We are thrilled to announce that our successful Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with University West of England has been graded as “Outstanding” by Innovate UK.

At the start of the KTP, Viper’s business was in subsea oil and gas, but it recognised its technology had potential for other sectors. A new opportunity in rail highlighted the need for different models of engagement to drive forward technical innovation in new sectors. The original aim was to use UWE’s co-creative innovation expertise to establish an integrated user-led product innovation process, speeding up time to market and de-risking technical developments. Kim Mahoney, the Associate, brought outstanding marketing skills and experience and her proactive approach was a key element in the success of the project.

Overall, this 18-month KTP realised some significant achievements over a relatively short period, enabling an innovative SME to accelerate development of its CableGuardian product in collaboration with a large national operator, Network Rail, and many other partners. It has provided a clear route to grow Viper’s business through an effective diversification strategy. For the academics, it provided opportunities for research publications and extremely useful practitioner contacts. The Associate gained invaluable experience in both industry and academic fields, undertook a range of professional training and is taking up a new role in industry as well as a part-time Lecturer position at UWE.

“We would like to thank our Academic Partners at UWE for their invaluable contribution and dedication to this project. The KTP has proven to be an excellent vehicle for transferring and embedding a level of knowledge and understanding to the business which would likely have not taken place without it. Consequently Viper Innovations has taken a step change in its approach to product development, which ultimately ensures alignment to our clients’ needs, reduces our cost and time to market and provides a level of clarity in understanding of new market opportunity and how best to communicate the benefits of each product to each user.” Max Nodder, Business Development Director at Viper Innovations.

This partnership received financial support from the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships programme (KTP). KTP aims to help businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills that reside within the UK knowledge base. This successful Knowledge Transfer Partnership project, funded by UK Research and Innovation through Innovate UK, is part of the government’s Industrial Strategy.