Loughborough University has picked up a prestigious award for innovation. The award, for Best Small to Medium-sized Enterprise / University Collaboration, was presented by Wayne Hemingway, one of Britain’s best known designers and champions of innovation, at this year’s Sustainable Construction Innovation Awards ceremony.
Organised by the Sustainable Construction Innovation Network (iNet), the awards showcased innovation in the construction industry in the East Midlands and were held at Whittlebury Hall, Northamptonshire in April, during the East Midlands innovation Festival (iFestival).
The award was in recognition of the work undertaken by Loughborough University in collaboration with the University of Nottingham and University of Northampton on their project entitled ’Sustainable Homes Innovation Network of Excellence’ (SHINE).
Dr Paul Rowley, who accepted the award on behalf of the SHINE project team, said: “We are thrilled to receive the award as the SHINE project is a model of how universities and business can work together to develop, test and benchmark sustainable technologies.”
“Not only has the SHINE project brought together leading businesses and universities from across the region to work on holistic solutions for sustainable technology in buildings, it has allowed these organisations to network and develop future projects.”
The SHINE project is an attempt to evaluate energy performance in a domestic setting and to assess the effectiveness of sustainable technologies over a number of years in new and existing homes.
Speaking after the awards were announced, Director of the Sustainable Construction iNet, Dr John Liddle, said: “This high level of collaboration within the SHINE project meant the iNet was able to secure a Collaborative Research and Development grant to support the project, in partnership with funding from the Technology Strategy Board. SHINE has made excellent use of the support and advice available through the Sustainable Construction iNet and that should be an encouragement to everyone working in the construction sector.”
Award winners were announced from those organisations that have received an Innovation Support Grant or Collaborative Research and Development grant money for their leading innovative projects. Awards were presented for the following categories: Best Innovative Product or Process; Project with the Most Commercial Impact; Best Overall Innovation Support Grant project; and the Best Small to Medium-sized Enterprise / University Collaboration.
Wayne Hemingway was at the leading edge about the way we thought about design in the 1980s and 1990s and is now using those skills combined with his original training as a town planner to effect similar transformational change in our built environment.
Wayne has won awards from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and Building magazine for his work in designing sustainable housing. He is committed to designing sustainable, affordable homes and has been behind some of the most innovative housing projects of the past decade.
Speaking about the importance of innovation, Wayne said: “Innovation often arises out of necessity to find a solution, this is especially true now as we need to create sustainable communities and not just houses. Sustainability isn’t just about using environmentally friendly products; it’s about understanding what people need from their communities.
“This comes not only from putting need at the centre of your design, it also means using local suppliers and building up good, long-term relationships with people who understand what you want to achieve.”
The Collaborative Research and Development Fund provides grants for companies to access the support and expertise of the region’s universities and technical colleges. The fund requires two or more East Midlands’ higher education institutions and one or more SME construction companies, employing fewer than 250 people, to work together towards a commercial goal that will ultimately deliver competitive advantage.
The Sustainable Construction iNet is funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The aim of the iNet is to share expertise and stimulate the research and development of new products, services and processes.
Businesses wanting to find out more about the Sustainable Construction iNet and the grants available should telephone 01604 892836 or visit www.eminnovation.org.uk.
-ENDS-
Issued on behalf of the Sustainable Construction iNet by Lava. For further information contact Matt or Lindsey at Lava on 01522 842 800 / matt@lavapr.co.uk / lindsey@lavapr.co.uk
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Notes to editors
About SHINE
- The Sustainable Housing Innovation Network of Excellence (SHINE) is based at Loughborough University
- It builds on initial work with the Sustainable Construction iNet and brings together the universities of Loughborough, Northampton and Nottingham with industrial partners and renewables experts. The aim is to demonstrate a systems approach of integrating renewable technologies within a social housing scheme and educate inhabitants on how to live in a zero-carbon home.
- Its remit is to bring together business and higher education to model, monitor and measure the performance of sustainable properties to aid future design and development.
