Applied Research at Coventry University

ISSUE 3 SPRING 2008

Do you need to find an innovative solution to

a difficult problem?

At Coventry University, our applied research teams

work closely with your organisation, applying their
knowledge and expertise to devise inventive and
original solutions for real-world problems.

At a local, national and international level, we work

with clients across the public, private and voluntary
sectors. From art to design, health to sports,
regeneration to human security, mathematics to
engineering, computing to communications –
we can find a solution that’s right for you.

Applied Research at Coventry University

www.coventry.ac.uk/researchnet

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automotive excellence
Why Coventry University received a Royal
approval in Transport and Product Design

Creative ice-breaker
Supporting the region’s talent with the
launch of a new creative enterprise

perfect match
How a partnership with Coventry City
Football Club is reaping benefits for all
 Contents
4 News
The latest research news from across the campus
22
ART AND DESIGN
7 Look and learn
Helping children with Visual Dyslexia
8 A perfect match
How a partnership with Coventry City Football Club is reaping
benefits for both parties
Applied Research at Coventry University : Issue 3 10 Fractured performance
Helping regional artists get the most out of installations
10 16 and exhibitions
Welcome to the spring 2008 issue of Innovate, the applied research AUTOMOTIVE
magazine from Coventry University.
12 Window of opportunity
From the University’s origins in the mid-19th century, we have
How a grant helped one woman create a safer network of
continued to recognise the critical role ‘innovation’ plays in helping windscreen fitters
to achieve long-term commercial success. As one of twelve
14 Checkmate to skills crisis
universities in England recognised for being business-facing we
How the AA is working with Coventry University to reduce the UK’s
are committed to providing an excellent education enriched by skills shortage
our focus on applied research.
16 Royal approval
Our portfolio of courses demonstrates the University’s
Celebrating excellence in Transport and Product design with the
commitment to developing industry-aligned, cutting edge themes Queen’s approval
relevant to the demands of today’s and tomorrow’s employment markets. There’s no better
24 12 20 In focus: Contechs
evidence of this than the Department of Industrial Design’s recent award of the Queen’s
Getting the most out of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership in the
Anniversary prize for Higher and Further Education for its work in automotive design. automotive sector
Already a Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning in Product and Automotive Design
30 Intelligent transport
in the UK, the Department is a real example of how our courses are so highly regarded. A series of projects are discovering ways to improve the UK’s
In this issue of the magazine we have paid tribute to that department and shared with you transport infrastructure
some of its innovative research projects. We have an excellent record in helping businesses
HEALTH AND LIFE SCIENCES
to increase their productivity and growth through practical application of research. As you
will read, the University has considerable expertise in working with businesses to transfer 22 Avoiding the supermarkets
knowledge for the benefit of the UK economy. Why more people are turning to Farmers’ Markets and organic
28
food boxes in the UK
We were one of the first universities to deliver innovative Employer Engagement
Programmes – a unique scheme placing University-level learning within employer premises. 24 Bridging the breastfeeding knowledge gap
These programmes are tailored to meet the needs of the individual organisations and we’re New training and assessments will help reduce the numbers
of mothers who give up breastfeeding too soon
currently working with three major organisations as well as in discussions with several more.
Coventry University contributes hundreds of millions of pounds each year to the regional COVENTRY UNIVERSITY ENTERPRISES
economy through our real-world curriculum, employer-led, higher level skills programmes, 26 Designed for business
the spirit of enterprise, and user-driven research – creating an unrivalled formula. Closer partnerships with businesses are getting more students’
I hope you enjoy reading about the work we are currently undertaking and the products out into the marketplace
achievements of our students and colleagues. If you have any comments, please do 28 Breaking the ice for creatives
not hesitate to get in touch. I look forward to hearing from you. The launch of a new creative enterprise in Coventry will support
the region’s talent
Professor Ian M Marshall
Pro Vice Chancellor (Research) Contact us
innovate@coventry.ac.uk If you would like to find out more about any of the articles within this issue,
if you have a general enquiry about applied research, or to subscribe to
future issues of Innovate, contact us at the following:
Telephone 024 7623 6364
Email innovate@coventry.ac.uk
Website www.coventry.ac.uk/researchnet

Credits
Managing Editor Karen Smith
Written and edited by Cheryl Liddle
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Please contact Marketing and Communications on 024 7688 8352
 NEWS IN BRIEF
Innovate news 04
Who’s a fan of
the FA Cup?
New research into perceptions of the FA
Cup shows that football fans are tired of the
Premier League’s big teams dominating the
competition and are less inclined to attend
FA cup matches than they once were.
Football fans remain committed to
the memory, history and prestige of the
competition according to the study.
Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sports
Business Strategy and Marketing at Coventry
University Business School, undertook
an online survey of 400 UK football fans
between July and October 2007.
Fans were asked what they associate
most with the FA Cup; Wembley Stadium
China drives towards global automotive market and the new Wembley Arch came out top
of the poll with 64% and 67% respectively,
A research project into China’s aim to become a major player in the global car industry by demonstrating how important the venue is
2020 suggests that China will prove a powerful competitor in the future. to the competition.
Professor Tom Donnelly conducted the research, which showed how the Chinese car Most respondents were unconcerned
industry has grown rapidly since the early 1990s following the death of Mao Zedong and by sponsorship, feeling more passionately
the onset of the subsequent Open Door Economic Policy. about the fact the FA Cup has become too
Following the Japanese and Korean models, Chinese car-makers will pursue strategies predictable and prefer it when ‘underdog
designed to increase their market share and look to take sales from the main automotive clubs’ do well.
producers. Alternatively working with Chinese firms could provide an opportunity for Western No doubt those fans are savouring the
firms to take further advantage of China’s burgeoning domestic market and perhaps create a return of the magic of the Cup this year. The
new order in the global industry. final between Cardiff City and Portsmouth
Donnelly’s report indicates that the Chinese will not wait for an organic growth into the was the first without a representative from
market but will instead obtain Western expertise either through acquisition, as Nanjing Auto the Big Four since 1991 and this is the first
and the Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corporation (SAIC) have done, or will buy in the year that they haven't even made the semi-
necessary products, systems and technologies from specialist engineering and consultancy finals since Coventry City’s win in 1987.
firms in the West to achieve their goal.
There are around 100 firms producing vehicles in China – of these only a dozen have the
potential to become major players and make an impact internationally.
Key difficulties are currently hindering Chinese advance onto
the global stage such as safety standards, Western emission
rules, the rising costs of assembly and components and above
all weaknesses in quality and managerial expertise.
Donnelly concludes that it’s not a question of if, but when
China will penetrate the advanced automotive markets of the
West and Japan.
Left Tom Donnelly is a Professor of Automotive Business and
Director of the Motor Industry Observatory in the Applied
Research Centre in Sustainable Regeneration (SURGE),
within the Faculty of Business, Environment and Society
NEWS IN BRIEF
Innovate news 05
Weather research
helps communities
The impact of extreme weather, such as the
2007 summer floods, is being researched in
an effort to improve the resilience of local
communities to such events.
The research is funded by the
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
Council (EPSRC) and is made up of a multi-
disciplinary team involving leading scientists,
which includes social scientists, engineers,
geographers and climatologists from 15
British Universities.
Dr Robby Soetanto of the Department of
Built Environment is part of the Community
Resilience to Extreme Weather (CREW) team
who will work on the £1.6m programme that
started in February 2008 and is scheduled to
run for three years.
“With climate change becoming an
accepted reality, it is critical that we, at
Curtain falls on infections local community level, are well prepared for
the hostility of the future climate,” said Dr
In an effort to reduce the risk of infection in a healthcare Soetanto. “This programme aims to bring
environment, one manufacturer approached the improvements to community resilience.”
Health Design and Technology Institute (HDTI) for help The programme adopts a stakeholder-led
in developing its novel curtain-fixing clip. and participatory research approach where
Birmingham-based Opal Contracts is a manufacturer the scientists will work with the end users to
of window blinds, curtain tracks and security systems. The company recently conceived and test and refine academic solutions against
developed a novel curtain fixing clip that enables the easy packing, storage, handling and real life situations.
suspension of disposable curtains within a healthcare environment, specifically targeted at Dr Soetanto’s empirical work will explore
supporting the drive to minimise the risk of infection. the processes and interdependencies
The company approached the HDTI via the West Midlands Manufacturing Advisory Service between various constituencies of decision
(MAS) seeking design improvements and assistance with the production of initial prototypes. making during severe weather. It will show
The HDTI’s healthcare and design expertise were key factors in the progression of the project. how complex inter-relationships develop in
HDTI design staff developed the product idea using SolidWorks 3D CAD software. This community groups in response to extreme
data was then used to produce pre-production rapid prototypes to inform the design through weather and suggest ways to optimise
to full tooling for manufacture. actions to improve a community’s resilience.
HDTI staff were also able to use the data to produce a series of animations, demonstrating This knowledge will then be incorporated
the product concept, for use as a marketing tool. The Institute also identified a manufacturing into future policies that will benefit a wide-
partner in Barkley Plastics, conveniently located within a half a mile of Opal’s Birmingham range of stakeholders.
factory, with the requisite skills and equipment to make the clips.
The prototypes are currently being evaluated by several NHS trusts and Opal has just
received its first NHS supply contract with a major NHS trust in the South of England, worth
approximately £300,000.
With the assistance of the HDTI, Opal has developed a unique
contribution in the fight against clinical environment acquired infection
and successfully entered a new market sector.
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(AEARG) is helping solve the problems. Benjamin, AEARG is developing and It is estimated that 375,000 school children the classroom environment and teaching

