trajectories.  The afternoon workshops will work on the practical skills needed for a successful KTP with sessions facilitated by KTN using narrative to explain innovation.

Delegates will leave the conference with a clear understanding of how storytelling can be a useful skill in professional settings, having practised it themselves and been inspired by the way others have used narrative in their own careers.  They will have plenty of opportunities to network and build relationships with other Associates as well as taking away resources to support their ongoing learning.

DRAFT PROGRAMME

Thursday 7th September

10.00 – Registration and coffee
11.00 – Welcome address: Prof John Strachan
11.30 – Welcome keynotes: Richard Lamb and Prof Bambo Soyinka
12.30 – Dr Simon Strange and The Story Society: Introduction to afternoon workshops
13.00 – Lunch and networking
14.00 – Telling your story: interactive workshops with a choice of film, social media and presentation skills
17.00 – Free Time
19.00 – Gala dinner with speaker Andy Reid and live music
21.00-23.00 – Networking and dedicated bar

Friday 8th September

09.00 – Coffee and networking
09.30 – Roundtable: stories of reinvention, regeneration and reflection
10.30 – Coffee and networking
11.00 – The Story of KTP: interactive workshops to support successful KTPs
12.30 – Awards and closing remarks
13.00 – Lunch
14.00 – Conference fringe: Informal Q&A sessions, clinics and training

For more information, contact ktpa2023@bathspa.ac.uk

Register for the event.

Embedding advanced artificial intelligence (AI) capability to develop digital coaching with a KTP Project

With KTP project funding KultraLab® will take on an experienced PhD level Associate from the University for a period of three years.  The successful candidate will develop and embed advanced artificial intelligence (AI) capability for the development of a scalable, AI-based digital coaching platform to enable workforces to fulfil their performance potential using the power of coaching.

Find out more here.