Luffy ai
Project Title:
Adaptive AI Flight Controller for Improved Flight Characteristics
Call:
Innovate UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute
Start Date:
1st January 2025
Duration:
18 months
Grant Amount:
£792,065
Our Role:
Bid-Writing/ Reviewing
Transforming Flight Safety and Performance: Adaptive AI Flight Control Systems for Next-Generation Aviation
RedKnight is proud to announce it has supported Luffy AI Ltd and the University of Southampton with their successful application to Innovate UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme, securing the collaborative partnership £792,065 in non-dilutive grant funding. The project will develop ultra-robust, adaptive AI systems for flight control, enabling safer, more resilient, and cost-effective flight operations for future generations of aircraft.
Background
The aerospace industry is constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation, with safety and performance at the forefront of all technological advancements. However, modern digital fly-by-wire control systems, which govern an aircraft’s flight operations, are typically designed around the specific aerodynamics and mass properties of each aircraft. This reliance poses significant challenges in scenarios where variations arise, such as during equipment failures or changes in the mass distribution of flexible wings. These variations can severely degrade the performance of flight control systems, requiring human intervention and potentially compromising safety. This limitation is an obstacle to the development of modular, flexible next-generation designs and the path to fully autonomous flight operations.
Project Objectives and AI Flight Control Solutions
The primary objective of the project is to address the limitations of existing flight control systems by developing adaptive neuroplastic control networks that can dynamically adjust to changing conditions and disturbances. These systems, driven by AI, will not only enhance flight safety and efficiency but will also open up new design possibilities for next-generation aviation.
Luffy AI, as the industry partner, is leveraging its expertise in developing ultra-robust AI solutions. The company is working to create adaptive AI-driven flight controllers that can handle variations in an aircraft’s aerodynamic and mass properties, allowing for real-time adjustments during flight. These control systems will be a critical enabler for the stability and control of advanced air mobility vehicles, including aircraft with modular bodies, highly flexible or morphing wings, and distributed actuation systems.
Luffy CEO, Dr Matthew Carr said, “Drones are an excellent ongoing research platform for us. The high-speed adaption to disturbances required in flight control offer an opportunity to keep improving our core AI technology that benefits our industrial customer base. Thanks to RedKnight for making this possible!”
The University of Southampton, a global leader in aerospace engineering research, brings its cutting-edge research in AI techniques for flight control to the project. In particular, the university’s domain randomisation techniques for Deep Reinforcement Learning (Deep RL) algorithms have been instrumental in ensuring the adaptability and robustness of the AI systems under various operational conditions. By using these advanced AI methodologies, the project team aims to create flight control systems that surpass current industry standards in terms of safety, performance, and cost-effectiveness.
A Stepping Stone for Future Aviation
One of the innovative approaches taken by the project is the use of low-cost drone platforms as a risk-managed and cost-effective stepping stone toward more complex civil flight operations. These drones will serve as testing grounds for both simulated and physical flight tests, enabling the team to refine and validate the AI-driven adaptive neural flight controllers in a controlled environment.
By focusing on forward-flight and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) configurations, the project aims to demonstrate how AI-driven adaptive controllers can significantly enhance the versatility and resilience of flight systems. The use of drones as an experimental platform will allow the team to explore design possibilities for future aircraft, including those with advanced air mobility capabilities, in a safe and scalable manner.
Commercial Potential
The project has already garnered significant interest from Tier 1 channel partners, who have recognised the need for AI-driven flight control systems and are actively seeking innovative solutions to improve the safety and efficiency of next-generation aircraft. The AI features targeted by this project are aligned with early adopting use cases in logistics and heavy-lift applications, sectors that are expected to be among the first to benefit from these advanced control systems. By demonstrating the viability and performance of AI-driven flight controllers in these applications, the project aims to lay the foundation for the widespread adoption of AI in other areas of civil aviation.
Value Creation
In addition to the grant funding, the project anchors a critical technology capability within the UK. The development of AI-driven adaptive flight control systems has the potential to create significant value for the UK economy, particularly in the aerospace sector, where advancements in safety, performance, and cost-efficiency are always in high demand.
Furthermore, by supporting this project, Innovate UK is positioning the UK as a leader in AI flight control technology, with significant potential for future growth in both domestic and international markets. The innovations developed through this project could lead to new business opportunities, increased exports, and the creation of high-skill jobs in the UK’s aerospace and AI sectors.
Transforming Flight Safety and Performance: Adaptive AI Flight Control Systems for Next-Generation Aviation
RedKnight is proud to announce it has supported Luffy AI Ltd and the University of Southampton with their successful application to Innovate UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme, securing the collaborative partnership £792,065 in non-dilutive grant funding. The project will develop ultra-robust, adaptive AI systems for flight control, enabling safer, more resilient, and cost-effective flight operations for future generations of aircraft.
