University of the West of Scotland’s commitment to collaborating with businesses and organisations to drive innovation, economic growth, and societal impact has been recognised as the University is shortlisted in four award categories at Innovate UK KTP Awards.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) connect ambitious businesses and organisations with academic experts to turn innovative ideas into reality. The four nominations reflect UWS’s ongoing dedication to bridging the gap between academia and industry, providing tangible benefits for businesses, communities, and individuals.

UWS have been shortlisted in the Academic of the Year Award; Best African Agriculture KTP Project Award; Best Management KTP Award; and Future Leader Award.

Senior KTP Manager at UWS, Stuart McKay, said: “It’s clear that great things happen when business and academia team up.

The shortlisted projects demonstrate just how effective collaboration and working in partnership with academia can be; not only delivering genuine commercial and environmental benefits at home and overseas, but also enhancing the careers of those involved and establishing the next generation of business leaders. 

Stuart McKay, Senior KTP Manager at UWS

The nominees:

ACS Clothing KTP Project: Academic of the Year Award

Dr. Mohammed Yaseen has been nominated for the KTP Academic of the Year Award for hiss leadership on a KTP with ACS Clothing. Leading a team in developing an innovative automated ozone decontamination process; integral to the delivery of ACS’s order fulfilment model in support of the circular fashion business model. The project secured an Outstanding grade from the KTP assessment.

Dr Yaseen said “Extensive research activities have led to knowledge translation throughout, with impact on research, teaching, mentoring, and national recognition.”

Former KTP Associate Emmanuel Epelle, who collaborated with UWS and ACS Clothing, praised the interdisciplinary nature of the project: “Working on this KTP project offered me firsthand experience of the transformative impact of an interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving. When you have the right team in place, the possibilities are truly limitless.”

Farmtrack Consulting Ltd: Best African Agriculture KTP Project Award

Samuel Muchemi, Technical Director at Farmtrack Consulting Ltd, has been nominated for the Best African Agriculture KTP Project Award in recognition of the company’s

dedication to providing affordable and sustainable Integrated Pest Management (IPM) solutions for small growers. This collaboration, supported by UWS, exemplifies how academic expertise can transform scientific concepts into practical field solutions.

Reflecting on the partnership, Samuel said, “It was an exciting and fulfilling experience working with renowned world-class collaborators, professionals, and experts from Innovate UK, UWS, and Mount Kenya University (MKU).

“The results of this partnership will remain visible and memorable in our operations and the lives of those impacted by the innovation. Together, we can make food production better through sustainable innovations.”

Richard Thacker, UWS Knowledge Base Supervisor said: “It was a pleasure to work with staff at Farmtrack and MKU. The development of a novel fruit fly attractant for pest management purposes could be truly transformative.”

KubeNet: Best Management KTP Award and Future Leader Award

Elaine Syme, Digital Transformation Leader at KubeNet, has received dual nominations for the Best Management KTP Award and the Future Leader Award, with UWS playing a central role in supporting this transformative digital project. Elaine’s innovative, people-led approach to digital transformation has delivered impactful results, reshaping KubeNet’s service delivery and internal culture.

“Being a part of KTP was a fantastic way for me to bring together my passion for academia and industry. It has been a real career accelerator for me.

“It has allowed me the freedom and trust to lead the project in my own way and deliver above and beyond what we originally set out to do.”

Elaine credited her team and the UWS partnership for their collective success: “My project was supported by a fantastic team who were all committed to the same goal. They put a huge amount of trust in me to take my people-first approach to a digital project, and I believe it’s this outlook that’s allowed us to achieve so much in such a short space of time.

“These nominations have been a true recognition of my efforts throughout this KTP, and my ongoing commitment to making KubeNet a place of excellence for our people and customers.”

Julie Inglis, Director of KubeNet said: “The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) has been transformative for KubeNet, driving advancements across our systems, people, and digital innovation. The support provided by the team at UWS, both to the business and to Elaine, was crucial in the successful delivery of key project elements.”

Theo Tzanidis, Academic Lead on the KTP project said: “Our Knowledge Transfer Partnership with KubeNet has produced exceptional results, delivered outstanding implementation outcomes and driven significant market impact.

“Our distinctive academic approach to digital transformation focused on leveraging existing company strengths whilst integrating cutting-edge technology to foster sustainable growth.

“The success of the project was largely supported by KubeNet’s leadership team’s relentless commitment and the stellar work of our KTP Associate, Elaine Syme, whose approach to inclusive engagement reached every company employee and stakeholder and achieved our partnership plan and vision.”

Winners will be announced at a ceremony on Wednesday 27 November in The Vox, Birmingham.