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Ian Jordan www.visualdyslexia.com).

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and Lifestyle Interventions will help students and patients. inception in 1948.  be aware of the signs and take measures plans to develop the product for a number

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Brian Toft, Ph.D has been appointed as Professor of Patient Stephen Jacobs, OBE, has been appointed as a Visiting Professor to enhance the learning environment. of conditions that can cause learning
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Safety – a world first in this field. in Health Inclusion for the Self-Management Programme. With this in mind, academics from the difficulties such as Autism and Attention R X

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Brian currently serves as an independent member of the Joint A former Lanchester Polytechnic graduate, Stephen is currently School P of Art and Design have been working Deficit Disorder (ADH).
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to the World Health Organisation on Company (EPP-CIC). He was given the task help visualise the condition. from the Health, Design and Technology L
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Intrathecal Chemotherapy Advisory Group Ministers in 2006 in order to improve the The Design and Ergonomics Research the University for £17.99 and includes a filmT

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joint working parties with the Royal term illnesses. and Performance (CeMAP) and Ian Jordan, a by Ian Jordan and a Q&A session.

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the first non-physician to Chair an inquiry OBE (far left) and Professor Brian Toft
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Innovate Art and Design 08
A Perfect match
Better design and more interactive screen content
are improving the match day experience for
thousands of football fans at the Ricoh Arena
The experience of watching a live football
match is unbeatable but being among the
crowd means fans can often miss crucial
details that happen on the pitch.
The popularity of large screens that
show replays, announcements and running
content throughout the game is becoming
an integral part of the match day experience.
As many as 30,000 fans look up to the
screen at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena each
matchday to see replays when a ball has
gone out of play. The Centre for Media Arts
and Performance (CeMAP) is helping the
Ricoh to ensure the screen is professional
and exciting enough for fans of the game.
Project Development Officer Pete
Woodbridge said: “Before we got involved,
the stadium only had the ability to get one
camera on the screen and the design and
interactive elements were bland.”
CeMAP set to work installing multiple
cameras into the screen’s content to make
it more like broadcast coverage. The
University also design the advertising,
text competitions, replays and any
announcements the club have on a
weekly basis. Graphics used on the screen
encourage fans to sing and support their
clubs and help to build the atmosphere
and excitement at the match.
“We designed a rotating slot machine
one week, which indicated a seat number
in the stadium. Then we filmed the winner
in his seat and coming down onto the
pitch to collect his prize,” said Ross Varney
who shares the project management with
Woodbridge. “This would all be coordinated
with Mercia FM too, who do all the live
announcements.”
The content is created in close
partnership with Coventry City Football Club
(CCFC), the Ricoh Arena and its blue chip
sponsors and partners, such as Carling.
“There were a lot of good comments
from fans when we initially moved to the
new content,” said CCFC’s Commercial
Director Ken Sharp. “Now it’s the benchmark
and if we were to move back to only using
one camera we would soon hear about it!
The replays used to take up to 38 seconds,
now the students have the replay up there
in 10 seconds. It has to be quick. You can
see everyone’s heads turn towards the
screen as soon as something happens. The
expectation of the public gets greater and
we do remarkably well with our screen now
compared with a lot of other clubs.”
To make everything run smoothly on the
day the project team work with specialist
equipment (the same kit that is used at
the new Wembley Stadium) and computer
systems. Coventry City Football Club intend
to make more investment to increase the
quality of the feed and the number of
cameras at the pitch.
Every home game CeMAP takes a team
of three Media Production students and a
member of staff to the match to produce the
content. Two students operate the cameras
and the content is uploaded and controlled
by a coordinator and another student in the
central box.
They also have to work within the
confines of the FA’s strict rules – which will
dictate when content cannot be replayed,
such as during controversial decisions.
“The students gain a lot out of it,” said
Woodbridge. “It’s great experience to be
working in a live environment with similar
pressures to working in live TV. It’s very
pressurised on the day.”
While the work the students perform
does not contribute towards their
qualification, it is excellent work experience
that they can boast about on their CVs.
“We always have students wanting to
work on the project,” said Varney. “We try
to rotate the team, while retaining some
consistency. We would rather they build
on their skills and get a chance to get a
season’s worth of experience rather than
just one day.”
Content and delivery on the screen
have improved due to set procedures and
processes that the team have put in place.
Fans respond to the content on the screen
now that it has a more dynamic mix of
animation and video.
The project has enabled the University to
work with other large sporting organisations
such as the FA (for England under-21s
matches), the Heineken Rugby Cup and
the British American Football League.
‘The students gain a lot out of
it. It’s great experience to be
working in a live environment
with similar pressures to working
in live TV. It’s very pressurised’
The success of the project has meant the
University will continue with its contract to
provide screen content for Coventry City
Football Club until the end of the season
in 2009/10.
It has also led to further work being
produced for the Club including a
commemorative DVD celebrating 20 years
since Coventry’s 1987 FA Cup win against
Tottenham Hotspur.
Innovate Art and Design 09
It’s not just the students who benefit
from the work experience either, the
University gets a valuable advertising deal,
which has been agreed with the Club, so
that on match day thousands of fans get to
see Coventry University.
“In return for the content provision,
CCFC gives the University advertising
space in the stadium on poster boards
around the pitch, which is great when the
matches are televised. They also have use
of our conference facilities and hospitality
at matches for guests. It’s a terrific, fulfilling
partnership for both sides,” said Sharp.
The unique partnership has given
the Club and its fans a better match day
experience, while students get to further
their skills and work experience in a live
and exciting environment.
Everyone’s a winner in this game.
Innovate Art and Design 10
Regional artists benefited from a new programme aimed
at developing their practice in dance and moving image
towards a number of exhibitions and installations in 2007.
Project leader and Director of CeMAP Sarah Whatley
explains why the programme was a success
performance
Fractured
Having the space and support to explore
an arts discipline is a valuable opportunity
for artists at every stage in their career
and thanks to an innovative project 18
regional artists got the chance to do
just that in 2007.
The programme, called Fracture,
ran for 18 months and brought
together dance artists and filmmakers
in the region to create new screen-
based installations for gallery spaces.
Fracture was funded by the Arts
Council West Midlands and run by the
University in collaboration with Arts and
Media Training – a leading independent
training and advisory resource for artists and
art organisations in the West Midlands.
Building on the tradition in Coventry’s School of Art
and Design to nurture contemporary performance practice
and artists’ engagement with new and emerging digital and media
technologies, Fracture has provided a space for practical investigation
and conceptual intention.
One of the key aims for the programme was to explore the
debates that are opening up about innovative methods of production
and distribution that are challenging more traditional assumptions
about performance practice and consumption.
Artists’ awareness of the potential uses and application of media
arts within performance and of performance within media arts is
growing all the time as the technology and expertise evolves.
Fracture has provided both artists and viewers the chance to
further these aesthetic debates and practices, as well as further
enhance technical innovations.
Artists were selected for the programme based on their track
record of work within the field as well as their determination for
personal development. Over the 18 months, the artists were
supported through a programme of structured activities including
workshops, creative laboratories and mentoring schemes. This
enabled them to experiment while encouraging critical reflection,
the development of creative strategies and personal management
of their skill development.
We aimed to be responsive to the individual needs of the artists
while at the same time working towards an innovative exhibition,
which resulted in seven commissions – with the support of the
Fracture Left: Ray Jacobs and Jonathan
Tritton’s work ‘Coming to our Senses’
Innovate Art and Design 11
gallery curators, venue managers, the
collaborative teams, and a large number
of funding bodies.
Each collaboration explored the
boundaries and synergies between
dance, film and performance,
which worked towards fracturing
preconceived notions of how dance
and film can be presented.
The installation pieces were
exhibited in a Fracture season at
venues around the region, including
the Herbert Art Gallery, between July
and November 2007. Each performance
in its own way offered new ways to engage
with the immediacy and potency of the human
body and is a celebration of individual and
distinctive creative ‘voices’, confidently moving into
new territories and inviting new ways of interpreting dance
and the moving image.
The project has played a significant role in furthering the region’s
capability in Dance and Moving Image, and has developed an
important relationship with the national Capture programme that
is at the forefront of work in this area.
We are moving into phase two during 2008 and looking to
establish new partnerships for exhibition and distribution, including
commercial and public sector organisations.
For more information www.fracture-screen-dance.org.uk
Professor in Dance Sarah Whatley has
been Director of the Centre for Media Arts
and Performance (CeMAP) since 2007 and
was previously Head of Performing Arts in
the School of Art and Design from 1998.
She is leading a number of applied
research projects in conjunction with
external partners and organisations, which
are focusing on digital archiving, dance
practice and pedagogy. She has performed
and choreographed internationally with
touring dance companies and continues to
practice as a dancer and choreographer.