Background
The aerospace industry is constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation, with safety and performance at the forefront of all technological advancements. However, modern digital fly-by-wire control systems, which govern an aircraft’s flight operations, are typically designed around the specific aerodynamics and mass properties of each aircraft. This reliance poses significant challenges in scenarios where variations arise, such as during equipment failures or changes in the mass distribution of flexible wings. These variations can severely degrade the performance of flight control systems, requiring human intervention and potentially compromising safety. This limitation is an obstacle to the development of modular, flexible next-generation designs and the path to fully autonomous flight operations.
Project Objectives and AI Flight Control Solutions
The primary objective of the project is to address the limitations of existing flight control systems by developing adaptive neuroplastic control networks that can dynamically adjust to changing conditions and disturbances. These systems, driven by AI, will not only enhance flight safety and efficiency but will also open up new design possibilities for next-generation aviation.
Luffy AI, as the industry partner, is leveraging its expertise in developing ultra-robust AI solutions. The company is working to create adaptive AI-driven flight controllers that can handle variations in an aircraft’s aerodynamic and mass properties, allowing for real-time adjustments during flight. These control systems will be a critical enabler for the stability and control of advanced air mobility vehicles, including aircraft with modular bodies, highly flexible or morphing wings, and distributed actuation systems.
Luffy CEO, Dr Matthew Carr said, “Drones are an excellent ongoing research platform for us. The high-speed adaption to disturbances required in flight control offer an opportunity to keep improving our core AI technology that benefits our industrial customer base. Thanks to RedKnight for making this possible!”
The University of Southampton, a global leader in aerospace engineering research, brings its cutting-edge research in AI techniques for flight control to the project. In particular, the university’s domain randomisation techniques for Deep Reinforcement Learning (Deep RL) algorithms have been instrumental in ensuring the adaptability and robustness of the AI systems under various operational conditions. By using these advanced AI methodologies, the project team aims to create flight control systems that surpass current industry standards in terms of safety, performance, and cost-effectiveness.
A Stepping Stone for Future Aviation
One of the innovative approaches taken by the project is the use of low-cost drone platforms as a risk-managed and cost-effective stepping stone toward more complex civil flight operations. These drones will serve as testing grounds for both simulated and physical flight tests, enabling the team to refine and validate the AI-driven adaptive neural flight controllers in a controlled environment.
By focusing on forward-flight and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) configurations, the project aims to demonstrate how AI-driven adaptive controllers can significantly enhance the versatility and resilience of flight systems. The use of drones as an experimental platform will allow the team to explore design possibilities for future aircraft, including those with advanced air mobility capabilities, in a safe and scalable manner.
Commercial Potential
The project has already garnered significant interest from Tier 1 channel partners, who have recognised the need for AI-driven flight control systems and are actively seeking innovative solutions to improve the safety and efficiency of next-generation aircraft. The AI features targeted by this project are aligned with early adopting use cases in logistics and heavy-lift applications, sectors that are expected to be among the first to benefit from these advanced control systems. By demonstrating the viability and performance of AI-driven flight controllers in these applications, the project aims to lay the foundation for the widespread adoption of AI in other areas of civil aviation.
Value Creation
In addition to the grant funding, the project anchors a critical technology capability within the UK. The development of AI-driven adaptive flight control systems has the potential to create significant value for the UK economy, particularly in the aerospace sector, where advancements in safety, performance, and cost-efficiency are always in high demand.
Furthermore, by supporting this project, Innovate UK is positioning the UK as a leader in AI flight control technology, with significant potential for future growth in both domestic and international markets. The innovations developed through this project could lead to new business opportunities, increased exports, and the creation of high-skill jobs in the UK’s aerospace and AI sectors.
VTEC Photonics
Project Title:
Multisensor for toxic gases
Acronym:
Multigas
Call:
Defence and Security Accelerator’s Rapid Detection of Toxic Gases
Start Date:
1st January
Duration:
12 months
Grant Amount:
£165,999.70
Our Role:
Bid Writing
RedKnight is delighted to announce it has supported VTEC Photonics Ltd with its successful application to the Defence and Security Accelerator’s (DASA) Rapid Detection of Toxic Gases competition. The success secures VTEC non-dilutive grant funding to continue the development of a compact, robust, and versatile multi-gas sensor to allow groundbreaking hazardous gas threat detection for defence and security applications.
