Member Article

Innovations celebrated at Loughborough University Enterprise Awards

A seat-belt for pregnant women, high-tech devices for better policing and life-saving disaster relief work were among the winners at the recent Loughborough University Enterprise Awards.

An audience of 100 business and university guests gathered to celebrate the impacts of 21 of Loughborough’s most exciting projects, as winners were decided by public vote.

The development of a safer seatbelt for pregnant women won the Intellectual Property Impact award for Professors Serpil and Memis Acar, whose research with automotive and clinical partners underpins a new product that will soon be launched.

Sports Technologist Dr Ben Halkon won the Consultancy category for a project that has helped maximise The Great Britain Rowing Team’s medal-winning prospects.

The project was a partnership with The English Institute of Sport, and delivered better instrumentation for GBRT’s fleeto of indoor rowing machines.

A team of Information Scientists worked with senior officers at Leicestershire Constabulary to evaluate the force’s mobile technology network.

The project, which resulted in faster, more efficient, policing, helping lower crime rates, won the Knowledge Transfer category.

Work by the University’s Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) to find effective approaches to provision of water, sanitation and hygiene services in the aftermath of emergencies won the Social and Cultural Impact category.

Elsewhere, design company a dozen eggs, headed by Joanne Lloyd and Francis Collins, won the Graduate Enterprise Award.

The University’s Pro Vice Chancellor for Enterprise Professor Steve Rothberg said: “The Enterprise Awards are a great way to recognise the University’s considerable economic, social and cultural impact, through the entrepreneurial activities of our students and graduates, and through our research partnerships with external organisations. Congratulations to all our nominees.’’

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .