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Introducing the 2012 Blueprint Business Planning Competition finalists

The 2012 Blueprint Regional Business Planning Competition, Grand Final, takes place on Thursday 25th October, Hilton Newcastle Gateshead. For more information visit www.blueprintcompetition.co.uk.

Here, we take a look at each of the finalists:

Business Awards

• 3rd Space Media - James Harris & John Hannah (Northumbria)

3rd space media will provide a truly revolutionary service that is able to deliver inexpensive and seamless advertising to small and medium enterprises. We will deliver this through digital urban regeneration and our unique business model. We propose to install a number of digital advertising sites as part of a comprehensive offering of digital street furniture.

• CrossRange UK - Aravind Kumari (Northumbria)

CrossRange is an interactive website plugin based on VOIP technology that makes it possible for visitors of a website to call website owners or representatives directly on their land phone, cell phone, android phone, iphone, ipad, Computer, Tablet PC or SIP phone with the click of a single button on the website. CrossRange requires no additional software to be downloaded and works directly from the visitor’s browser. CrossRange looks to revolutionize website communication.

• EvoEd - Andy Lansbury (Durham)

EvoEd (Evolved Education) is developing a website to allow private tuition to occur online. The site will connect tutors and students using one-to-one video chat and a shared whiteboard with integrated tutoring resources.

• EasyCare4U Ltd – Esther Byrom (Sunderland)

EasyCare4u LTD was created to produce the Silver Ani-gel, which is an Aloe Vera gel, containing colloidal silver, which has been proven over many years to be a natural anti-biotic, and Chlorhexidine Digluconate which is a cleansing agent for wounds, which gives the gel a unique benefit enabling the gel to be applied directly to any wound. These benefits will be seen across the equestrian world, also in many other varieties of animal first aid.

• Fresh Shrimp Company – Tim Heyes & Ed Tame (Newcastle)

The Fresh Shrimp Company will sustainably farm King Prawns in the North East of England, supplying a fresh, “British” product to restaurants nationwide. Removing the need to be frozen, our product will stand apart from foreign imports in terms of quality and flavour. Tim Heyes and Ed Tame are MSc Aquaculture Enterprise and Technology students at Newcastle University, seeking to set the standards for aquaculture in the UK.

• Glow Products Ltd - Philip Naylor & Joe Smith (Durham)

Together Philip and Jo have invented and developed a potentially patentable cycling safety product. They plan to secure international patent protection on the product, demonstrate sales and sell the rights to the product to a large distributor.

• RGB Media – Iraa Kadchha & Adam Wimpenny (Sunderland)

RGB MEDIA is a PR, design and web development company aimed at the start-up business market. Our goal is to provide start-up businesses with a ‘one stop shop’ for all their needs. There are three creative branches within the RGB MEDIA family. Firstly, design where we bring our clients vision to life. Secondly, the web development department creates an immersive online experience for our clients’ brand. Finally our public relations service offers innovative short and long term multimedia campaigns that give our clients the exposure they need to stand out in their market.

• Uni Car Ads – Charlie Warburg & Will Clowes (Newcastle)

UniCarAds is a cost-effective advertising service for local businesses and individuals who want to earn some easy money. UniCarAds directly targets the dense student population in the thriving city of Newcastle upon Tyne, placing high quality advertisements on cars that are driven around the city; and others that are strategically parked on popular student walking routes. The company commenced trading in February 2012 and has plans to branch out as far afield as Leeds and Edinburgh.

Creativity & Design Awards

• 3rd Space Media – James Harris & John Hannah (Northumbria)

3rd space media will provide a truly revolutionary service that is able to deliver inexpensive and seamless advertising to small and medium enterprises. We will deliver this through digital urban regeneration and our unique business model. We propose to install a number of digital advertising sites as part of a comprehensive offering of digital street furniture.

• Contrapunto – Josh Rafe Coles, Amy Swan & Adam Gerber (Sunderland)

Contrapunto was formed by seven final year University of Sunderland students passionate about creating emotive and thought provoking media. We work closely with authors and publishers on bespoke level to create book trailers for upcoming titles. Our first trailer, The Zombie Room received an International Telly Award. It was becoming apparent that we had a niche promotional tool with international scope. We now have some exciting unique projects lined up to develop the business further.

