Pictured above: Lord Stafford with award winners, Dr.
Brian More from Coventry University and David Collins, from
Stretching By Design (who worked with the University's HDTI). They
are pictured at the Gaydon Heritage Motor Museum.
Coventry University is gearing up for a double celebration as it
picked up a brace of Lord Stafford awards.
The awards showcase the links between universities and the
private sector and highlight the best in partnership working and
innovation.
Coventry University won two of the four categories:
Entrepreneurial Spirit and Knowledge Transfer Champion:
• Entrepreneurial Spirit - Stretching By Design Ltd and
Coventry University's Health Design & Technology Institute
(HDTI). HDTI worked with the company to develop the LARA - a
device designed to ease spasticity and severe tightening of the
thigh muscles; a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). It was
invented by Dave Collins who was diagnosed with the condition 20
years ago.
• Knowledge Transfer Champion - Dr Brian More at Coventry
University. Brian is the University's Intellectual Property
Business Development Manager and over the past five years has
helped more than 350 firms to access the research and development
capabilities at the University. He has also supported the spin-out
of 12 companies from the University.
The awards were held at the Gaydon Heritage Motor Museum and
Lord Stafford, who is the patron of the awards, said:
"This is the twelfth year the Lord Stafford Awards have been
held here in the West Midlands and it seems that every year the
quality of the winners improves.
"This year's crop of winners is incredibly impressive and show
that even during a time of economic recession, innovation is still
happening and collaborations between universities and businesses
are continuing to drive the development of new products, processes
and services.
"The potential for the device developed by Stretching By Design
is immense and could help to revolutionise the way of life for
people with multiple sclerosis"
The collaborative work between Dave Collins, the inventor, and
Coventry University's HDTI included product design, prototyping, a
field trial involving eight people with MS and the production of an
instructional DVD that will be shipped with the product.
Lord Stafford then went on to talk about Coventry University's
Dr. Brian More who won the Knowledge Transfer Champion award.
Lord Stafford added: "If we are to continue to have such
excellent working between Universities and businesses, it's vital
that we have people like Dr Brian More to make the relationships
work.
"All four category winners are proof that the West Midlands'
reputation as being an innovative region is continuing to
build."
Guy Smallman, Commercial Development Director at Coventry
University's HDTI said: "This is a superb result for Coventry
University and for business collaborations as a whole. These awards
highlight the fact that businesses need universities and
universities need businesses and by working together, new and
innovative technologies can be devised and produced.
"HDTI was set up specifically with the brief to work with
companies like Stretching By Design so we could use our expertise
to help bring such a promising concept to market. People all over
the world could benefit from this device.
"I am particularly pleased for Brian as he has worked tirelessly
to help local and regional businesses to access research and
development facilities at Coventry University and, as Lord Stafford
said, it is people like him that make these kind of partnerships
work."
The Lord Stafford Awards recognise and celebrate the best of
innovation between Businesses and Universities. Launched originally
in the West Midlands, the competition is now run in the East
Midlands and East of England.