The increasing need for rapid and reliable detection of toxic gases in public spaces demands innovative solutions that prioritise both accuracy and a swift response. VTEC will leverage cutting-edge technologies, including advanced laser spectroscopy, photonic integrated circuits (PICs), and micro-optics. The technology will enable simultaneous detection of a wide range of hazardous industrial chemicals, and other security-sensitive substances within a single, field- deployable device, with the potential for adaptation to detect other critical threats. Mr Jan Mink, CEO of VTEC Photonics said, “This innovation offers unprecedented advantages for security personnel. By providing real-time, multi-threat detection capabilities, VTEC’s sensor will significantly enhance situational awareness, leading to faster and more informed decision-making in critical situations. The ability to identify dangerous substances immediately translates to enhanced safety in high- risk environments. Additionally, eliminating the need for multiple single-purpose sensors streamlines operations, reducing logistical burdens and increasing personnel efficiency. ”
The DASA Rapid Detection of Toxic Gases competition sought proposals to enable the rapid detection of toxic gases to protect public spaces from chemical threats, a need that VTEC’s project directly addresses. The ultimate goal of the project is to deliver a solution that goes beyond incremental improvements. VTEC envisions a field-deployable, potentially wearable, sensor system that empowers those who protect societies security by providing continuous, real-
time threat identification, ensuring maximum protection in complex and dynamic operational scenarios.
Current technologies often suffer from delayed response times, lack of specificity, and an inability to monitor multiple threats simultaneously. VTEC’s spectroscopic sensor combats these limitations by offering real-time gas detection with precise identification capabilities. Its multi- laser design ensures versatility, empowering security forces to respond to diverse threats. Additionally, VTEC’s focus on miniaturisation results in a portable solution ideal for field
deployment enabling deployment in diverse environments vital for defence and security, such as sensitive public buildings, transportation hubs, and even open-air events. This has the potential to rapidly screen crowds for gas threats, offering enhanced security measures in potentially high- risk locations.
RedKnight is delighted to announce it has supported VTEC Photonics Ltd with its successful application to the Defence and Security Accelerator’s (DASA) Rapid Detection of Toxic Gases competition. The success secures VTEC non-dilutive grant funding to continue the development of a compact, robust, and versatile multi-gas sensor to allow groundbreaking hazardous gas threat detection for defence and security applications.
The increasing need for rapid and reliable detection of toxic gases in public spaces demands innovative solutions that prioritise both accuracy and a swift response. VTEC will leverage cutting-edge technologies, including advanced laser spectroscopy, photonic integrated circuits (PICs), and micro-optics. The technology will enable simultaneous detection of a wide range of hazardous industrial chemicals, and other security-sensitive substances within a single, field- deployable device, with the potential for adaptation to detect other critical threats. Mr Jan Mink, CEO of VTEC Photonics said, “This innovation offers unprecedented advantages for security personnel. By providing real-time, multi-threat detection capabilities, VTEC’s sensor will significantly enhance situational awareness, leading to faster and more informed decision-making in critical situations. The ability to identify dangerous substances immediately translates to enhanced safety in high- risk environments. Additionally, eliminating the need for multiple single-purpose sensors streamlines operations, reducing logistical burdens and increasing personnel efficiency. ”
The DASA Rapid Detection of Toxic Gases competition sought proposals to enable the rapid detection of toxic gases to protect public spaces from chemical threats, a need that VTEC’s project directly addresses. The ultimate goal of the project is to deliver a solution that goes beyond incremental improvements. VTEC envisions a field-deployable, potentially wearable, sensor system that empowers those who protect societies security by providing continuous, real-
time threat identification, ensuring maximum protection in complex and dynamic operational scenarios.
Current technologies often suffer from delayed response times, lack of specificity, and an inability to monitor multiple threats simultaneously. VTEC’s spectroscopic sensor combats these limitations by offering real-time gas detection with precise identification capabilities. Its multi- laser design ensures versatility, empowering security forces to respond to diverse threats. Additionally, VTEC’s focus on miniaturisation results in a portable solution ideal for field
deployment enabling deployment in diverse environments vital for defence and security, such as sensitive public buildings, transportation hubs, and even open-air events. This has the potential to rapidly screen crowds for gas threats, offering enhanced security measures in potentially high- risk locations.
Amped PCR
Project Title:
Technical feasibility of the AMPED PCR PurifAI and development of an Innovation Plan
Acronym:
PurifAI
Call:
Welsh Government’s Smart Flexible Innovation Support Programme
Start Date:
30/09/2024
Duration:
4 months
Grant Amount:
£14,132
Our Role:
Bid Writing
AMPED PCR’s Revolutionary Food Safety Innovation
RedKnight is proud to announce it has supported AMPED PCR Ltd, an Aberystwyth-based biotech startup, in securing £14,132 of non-dilutive grant funding through the Welsh Government’s Smart Flexible Innovation Support (FIS) programme. The funding will enable AMPED PCR to conduct a feasibility study for its novel PCR laboratory (PurifAI), a cutting-edge solution poised to transform global food safety standards. As foodborne illnesses continue to pose significant challenges in today’s global food industry, AMPED PCR has made significant strides in addressing these concerns with the development of PurifAI, a deployable PCR lab designed to improve pathogen detection and ensure food quality and safety.