One woman’s commitment to safety led to a £10,000
grant from Innovation Networks so she could create
ndow o f o pp ort u nity
an army of qualified windscreen technicians
w i Angela Webster is a force to be reckoned with. After spending
over a decade in the automotive glass replacement industry, she
was determined to encourage more training and standards for
windscreen technicians.
“I had been working in the industry a long time and I was
always concerned that technicians never had to acquire any formal
qualifications,” said Angela. “There was an NVQ, but nothing that
assessed them on both the practical skills and knowledge required
to replace a windscreen safely. I wanted a similar qualification to
CORGI but for windscreen technicians. Today anyone can replace
a windscreen, a loophole that needs to be closed. Although I had
the passion to do it, I had no idea how to get it off the ground.”
But help was at hand when a contact at the Chamber of
Commerce told Angela about Innovation Networks – a scheme
backed by Advantage West Midlands, the European Regional
Development Fund and Coventry University that offers grants to
support West Midlands based SMEs. “The team at Innovation
Networks were fantastic in helping me get a much-needed grant
of £10,000 to start things off,” said Angela.
Projects backed by Innovation Networks must benefit the
West Midlands regional economy and be developing an innovative
new product, process or service in order to get a revenue grant of
£10,000 or a capital grant of £15,000.
“I had to write a proposal explaining how the project was
innovative,” said Angela. “Initial drafts were drawn up using research
gathered about the market and safety standards in the rest of Europe
and the States. We also looked at other sectors to show how the
business could break into new markets. We received a lot of advice
and support from people within our industry.”
Angela and her business partner Paul Sullivan devised a company
model that would involve highly skilled, independent technicians
from across the UK joining up to be members of their association
Screen Management.
As windscreens have become more technical in their design
and now act as an integral safety feature of a vehicle, they have
also become a premium product to insure. This in turn is driving
the local independent technician out of the market as they lack
the commercial competitiveness of their major rivals.
On Screen Angela Webster with Screen
Management business partner Paul Sullivan
Innovate Automotive 13
However, Screen Management is able to compete on the
independent technician's behalf by offering clients a national service
but with all the benefits of using a local technician. The company
claim that because they use local technicians their response rate is
quicker than many of their competitors.
“We concentrate on looking after the auto glazing needs of many
commercial clients, such as Buildbase, and ensure their windscreens
are always dealt with as soon as possible by calling on our network
of technicians,” explained Angela. Once the company was launched,
Angela believed she would be able to develop the accreditation side
of the business.
It was during the planning stages, when Angela found out she
wasn’t the only one thinking about accreditation. The Institute
of Motor Industry (IMI) announced it was launching Automotive
Technician Accreditation (ATA) that was being backed by the motor
manufacturers and the insurance sector.
‘I was always concerned that fitters never had to
acquire any formal qualifications. There was an
NVQ but nothing that assessed them on both
the practical skills and knowledge required’
The ATA meant that Angela could concentrate on launching
training centres to award the accreditation to her team of
independent technicians. “It would have taken us several years to
develop what the IMI did and it means I can provide somewhere
for independents to train for the intensive examination.”
The first centre is due to open in the Midlands soon, and if
successful they plan to open others in the north and south of the
country. They will source their assessors from their network of
technicians and in the near future are planning to introduce a
junior apprenticeship programme, ISO 9001 and 14001 training.
“We want to offer them the chance to stand up and be counted
against their national competitors,” said Angela, who has based
the company near Bedworth. “I would love Screen Management
to be a manufacturer’s nominated repairer and to be number three
in the market place over the next five years. The ultimate goal is
to be number one and have a fleet of independents, with years of
experience – all ATA master technicians who know how to fit a
screen safely and correctly.”
Innovate Automotive 14
Checkmate to skills crisis
Bringing the classroom to the office may be part of the answer to
the UK’s skills shortage. Learning and Development Consultant Andy
Birch explains how Coventry’s programme is helping the Automobile
Association to address the up skilling of its manager talent pool
The 2006 Leitch Review highlighted the need for Government,
employers and individuals to share in the responsibility to take action
and invest in the future of the UK’s long-term skill needs. With that in
mind and a desire to invest in its employees, the AA were eager to
implement Coventry’s year-long training package to its call centres,
designed to teach transferable skills in decision making, taking
responsibility and disseminating knowledge.
The idea was to offer training that would not only benefit their
employees but also the business. The courses are very practical and
the students look at their own company to assess the processes.
Their place of work actually becomes the curriculum.
Known as the Leadership Programme, successful AA students will
gain 60 CAT credits at level 1, and an NVQ level 3 in Management.
Many of the people we teach are in roles that they have got to
from their own abilities rather than from a formal qualification. The
programme has been tailored to meet the needs of the AA and their
27 students. I am based in their offices, near Birmingham, four days
a week. “The fact that I am on hand to help is integral to the course.
The students do find the programme intense but me being there
demystifies a lot of the process”.
HEFCE saw the potential in the programme and have helped to
fund the scheme for the first two years. After that the initiative will
have proven its worth and should attract funding from businesses
eager to emulate what the AA is doing.
Janet Craig Management Development Manager AA Road and
Insurance is delighted with the impact the course is already having.
Janet said: “The students are really gaining in confidence and all of
the work they’re doing links back into the business. There’s been a
real engagement from the management team here too, which has
been invaluable. Our Business Improvement Manager, for example,
has recently invited the students to be involved in the company’s
strategic business plan. The whole programme is giving them an
opportunity to shine, and the business a chance to reap the benefits
of their engagement.”
One of the reasons why the course has been so successful is the
presence of a Coventry representative in their offices. Students are
able to ask for help and are actively encouraged to talk about their
projects in the workplace because their studies are work related. “The
students are learning in the workplace and bringing the benefits back
into the job. Having Andy here is a major success factor,” said Janet.
Innovate Automotive 15
Being based inside the company is very rewarding. There’s a lot of
capable people there and they can see their career paths potentially
opening up. There is a lot of enthusiasm for learning being kindled.
Although the students do not get the experience of campus life,
for many of them it is motivating to know they will have a qualification
accredited by the University when they have finished. Adam Woolls a
Customer Manager and a student on the course said: “It has opened
up a lot of doors for me with the skills I have learnt. It feels good that
it’s accredited by Coventry University – it has given me an extra edge
for the future.”
Colleague and fellow student Marc Russell, a customer manager,
has gone back to studying because it is being delivered to his desk.
“Once you’ve worked your way up in a company it’s quite a
decision to quit and go back to University. Doing the studying while
you’re at work is a much better opportunity.”
When you hear about the impact the initiative is having, it’s
no wonder that other organisations are turning their offices into
classrooms too. Caterpillar has 23 students and the NHS Coventry
and Warwickshire Partnership Trust has a further 50. The programme
is now moving from being a project to mainstream and is actively
looking to engage with other organisations.
As the demand for a more skilled workforce grows, tackling the
issue at grassroots is helping to meet the demands of the Leitch “I left college at an early age so I “The AA has given us a lot of
report. “Coventry University has broken through that barrier,” thought that would be it for my support and it helps having Andy
said Janet. “It’s brought the mountain to Mohammed.” education. The programme is on site too.
challenging but very rewarding For one assignment you had
If you would like to know more about education in the when you get your marks back. to implement a change to an
workplace please contact Ambrina Wahid on 024 7679 5089 There’s a lot of work to do – area of the AA that you worked
or email a.wahid@coventry.ac.uk more than we expected! But you with. I improved the call flows into
get a lot of support. the department by reducing the
This course has opened up a average handling time on calls.
A police officer for 30 years, lot of doors for me with the skills I I’d like to work more in the
Andy Birch spent the first have learnt. I’d like to be out on the road more in the future performance and resourcing side of the business and this
half of his career as a police and I see myself rising to that position in ten years time.” course has given me the opportunities to get there.”
motorcyclist then later became
Adam Woolls Customer Manager for garage agents Marc Russell Customer Manager – duty performance
involved with learning and
development through teaching
police officers and staff. He has
a Master’s degree in education
and a PGD in HR Development. Right Move Consultant Andy Birch (top)
enjoys seeing the students develop
 Royal approval
Coventry’s winning formula has three
Innovate Automotive 16

Innovate Automotive 17
key elements linked to the way in which
the learning experience is organised and
presented. The first is the expertise of our
professional staff, who between them have
It is the UK’s only Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
worked for over 40 different automotive
in Transport and Product Design and now Her Majesty The manufacturers including all the famous
Queen has also recognised its creative impact and contribution marques, and whose high quality research
and consultancy additionally informs
to the automotive design profession. David Browne explains why
the curriculum and its delivery. This is, in
Coventry’s Department of Industrial Design is a leader in its field turn, further strengthened by our Visiting
Professors – all of them acknowledged
design leaders and thinkers.
For over 30 years the Department of The Royal Anniversary Trust launched The second is a fully integrated teaching
Industrial Design has been educating world- the Prizes for the first time in 1993 and programme, which includes practical design,
class automotive designers and pioneering every two years they reward higher and ergonomics and engineering activities. This
new developments in design education. further education institutions for work of blend of subjects and the manner of their
The Department, staff and students exceptional quality and of broad benefit integration into the courses is a unique
have received many accolades, including either nationally or internationally. feature of the learning experience and
an award for Best Design School in an Through industry-focussed education distinguishes our graduates as ‘ready to go’
international competition and more recently and research, the Department is proud of its straight out of the box.
the Sir Misha Black Award for Innovation in contribution to the automotive sector, from Continued overleaf
Design Education. the UK’s smallest niche manufacturers to the
But to receive the Queen’s Anniversary largest multinationals.
Prize for Higher and Further Education for In recent years collaborative projects have
our achievements in automotive design is been carried out with Ferrari, Ford, Honda,
obviously a unique honour. Jaguar, Land Rover, Marcos, Prodrive, PSA,
The Queen’s Anniversary Prize sits Renault, JCB, LTI (London Taxis International)
alongside the Queen’s Awards for Industry TVR and Yamaha.
in the nation’s honours system. As a Department we have produced
graduates who have gone on to hold key
positions in the world’s foremost automotive
companies and created numerous ground-
breaking designs and concepts.