About Wayne Hemingway MBE
- Wayne made his name as the co-founder of Red or Dead in the 1980s
- In 1999, having sold Red or Dead, Wayne and his wife set up Hemingway Design, which specialises in affordable and social design. The highest profile project so far is The Staiths South Bank, a 800 property mass-market housing project on Tyneside for Taylor Wimpey Homes. Hemingway Design have been involved from the master planning and architecture through to the landscaping and marketing of this groundbreaking project. Over 400 homes are now lived in and The Staiths has won a series of high profile awards including Housing Design Awards ‘Best Large Project’ and Building Magazine’s ‘Best Housing-Led Regeneration Project’ as well as a Building For Life and the highest rating of any large scale scheme in a CABE audit.
- Wayne has a degree in Geography and Town Planning from University College, London
- East Midlands Innovation is the Regional Science and Industry Council which was established in 2005 by emda.
- East Midlands Innovation’s principle responsibility is to take the lead for emda in implementing the Innovation Strategy and Action Plan for the East Midlands with the aim to grow a long term, sustainable, innovation-led economy.
About East Midlands Innovation
About the Sustainable Construction iNet
The Sustainable Construction iNet supports businesses in a number of ways:
- iNet advisors offer assistance in researching, developing and implementing new services, products and processes
- Develop skills and knowledge in a specific subject area
- Facilitate networking contacts through sector specific events
- Provide access to dedicated grants to help make innovation happen.
About emda
East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is one of nine Regional Development Agencies in England, set up in 1999 to bring a regional focus to economic development.
Ten years on, independent evaluation shows emda has:
- Had a significant impact on the region’s economy
- Generated economic benefits that substantially outweigh its overall costs
- Put back over £9 of economic output (or GVA) into the regional economy for every £1 it spends
- Produced more than £1 billion in economic benefits per year
- A wider impact on people, places and businesses in the East Midlands that cannot be captured by figures alone.
emda is committed to supporting the region through the current downturn and has put in place a range of measures to provide real help during these challenging times.
Over the long term, emda’s aim is to deliver the 2006 Regional Economic Strategy (RES) by working in partnership with public, private and voluntary organisations. The RES highlights the themes of productivity, sustainability and equality and sets out key priorities until 2020 to ensure the vision for ‘a flourishing region’ can be achieved.
For more details visit www.emda.org.uk
About ERDF nationally
The ERDF Programme aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the European Union by supporting regional economic development.
The ERDF objectives for England are:
- Promoting innovation and knowledge transfer
- Stimulating enterprise and supporting successful business
- Ensuring sustainable development, production and consumption
- Building sustainable communities
- Improving accessibility and connectivity (for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly only – as part of their Convergence Programme).
A Programme Monitoring Committee consisting of regional stakeholders such as Government Offices, RDAs, Regional Assemblies, Local Authorities, Sub-regional Partnerships, Higher Education Institutions, Trade Unions, and the private and voluntary sectors will monitor and oversee programme implementation in each region.
For more information on ERDF funding generally, please visit www.communities.gov.uk/citiesandregions/european or http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/funds/feder/index_en.htm
About ERDF in the East Midlands
The East Midlands is eligible for €268.5m between 2007 and 2013, which when combined with match funding, provides a programme value of approximately €537m – a significant investment in the economic development of the region.
The East Midlands qualifies as a competitiveness and employment region under the EU’s Cohesion Policy, which aims to meet the EU Lisbon objective to become ‘the most competitive and dynamic knowledge based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social inclusion.’
East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is responsible for the programme management and delivery of the region’s 2007-13 ERDF Competitiveness Programme. The responsibility for ERDF programme management was transferred from the Government Office for the East Midlands (GOEM) to emda following a decision by the UK Government to seek greater alignment between ERDF and regional strategies and funding streams. The 2007-13 ERDF Programme is therefore set firmly within the framework of the Regional Economic Strategy.
A Programme Monitoring Committee, chaired by the Regional Director of Government Office for the East Midlands (GOEM), guides the strategic direction of the programme and works closely with emda.
To find out more about ERDF, the region’s strategy for delivering the funds, how to apply for funding and how the programme is managed, please visit www.eastmidlandserdf.org.uk