• Cross Range UK – Aravind Kumari (Northumbria)

CrossRange is an interactive website plugin based on VOIP technology that makes it possible for visitors of a website to call website owners or representatives directly on their land phone, cell phone, android phone, iphone, ipad, Computer, Tablet PC or SIP phone with the click of a single button on the website. CrossRange requires no additional software to be downloaded and works directly from the visitor’s browser. CrossRange looks to revolutionize website communication.

• Glow Products Ltd - Philip Naylor & Joe Smith (Durham)

Together Philip and Jo have invented and developed a potentially patentable cycling safety product. They plan to secure international patent protection on the product, demonstrate sales and sell the rights to the product to a large distributor.

• RGB Media – Iraa Kadchha & Adam Wimpenny (Sunderland)

RGB MEDIA is a PR, design and web development company aimed at the start-up business market. Our goal is to provide start-up businesses with a ‘one stop shop’ for all their needs. There are three creative branches within the RGB MEDIA family. Firstly, design where we bring our clients vision to life. Secondly, the web development department creates an immersive online experience for our clients’ brand. Finally our public relations service offers innovative short and long term multimedia campaigns that give our clients the exposure they need to stand out in their market.

• Freya McIvor – The Stash Company Ltd (Durham)

Innovative online brand aimed at students, from schools through to universities, providing sports teams, clubs and societies with a comprehensive online solution for the creation, ordering and fulfilment of personalised apparel. The system also empowers users to establish their own affiliate web stores and profit from future sales of their apparel designs.

Uni Car Ads – Charlie Warburg & Will Clowes (Newcastle)

UniCarAds is a cost-effective advertising service for local businesses and individuals who want to earn some easy money. UniCarAds directly targets the dense student population in the thriving city of Newcastle upon Tyne, placing high quality advertisements on cars that are driven around the city; and others that are strategically parked on popular student walking routes. The company commenced trading in February 2012 and has plans to branch out as far afield as Leeds and Edinburgh.

Staff Knowledge Transfer Awards

• Alcyomics – Anne Dickinson (Newcastle)

Alcyomics is a UK service company, spun out from Newcastle University, offering a unique human skin test Skimune™ for immunogenicity, sensitivity, efficacy, potency and safety assessment of novel compounds and drugs including monoclonal antibodies. A unique tool for the Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Cosmetic and Chemical Industry. The PCT report quoted “The methods and kits of claims 1-24 of the Patent application appear novel, involving an inventive step and industrially applicable (PCT Article 33(1)-(4) PCT)”

• Dental Imaging Tool – John Girkin (Durham)

Nobody enjoys a visit to the dentist, however, if dental disease is detected at a very early stage using fluoride varnishes, and good dental hygiene, teeth can repair themselves. Using low power LEDs and web cams an instrument has been developed that can detect these early problems just using light. A variation of the method can also image through the gum thus a company can develop a suite of dental imaging systems based upon the protected technology.

• Gap Technologies – Galip Akay & Ed Brown, Jan Eskildsen, John Walker (Newcastle)

GAP Technologies has further improved its Processes Intensification Nano-Structured Micro-Porous materials (called PolyHIPE). By embedding, different properties into the structure these can be used as catalyst in agriculture to increase yields requiring less fertilizer and water; into liquid and gas separation and in biotechnology for fermentation. Using biomass as raw material and OxyGasification the PolyHipe can be used as a Biorefinery providing, gas clean-up, gas to liquid conversion, producing energy and fertilizer without global warming.

• Live Event Media – Lee Hall (Sunderland)

Live Event Media delivers bespoke digital media coverage packages for events from industry conferences to university open days, concerts to media launches. Clients will generate revenue as well as audience engagement that creates a buzz around their brands. Developed and directed by University Senior Lecturer and Journalist Lee Hall, LEM provides up-to-the-second coverage of events. Services extend to video, audio and written reports which will complement user-generated content via polls, commenting and rich media content.

• Tyne Gateway – Pauline Wonders (Sunderland)

Tyne Gateway is a new award-winning social business established to reduce child poverty by employing and developing local parents, who themselves have experienced poverty, as Community Entrepreneurs. Developed by Pauline, Head of Corporate Education Service at the University of Sunderland, its strong evidence base demonstrates a unique and genuine ability to work with organisations and local people to achieve remarkable outcomes and deliver a social return on investment through its innovative approach to supporting troubled and difficult to reach families in our communities.

For more information visit www.blueprintcompetition.co.uk or contact Jill Flowers on j.a.flowers@dur.ac.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jill Flowers .