Stylish Design Two of Coventry University’s graduates

designed the new Jaguar XF. Adam Hatton who graduated
in 1995 designed the exterior and Alister Whelan who
‘The Department is proud of its contribution
graduated in 1998 designed the interior. Both were under
the guidance of Jaguar’s Director of Design Ian Callum, to the automotive sector, from the UK’s smallest
who is also a Visiting Professor at the University niche manufacturers to the largest multinationals’
 Finally, our third element is the industry
Innovate Automotive 18
input and design project collaborations that
enable students to benefit from real-world,
commercially inspired project activity.
At the heart of this student-centred
approach is the maintenance of strong links
with the automotive design studios. These
links enable us to network with professionals
– many of them past graduates – to set up
placement opportunities and to undertake
collaborative projects which often address
future trends and new design themes.
It is working with these ‘premier division’
design studios and consultancies where
students refine their creative flair and work
as members of a team, in the context of
production reality.
Design has been at the heart of Coventry
University since the founding of a School
of Art and Design in 1843. We have come a
long way since then: 2003 saw the creation
of a full-size automotive styling studio
with virtual reality and digital modelling
capability.
The Award The Queen’s Anniversary
Prize sits alongside the Queen’s Award for
Industry in the nation’s honours’ system
The use of digital technology means
students not only create detailed models of
their designs, but radical new approaches
will enable them to discuss the models
through ‘virtual’ design ‘critiques’ when
other participants are located remotely.
Virtual face-to-face dialogues between
students in different countries or between
students and design experts around
the world can be conducted while all
participants see, discuss and develop a
CAD or real model.
‘Design has been at the heart of
Coventry since the founding of a
School of Art and Design in 1843’
The Advanced Digitising and Modelling
Laboratory (AdamLab) housed within the
purpose-built Bugatti Building has provided
an important resource for staff research and
commercial consultancy activity, including
the development of environmentally friendly
vehicles such as the hydrogen fuel cell-
powered Microcab, now undergoing ‘real-
world’ testing in Birmingham and London.
Recent academic developments include
the new Health Design Technology Institute
(HDTI), the Serious Games Institute and
several new courses, including Sustainable
Transport Design.
Our status as a Centre for Excellence
in Teaching and Learning awarded in
2005, resulted in a £2.5m investment in
the department from the Higher Education
Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
This funding enables us to keep abreast of
industry developments and techniques as
well as maintain our position as leaders in
design education.
1973 Industrial Design (Transportation)
course commences. Unique in the UK
1973
Above Course Manager Nick Hull (left),
David Browne (centre) and Lord March
at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
discussing the Fiorano
While the department has received its
share of industry recognition, so too have
its students. Some industry-set competitions
are by invitation only and our reputation
meant we were the only UK university
to participate in the recent Fiat/Lancia/
Alfa Romeo Designing the Italian Way
and Ferrari New Concepts for the Myth
competitions pitting our design skills against
the equivalent top schools from Japan,
Italy and the USA. Our Ferrari Fiorano won
a prestigious Jury prize and Jean-Michel
Raad’s Ferrari F-Zero won The Sunday Times
readers’ poll award.
1986
1986 Course awarded Design into
Business by British Government’s
Minister of Trade and Industry
Innovate Automotive 19
‘Industry experts travel from all
over the globe to our Degree
Show to see quarter-scale,
showroom quality models’
Every European automotive design studio
and consultancy including Audi, Bentley,
BMW, Citroen, Honda, Mercedes-Benz,
Nissan Porsche, Renault and Volvo – and
many further afield in America and Japan –
employ our design graduates.
Every year industry experts travel from
all over the globe to our Degree Show to
see quarter-scale, showroom-quality models
and life-like computer animations of our
students’ visions of the future.
While automotive manufacturing may
be in decline in the UK the University
continues to contribute significantly to the
continuing demand for British designers.
Not surprisingly, a number of our graduates
and teaching staff have been independently
listed among Autocar’s Top Most Influential
Brits in the Global Automotive Industry.
David Browne,
Course Director,
Automotive
Design, was
formerly a senior
Rover designer.
He is also
external projects
and Professional Top Coventry's proposals displayed at Galleria Ferrari, Maranello Above Simon Long
Training and Marcus Rayner's Concept Climax, a running prototype developed in their final year
Co-ordinator.
2007 Industrial Design awarded the
2004 World Automotive Design Competition: Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher
outright winner; 2nd place; Best Application and Further Education for ‘educating
of Technology prize. Coventry voted tomorrow’s leaders in automotive design’
Best International Design School
Industrial Design wins the
1991 Post Graduate 1995 Approval gained for the first The UK’s first MA Automotive Sir Misha Black award for
Automotive Design enhanced undergraduate degree Journalism course launched Innovation in Design Education
course commences awards (MDes) for design in the UK
1991 1995 2004 2007
1990 2003 2005
1990 Industrial Design receives 2003 AdamLab (Coventry University/Science 2005 Recognized as the UK’s only Transport
Highest Quality rating from Research Investment/Bugatti Trust funded) real and Product Design Centre of Excellence
Her Majesty’s Inspectors and virtual full-size research and design facility up in Teaching and Learning by the Higher
and running. First full size clay model unveiled Education Funding Council
 In focus:
Innovate Automotive 20

Innovate Automotive 21
Contechs
As a Coventry graduate, Contech’s Managing
Director Peter Jarvis knew that getting involved
in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with the
University could only make his business grow

The company: Contechs started 11 years ago and now has nearly
600 employees. It is an automotive and marine consultancy, providing
a complete niche product design, engineering and manufacturing
solution on a worldwide basis. Contechs has UK offices in Basildon
and Warwick and European offices in Germany and Sweden.

How did Contechs hear about Knowledge Transfer Partnerships?

I did my MSc at Coventry University and have remained in touch
with the Industrial Design Department. When I started at Contechs
I contacted them about taking on placement students, they have
a very good reputation so it made sense for us to work with them.
When I was told about the KTP, I found it of interest. They were
offering not just a person with an open mind and new tools, but also
the opportunity to tap into the University’s specialist supervisors.
How is the University helping Contechs?
Coventry is providing us with research and supervisory knowledge
and specialist expertise, the students are empowered to programme
manage specific work activities and implement the latest tools and
techniques.
The students we have taken on are focused on lean manufacturing
and supplier procurement and Materials Requirement Planning
(MRP). Two University specialists come in two to three times a month
and help improve operating efficiencies and enhance customer
service quality by advising us on the processes we use over a two-
year period. Overall, they’re helping us to differentiate ourselves in
the service we offer. For example, Wendy Garner, who works with
us from the University, put a lot of time and effort into supervising
two company based MSc project students who helped us to lay
out flexible manufacturing production lines; able to cope with high
variety, low volume schedules. The advice provides Contechs with
real competitive advantages, reducing man assignments, improving
quality and delivery.
Contechs have expanded the business to design and manufacture
soft trim products for the marine industry and recently picked up the
New Supplier of the Year award from yacht manufacturer Sunseeker.
We’ve also just signed an exclusivity agreement to supply every
single product on their yachts. This low volume, high variety market
sector is a new phase for us, and the KTP is helping to generate new
systems and processes for it.
Winners Contechs won a New Supplier of the Year award
thanks to help from the Knowledge Transfer Partnership
How is Contechs helping the University?
The objective is for us to provide the students with the right
environment to learn and apply their knowledge within a world-class
industrial environment. At the end of the two-year assignment and
achievement of the project objectives, Contechs could offer the KTP
student a permanent job. Contechs has the ability to shape those
individuals over a two-year period so they’re gelling and developing
with us whilst being supported by the University. This is far preferable
to just recruiting someone off the street.
It can be time consuming but you only get out of it what you put
in. From the start we agreed objectives, the project scope and very
detailed timing plans that are reviewed regularly. We’re looking
at taking on a third KTP student to help us develop an IT code for
specialist design experiments.
Would you recommend other businesses use KTPs?
You’re making a serious commitment when you get involved. You
give the project 110% as the Government assess you on it to ensure
the funding is being used properly. As well as Government funding,
we also pay the University a salary for the students.
For those organisations that want to be different and become a
world-class supplier they need to reinvest some of their management
time and skills into students. They are our future.

Partners Contech’s Managing Director Peter Jarvis with his

specialist part time MSc/BSc Programme Manager Wendy Garner www.contechs.co.uk

Innovate hLS 22
Alternative food schemes such as farmers’
markets and organic vegetable boxes are
growing in popularity. Dr Moya Kneafsey reveals
the motivations and practices of the consumers
and producers who are driving these trends
Anxieties over the way our food is produced are rising due to ethical
and environmental concerns associated with the industrialised global
food system.
Studies suggest there has been a steady growth in the number
of people sourcing food from ‘alternative’ schemes such as farmers’
markets and vegetable box schemes, which are seen to have social,
economic and environmental benefits.
The number of farmers’ markets, for example, has expanded
from just one in 1997 to 550 in 2006, and it has a combined turnover
of £220 million (National Farm Retailers’ Association 2006; Soil
Association 2006).
There are also several hundred organic vegetable box schemes
now operating in the UK, which are thought to have combined
sales in excess of £100 million per year (Soil Association 2007).
Image courtesy of Abel & Cole
This trend formed the basis of a research project Reconnecting
Consumers, Food and Producers: exploring ‘alternative’ networks,
which will be published in a book later this year.
The study ran from June 2003 to December 2006 and involved
in-depth research with food consumers and producers from six
different ‘alternative’ food schemes: an organic vegetable box in
Cambridgeshire, an urban market garden in Sandwell, a community
supported agriculture (CSA) project in Nairn, two farm direct retail
businesses in Somerset, and a venture allowing consumers to
‘adopt’ a milking sheep on an Italian farm in Abruzzo.
We interviewed 44 men and women in rural and urban locations,
and also ran consumer workshops with 89 consumers, plus six
in-depth household studies. These methods generated rich data
regarding the values, practices and ethical frameworks of those
involved in ‘alternative’ food initiatives.
Most consumers in developed market economies do not know
where (or how) their food is produced. This ‘disconnection’ evokes
the perceived and actual separation of food production from food
consumption and this is a key driver for some consumers seeking
to ‘reconnect’ with the places and people associated with the
production of their food.
Through ‘reconnection’ consumers can learn more about their
food, and enjoy food which they feel to be ‘good’ in every sense of
the word: good to taste, good for health, good for the environment
and also good for local economies and producers.
One distinctive element of an ‘alternative’ food network is
that there is some form of direct relationship between food
producer and consumer. This can be in a variety of
forms that can develop over time, but the research
revealed that producers and consumers enjoy
many benefits.
For producers, direct selling results in
better economic returns than selling through
a ‘middleman’ and also facilitates a better
understanding of who the consumers are and
what they want.
Consumers, meanwhile, feel that they can
develop ‘trust’ in the producers by being able
to talk to them directly. For the majority of our
respondents, discussing things with the farmer or
another contact, for example the delivery van driver,
was the most important and enjoyable way of learning
more about their food and its origins. It helped people
to feel as if they were part of the food chain, closer to
the land and the countryside.
This trust helped to allay the tendency to
Innovate HLS 23
mistrust the validity of labels and certification
on food. As one consumer said: “…there’s a
lot of questions about certification, of organic
things, so it’s very important to know that the
people who produce the food are genuinely
committed and wouldn’t let you down. That’s
much more important than the stamp of
approval from the Soil Association…”
The perceived lack of transparency
and the suspicion over a modern, highly
industrialised food system was another key motivator for people
joining a scheme. There was also a desire to care for the health and
wellbeing of themselves, their families, other sentient beings and
the planet itself. As one consumer commented, “I just don’t like
processed food because you don’t, you honestly do not know what
goes on.”
Consumers were also prepared to forego the huge choice of
commodities offered by supermarkets. They enjoyed the variety
available at farmers’ markets and for some people, the surprise of
seeing what was in the vegetable box each week was all part of the
fun: “I like being given something; I like the surprise of seeing what
we’ve got this week … I know things change with the seasons.”
Almost all respondents involved in a scheme tried new foods and
actually ate a wider variety of fruit and vegetables. This was despite
the fact in most schemes there was a reduced choice on offer and a
lack of consumer control over what could be selected. Sometimes
it led to creative cookery too: ‘beet in the hole’ instead of the
traditional ‘toad’!
The practices we have examined suggest producers and
consumers are prepared to think carefully about their relationships
with others, human and non-human, close and distant. They are also
prepared to act in ways, which not only meet their own needs but
also address the needs of others.
Participating in ‘alternative’ food schemes might not save the
world, at least not in the short term, but it might go some way to
helping to build the knowledge, and positive relationships that
create the capacity for change.
We believe our research should lend support to all those who
want to build more equitable, more sustainable, and more closely
connected relationships between consumers and the producers of
their food.
The research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the
Arts and Humanities Research Council as part of the Cultures of Consumption
programme (Ref: RES-143-25-0005).
Dr Moya Kneafsey is a Senior Research
Fellow in the Department of Geography,
Environment and Disaster Management
at Coventry University.
m.kneafsey@coventry.ac.uk Good food Above: Farmers’ markets are growing in popularity;
top left: a book about the research will be published by Berg in 2008
Dr Lewis Holloway, Dr Rosie Cox and
Dr Elizabeth Dowler, working at the
universities of Hull, Birkbeck (University
of London) and Warwick respectively,
were co-researchers on the project.
Pictures: Huw Jones, Lloyds Europa
 Bridging the
three months and 14.8% incorrectly up to use the CUBA for their staff, the research team
Innovate hLS 24

Innovate HLS 25
endorsed four months, and nearly half generates a report analyzing the institutional training
the medical practitioners endorsed ages needs, generating data on the qualifications, years of
younger than current guidelines. Evidence experience and profiles of staff who complete the

breastfeeding
has shown that the introduction of solids too
early can be harmful.
The research also found that healthcare
staff who believed they were least
competent on 24 breastfeeding support
package and formulating a graphical summary of
staff performance.
Professionals in Canada and the USA are
currently using CUBA before and after training
evaluations of their in-house breastfeeding

knowledge gap
Ninety per cent of mothers give up breastfeeding
before they planned to, often citing conflicting and
poor advice. Professor Louise Wallace explains how
a new training and assessment programme for
healthcare workers will help solve the problem
Over the last few years the Government has In an effort to understand why
taken steps to boost the number of mothers breastfeeding mothers experience problems
who breastfeed their children by introducing with obtaining consistent and evidence
targets, in 2004, to increase the incidence based care, researchers at Coventry
of breastfeeding by two per cent annually. University undertook a survey of more
Current guidance advises that mothers than 750 non medical healthcare staff
should continue to exclusively breastfeed (midwives, health visitors, lay and
their babies until the age of six months, support staff) and a further survey of 177
however according to a survey conducted on paediatricians and general practitioners
behalf of the Department of Health in 2005 to ascertain their levels of knowledge
fewer than two thirds of those who initiated and training in relation to delivering
breastfeeding in the United Kingdom were breastfeeding advice to new mothers.
still giving any breast milk at six weeks and The surveys found that more than half
only a third were still breastfeeding at all of those questioned thought that current
at six months. Fewer than one per cent guidance was for mothers to breastfeed
were breastfeeding exclusively by this time. exclusively up until four months (which was
Many mothers experience preventable the UK Government’s previous advice) rather
problems, such as pain and apparent low than six months, as is currently advised
milk supply, and 90% of mothers give by the WHO and the UK Government. In
up before they planned to, often citing relation to guidance on the minimum age
conflicting and poor advice as contributing for the introduction of solids, 15.5% of non-
to their problems with breastfeeding. medical respondents incorrectly endorsed
Louise Wallace is Professor of Psychology and Health, Director
of Research in the Applied Research Centre, Health and Lifestyles
Interventions. Previously Chief Executive for Horton General Hospital
NHS Trust, she is a fellow of the British Psychological Society and a
Chartered Health Psychologist. She is a non-Executive Director of
Warwickshire Primary Care Trust and Director and Chair of Board of
Health Behaviour Research Ltd. Dr Orla Dunn is Senior Lecturer in
Psychology, Mrs Susan Law is Senior Lecturer in Midwifery, and both
are Directors of Health Behaviour Research Limited.
skills were also least likely to seek updates –
suggesting that the practice of many Trusts
of offering breastfeeding update to staff who
volunteer for training is going to “preach
to the converted”, and increase rather than
close the wide range in competence of
healthcare staff in supporting breastfeeding.
The survey findings clearly indicate
a need for increased training amongst
healthcare professionals. To cater for this
need, Coventry researchers in the Applied
Research Centre Health and Lifestyle
Interventions developed the Coventry
University Breastfeeding Assessment
(CUBA), an on-line tool that assesses
breastfeeding knowledge and skills required
to meet the best practice standards for
UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI)
accreditation.
‘90% of mothers give up
breastfeeding before they
planned to, often citing
conflicting and poor advice as
contributing to their problems’
CUBA is a unique breastfeeding
knowledge assessment tool because it
provides the ability to impartially rate an
individual’s level of competence, whilst
providing the healthcare professional with
real life still and movie clips of breastfeeding
problems, to develop and test observational
and problem solving skills. CUBA measures
healthcare workers’ knowledge of important
subject areas including the value of
breastfeeding; anatomy and physiology;
positioning and attachment; practices;
management of problems; challenges
and initiatives and policy.
The assessment takes 45 minutes to
complete by logging onto a website, and
completing set questions on line. The
full version gives instant feedback on the
proportion of correct knowledge achieved
in each category, and indicates areas for
personal improvement. For Trusts that sign
training programmes. Several Trusts in the UK
are planning to use it to evaluate their training
needs in relation to BFI accreditation.
The CUBA assessment package is
complemented by a Breastfeeding Workbook
which can be completed at the individual’s
convenience, avoiding the need to be released
from practice to attend formal training
sessions. The workbook requires approximately
10 hours of study time and is a resource for
post registration health practitioners to assist
in meeting the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly
Initiative (BFI) best practice standards. Access
to NHS training is sometimes limited and there
are budget restrictions, so self-study means more
people can be kept informed at a low cost to the
health service.
The workbook is practical using case examples
and exercises to take the learner through essential
factual content as well as signposting other resources.
The workbook should be “marked” by a local
breastfeeding tutor, following a marking guide to assess
if the learner has understood and offer further support. The
knowledge imparted via the workbook can be tested using
the CUBA. A sample of the workbook and a demonstration
of CUBA can be found on the Health and Behaviour
Research website.
Since launching the assessment and training
workbook in July 2007, both are in use in
Warwickshire, and are due to be used in
Trusts in Scotland and London.
The CUBA has been used to
assess a range of healthcare staff
including midwives, health
visitors, neonatal nurses,
Children’s Centre support
staff, paediatricians, GPs and
nursery nurses. Future editions
of the Workbook will include
multi media learning resources.
Visit www.healthbehaviourresearch.co.uk
for more information and www.coventry.ac.uk/hli
for more about the breastfeeding research
This article was first published in Practising Midwife, volume 11, number 2.
 Designed for business
Innovate cue 26
Closer partnerships with businesses are resulting in more
product designs getting out into the marketplace. Business
Development Manager for Intellectual Property Brian More
explains how Coventry University is making the process easier
Coventry’s final year Industrial Product
Design (IPD) students have always delivered
excellent designs and this year is no
exception with five designs going through
either UK patent or design registration.
But it can be a long journey to actually
make any money from a new product idea.
To help students along the way the
Technology Transfer Office, which is part
of Coventry University Enterprises (CUE),
has introduced some new approaches to
the way it licences out products. A licence
is a mechanism by which the owner of
intellectual property rights can effectively
‘rent out’ access to those rights on specific
terms and conditions. In its simplest form,
the licence may be granted on an exclusive
basis to one organisation or on a non-
exclusive basis to a number of organisations.
Often, a design brief is provided by a
company who will ultimately manufacture
and distribute the products. In some cases,
either individually or in groups, students
design products to solve known customer
problems. When there is no company
input, the University identifies, protects
and manages the Intellectual Property
for students and can offer their work out
for licensing.
To increase success of a product making
it to market, the Technology Transfer
Office now target specific companies after
completing an analysis of their business.
The office focuses on the why, how and
where the business would benefit from a
licence, and then produces a good offer
based on the company's strategic business
needs. This helps companies achieve market
success and encourages repeat business.
Students start the process by completing
detailed research on each of their designs in
a bound thesis. This includes information on
customer specified design features; usability
‘We will focus on the why, how and where
the business would benefit from a licence’
of the product; market research (both
quantitative and qualitative); identification
of barriers to market entry and methods
to overcome these; SWOT analysis of the
product; manufacturing data – including
material considerations and processes i.e.
injection moulding; financial data on the
cost of manufacture, including economy
of scale reductions and full CAD/CAM files.
In addition many students produce working
prototypes, and as a minimum, scaled
models of the complete design.
The business support team use this
information, along with detailed interviews,
to appraise the product’s commercial
opportunities and determine the best
exploitation route.
An advantage of a Coventry University
licence is the business and technology
transfer support available at the University’s
Technology Park, including free Intellectual
Property advice, licensing/partner and
customer support though the Enterprise
Europe Network and export help through
UKTI and their international trade advisors.
NEW STUDENT DESIGNS
The IPD course provides training for students by using practical real
world engineering and manufacturing problems as well as nurturing
creative design ability. This means products are not only aesthetically
stunning but capable of manufacture and of practical use.
Coventry students win national and international awards every
year, and in 2007 our featured students jointly received a national
award from the Institute of Engineering Designers, two individual
awards from the same Institute and the Bugatti Prize.
For regional companies the above
support is supplied at subsidised rates, or
at no cost. Like all licensing opportunities
terms and conditions vary, dependent upon
the market sector. However, CUE offers
very competitive royalty rates to encourage
rapid market entry and to realise tangible
commercial advantage for the licensee.
The long-term aim is to establish strategic
relationships with licensees, where the flow
of ideas and technology in certain fields are
preferentially licensed to a single company.
An exclusive licence is, understandably,
a preferred option for licensees, to enable
them to trade with monopoly rights in
licensed territories.
Coventry University is designing a
brighter future for licensing out designs.
Playing around
Problem: Industrial design can apply to any age group. Omar Khalil
and Matthew McCleish wanted to design safe toys for young children
that their parents could trust.
Solution: The KYU-TU (UK patent application 0710541.4) and Floro
(subject to design registration) are fun to use, and help parents
ensure their toddlers are safe in the home. Here both students
combine a knowledge of electronics and materials to create toys
toddlers just can’t leave alone.
Boat building
Problem: Jonathan Gordon, Stephen Parker, Chris Ager and Mark
Tinker, four students with an interest in boat building encountered
severe problems in sanding down boat hulls to the required
precision, currently achieved by using arm aching and time
consuming sanders.
Solution: Their product (UK patent application 0710445.8) has
been demonstrated to delighted boat builders in the UK, and their
business case targets the growing US and Asian markets to give
the licensee competitive global market advantage. The technical
inspiration for the product was the humble windscreen wiper, proving
that great designs and technology can be sourced from anywhere.
Left Making boat building easier with a new sander
Above Keeping children safe and entertained
Above right A solution for laying traffic cones
Traffic stopping idea
Innovate cue 27
Problem: Michael Woloszyn, like many frustrated drivers, saw the
inefficiency in motorway cone laying, both in the time it took to
place and collect them – notwithstanding the additional problems
of vehicle impact, the safety to road users and also the people who
maintain them.
Solution: He designed an improved cone, capable of spring loaded
