Teesside University research institute supports business growth

Research from the Technology Futures Institute is helping businesses increase their turnover and secure contracts.

The Teesside University specialist institute uses applied research to help businesses in the region to flourish.

Recent TFI research has supported organisations in the architectural, construction, engineering, and oil and gas sectors.

Deepdale Solutions, an aluminium and glass specialist company based in Hartlepool, utilised the expertise at the TFI to help complete a major project for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Derek Muirhead, Managing Director at Deepdale Solutions, said: “We used the construction management approaches and visual planning tools developed within the Technology Futures Institute.

“As a result Deepdale was able to reduce site times by 30% on a major London-based project by identifying the best installation scenario.

“Other benefits included improved site safety, £140,000 saved in time-related activities, improved quality control and product quality.

“More importantly, the project was successfully completed in time for the Olympics.”

TFI has also worked with Middle East company WEN Qatar, which has been involved in structural work for projects including a hospital and research centre and a national musem.

WEN Qatar used TFI’s theories and concepts for multi-constraint management and now use them on most of their projects.

Dr Eknarin Sriprasert, Vice President of WEN Qatar, said: “We found these concepts extremely effective and they contributed to increase the efficiency of our projects’ delivery, decrease wastages on site and integrate our operation with our projects’ partners.”

Additional TFI collaborations have resulted in an increase of £249,500 in turnover for an architecture company and employment for 10 new members of staff and an excess of £1m, over five years, for a power engineering company from the sale of technology developed at Teesside University.

The impact of research on the economy, the environment and society will be the key theme of the TFI annual research day, which takes place on Tuesday 21 May

Attended by representatives from local businesses, as well as staff and students from the University, the annual research day features a mix of industrial and academic speakers, as well as presentations from the University’s PhD students.

Professor Nashwan Dawood, TFI Director, said: “The Technology Futures Institute is an international leader in key areas of research and innovation related to sustainable energy, advanced processing, nanotechnology and project management.

“As well as developing new knowledge and technologies, the institute provides a wide range of services through its strong, long-standing relationships with public and private sector organisations, and the results speak for themselves.

“The day is an opportunity for us to demonstrate to industry professionals the commercial benefits that our research can offer.

“Our activities are focused on developing new products, processes and systems in conjunction with industry and I believe the Technology Futures Institute will have a key role to play in securing the region’s future as a world-leading centre for the chemical and process sectors.”