erection where required (UK patent application 0710446.6). His cone
is lightweight, made out of polyethylene composite rubber for the
base material and covered with high-resolution polyester mesh. It
expands to full size when pressure is exerted on the top.
Very bright solar powered LEDs, mounted into the top disc, also
aid safety.
Michael also designed the perfect delivery vehicle for storage,
placement and activation of the cones. Customers can chose the
polyester mesh cone signage as desired, for any health and safety
application. When compressed before use they take up 95% less
space than a standard cone, so more than 500 can be carried in a
motorway vehicle. Recovery is just as straight forward and is five
times quicker than conventional cone recovery.
With the exception of the boat sander product (which is under
third party negotiations) other products described in this article are
available for license, and licensees will be provided with copies of
the thesis to aid commercialisation.
If you would like to discuss any of the designs, in commercial
confidence if required, please contact Brian More at b.r.more@
coventry.ac.uk. If you would like to discuss a design brief with any
of our design team then contact Chris Johnson on 024 7688 7892.
Brian More was a researcher at the
Institute Laue Langevin in Grenoble where
he obtained a nuclear physics PhD. He
worked in London at the National Physical
Laboratory before spending nine years in
industry, ending his career as Deputy Head
of a blue chip company research laboratory.
He is author of three patents and jointly
owns three trademarks. After a short spell
at the University of Birmingham he joined
Coventry University to commercialise the
IP generated from staff and students.
 Breaking the ICE for creatives
Innovate cue 28
The creative industries contribute £60 billion to the UK economy
but more has to be done to ensure other countries don’t steal
our creative edge. Christine Hamilton Director of the Institute
for Creative Enterprise explains how Coventry is playing its part
Government has started to shine a political
spotlight on the creative industries. Its
recent report Creative Britain: New Talents
for the New Economy has a foreword from
the Prime Minister and is endorsed by six
Ministers. For a sector, which for so long was
a policy-free zone, the creative industries are
moving from the margins to the mainstream
of economic thinking.
The premise is clear: two million
people are employed in the sector, which
contributes £60 billion a year – 7.3% – to
the UK economy, growing twice as fast as
the economy as a whole. So, it’s important.
But if it is doing so well, why does it need a
70-page strategy document?
Although the UK has an in-built
advantage when it comes to a demand for
content – English being the global language
– this alone cannot sustain our creative
edge and there is a perceived threat from
emerging economies in the Far East and
Latin America. The Government’s view is that
we need to build on the foundations for the
development of creative talent, via support
for the arts or public service broadcasting,
and sharpen up our act.
In terms of legislation, the report looks
at the need for strengthening intellectual
property protection. However, its main
thrust is to develop a strategy, which moves
from unlocking the creative talent of young
people, through to the development of skills
to supporting research and development
and business growth. The intention to
support the life cycle of a creative business,
involves a range of partners and agencies –
not least Higher Education.
In June, Coventry University launches a
new £2 million development to support the
growth of business in the creative industries
and meet the agenda in Creative Britain.
The Institute for Creative Enterprise (ICE)
will provide incubation space and business
start-up advice for creative graduates
wishing to set up their own business as well
as a performance studio, screening room
and digital studio. The building will also
house four professional creative industry
companies – Arts+Media Training, Theatre
Absolute, Talking Birds and Imagineer –
and from September ICE, with the
University’s School of Art and Design,
will offer postgraduate programmes in
media, performance and digital art.
‘Two million people are employed
in the sector, which contributes
£60 billion a year to the UK
economy – growing twice as
fast as the economy as a whole’
The ICE vision is to foster collaborations
between the students, academic staff, and
the professional cultural organisations
based in the Institute. We offer specialist
training for cultural organisations alongside
a business start-up programme called
Business Enterprise Works, which is run
by the University’s commercial arm
Coventry University Enterprises (CUE).
As well as being a focus for the
creative industries, ICE is also delivering a
programme to small businesses outside the
creative sector, to assist them in bringing
some creative thinking into their own
research and development.
ICE is from the same ethos as other
initiatives recently launched by the University
– the Design Hub, the Serious Games
Institute (SGI) and the Health Design and
Technology Institute (HDTI) – which all
provide a bridge between the teaching and
research. This is central to the work of the
University and the needs of the industry,
Innovate cue 29
and in ICE’s case the creative industries,
which are becoming a growing force in the
West Midlands’ economy.
The region has an important creative
industries sector but its spread is patchy
and it is not growing at the same rate as
other English regions. A study of cultural
and creative industries suggests that 10.1%
of all regional employment is in the cultural
sector, representing 14.5% of businesses
in the region. On the other hand, the West
Midlands has just a 7.1% share of the UK’s
cultural firms, sitting in sixth position among
English regions.
The region is also failing to retain its
creative talent – 92% of arts students leave
the region after graduation – and this has a
serious impact on the economic strength of
the area. The School of Art and Design has
been producing talented graduates since
the mid-19th century, longer than most art
schools, and ICE has been set up to retain
these people in the city and provide the kind
of support required to nurture their talent.
Creative Britain stresses the need to
spread creative entrepreneurial support out
of London and that’s what we are doing.
Yet there is no doubt that being in touch
with the possibilities offered by the world’s
biggest home to creative talent is important
for many regionally-based businesses.
We offer our graduates a space, which
is affordable but accessible: we’re only an
hour’s train journey away from the capital.
ICE will heat up creativity in the Midlands.
This article was first published in
New Design magazine
Christine
Hamilton is the
Director of ICE
and joined in
February 2007
to steer its
development.
Prior to Coventry,
Christine was the
founding Director
of the Centre
for Cultural Policy Research at Glasgow
University and before that Deputy Director
Culture and Leisure at Glasgow City
Council. She is a Governor of Glasgow
School of Art and a Fellow of the RSA.
 Streets ahead
Innovate Automotive 30
A multi-million pound programme is underway aimed
at tackling the urban issues affecting UK cities. Director
for Design, Professor Mike Tovey explains how clever
thinking will make Coventry the first Intelligent City
Congestion, parking frustrations, security
issues and the rise in CO2 emissions are
just some of the average daily commuter’s
concerns on the way to work.
So, how do you create transport harmony
in our cities? There’s no easy answer, but
working with a number of blue-chip
companies, SMEs, government agencies
and other higher education institutions,
we are forming a road map.
Coventry University is developing an
Intelligent City programme that will address
key urban issues and come up with IT
solutions to fix the black spots. By using
Coventry city as its pilot, the programme
will have a research and development test
bed to showcase innovative applications
and investigate new ones.
‘An Intelligent City programme
will address key urban issues’
Individual projects are already underway
as part of the Intelligent City programme,
with the most recent attracting 400,000
euros from the European Commission for
a European Automotive Digital Innovation
Studio (EADIS). The project, which is led
by the Centre of Excellence in Product
and Automotive Design (CEPAD), is in
partnership with four other universities and
has an advisory panel made up of industry
representatives including RDM automotive,
Ricardo and MIRA that evaluate the project.
EADIS supports the research and
development into new hardware/software,
digital and wireless applications and enables
us to create a virtual replica of the city centre
so we can plan scenarios using simulation.
The emergence of new technology,
especially telematics applications for
transport such as GPS, satellite navigation
and 3G, offers huge potential to solve a
number of urban issues such as congestion,
climate change and work/life balance.
Bringing innovation
to your conference
However, evidence shows that there has
not been a huge take up of these products.
EADIS will train and develop professional
designers in the automotive industry in
Expect state-of-the-art audio visual equipment in revamped conference,
the impact and application of ‘vehicle training and meeting rooms at Coventry University’s Technology Park.
telematics.’ This will enable them to
integrate new technology into future A £260k investment is transforming the unique Midlands conference
products within the automotive industry
that attract and excite users. centre by upgrading technical equipment and creating a stylish
One project that is already showcasing
the benefits of in-car technology is the
new reception area to impress delegates and event organisers
Intelligent Zero Emission Vehicle that
launched on 6 June this year. To view our extensive range of products and services visit www.coventrytechnocentre.co.uk
Together with Birmingham University, BT, For more information telephone 024 7623 6015 or email conference.cad@coventry.ac.uk
Advantage West Midlands, RDM, Shoothill
and Microcab, a number of applications
have been built and installed within a car
and a narrow boat that support both remote
tracking and monitoring. The car will also
provide interactive content to drivers and MEETINGS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
passengers through a dedicated touch
screen that displays links to city centre
parking, information about congestion and
faster routes, as well as what’s on guides.
This technology will also benefit public
transport, for example, by allowing parents
to track the school bus ‘live’ online or view
the location of the nearest taxi through
any internet connection. It will also enable Clever Car The Smart Car and the
wireless CCTV for taxi drivers, deliver free technology used inside the vehicle
vehicle-based internet phone calls when in that will help with urban issues
a city centre and ultimately support local
authorities in monitoring traffic flows.
Tourism projects are also underway A graduate of the
with the further development of virtual RCA, Professor
Mike Tovey
tour guides and multi-lingual city-based
was an industrial
information services that are delivered on designer prior
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). And there to joining the
are plans to bring more wifi applications institution in 1973
to the street – to provide better security, as a lecturer in
mobile cameras and meter reading. industrial design.
The project team are planning a study Formerly Dean
of the Coventry
tour to Seattle – an award-winning intelligent
School of Art and Design, he changed The conference centre facilities will be closed between 1 July and 31 August 2008 for refurbishment.
city – to ensure best practice is adopted. positions in 2007 to take on the University-
Our vision is for every UK city to benefit During the closure, meeting space is available in the nearby Serious Games Institute.
wide post of Director for Design.
from these devices.