Challenge
Foodborne diseases affect over 600 million people globally each year, with Europe seeing more than 5,000 outbreaks annually. Common foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Norovirus, and Campylobacter contribute to serious illnesses and even fatalities. Despite ongoing efforts to control these pathogens, the traditional methods for detecting food contamination, such as culture-based techniques, are slow, resource-intensive, and costly, which limits their application on a broad scale.
Additionally, the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is compounding the public health threat posed by foodborne pathogens. With millions of deaths linked to drug-resistant infections worldwide, there is an urgent need for more efficient, faster, and accessible diagnostic tools to combat these issues.
Innovation
AMPED PCR’s flagship innovation, PurifAI, is a cutting-edge deployable diagnostic PCR laboratory designed to address the limitations of current food pathogen detection systems. The system promises to revolutionise food safety testing with several key features:
- Rapid and Accurate Testing: Unlike traditional methods that take several days to yield results, PurifAI aims to provide highly accurate pathogen detection within hours. This fast turnaround will allow food companies to quickly identify contamination and take immediate corrective measures, reducing the risk of foodborne outbreaks and costly recalls.
- Cost-Effective and Scalable: The proprietary reagents used in the PurifAI system lower the cost of testing while maintaining accuracy. Its scalability and ease of use mean that companies of all sizes, including small and medium enterprises, can adopt the system without needing extensive infrastructure or specialised personnel.
- Deployable and Modular Design: PurifAI is a deployable laboratory, which makes it easily transportable to critical points in the food supply chain, including farms, processing plants, and distribution hubs. This flexibility ensures comprehensive pathogen testing across multiple stages of food production and distribution.
- AI and ML Integration: The PurifAI system will integrate with a cloud-based platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to provide real-time data analytics. This feature offers actionable insights and helps predict and prevent potential contamination issues, creating a proactive approach to food safety.
Benefits to the Industry
The PurifAI system will provide numerous significant benefits to the food industry, addressing several key challenges:
- Improved Food Safety: By providing fast and accurate detection of pathogens, PurifAI allows food companies to mitigate contamination risks more effectively, reducing the likelihood of large-scale outbreaks and ensuring that products are safe for consumers.
- Lower Costs and Increased Efficiency: With its automated processes and cost-effective reagents, PurifAI eliminates the need for costly external testing and reduces the overall time required for testing. This efficiency translates into significant cost savings for food producers and suppliers.
- Compliance with Regulatory Standards: The PurifAI system will comply with international food safety standards, including ISO 13485 certification. This compliance ensures that companies using PurifAI meet regulatory requirements and maintain the highest levels of food safety.
- Sustainability and Reduced Environmental Impact: The deployable and modular nature of PurifAI reduces the need for large, centralised, energy-intensive testing facilities. Additionally, the system helps minimise food waste by enabling rapid identification of contamination, preventing unnecessary recalls.
A Milestone in Food Safety Innovation
By securing the SFIS funding, in addition to investment from the Development Banc of Wales, AMPED PCR has been able to take crucial steps toward the full prototyping and demonstration of PurifAI. This support is allowing the company to fine-tune the system’s design, integrate essential components such as AI-driven data analytics, and ensure compliance with health and safety regulations.
Mr Ben Davis, Founder and CEO of AMPED PCR said, “The SFIS award has been instrumental in providing critical funding and shaping our innovation plan, aligning it seamlessly with our business goals. It has provided a robust framework for engaging key strategic partners, including DNA Software, G-Con, and Google, while paving the way for an expert consultancy from The Technology Partnership and HSE. With RedKnight’s invaluable guidance, we’ve delivered a clear and effective innovation plan, which we continue to refine as we move through the SFIS programme. Quality is at the heart of everything we do at AMPED PCR, and we look forward to working with RedKnight as we progress. We strongly encourage other companies to consider SFIS a powerful tool for driving innovation.”
As AMPED PCR moves toward full commercialisation, the company is well-positioned to expand its reach beyond food safety testing. The system’s versatility opens up opportunities for applications in other sectors, including healthcare, environmental monitoring, and biotechnology.
With continued support and investment, AMPED PCR aims to drive innovation in diagnostic tools, contributing to improved public health outcomes and fostering a more sustainable and efficient food industry.
AMPED PCR’s Revolutionary Food Safety Innovation
RedKnight is proud to announce it has supported AMPED PCR Ltd, an Aberystwyth-based biotech startup, in securing £14,132 of non-dilutive grant funding through the Welsh Government’s Smart Flexible Innovation Support (FIS) programme. The funding will enable AMPED PCR to conduct a feasibility study for its novel PCR laboratory (PurifAI), a cutting-edge solution poised to transform global food safety standards. As foodborne illnesses continue to pose significant challenges in today’s global food industry, AMPED PCR has made significant strides in addressing these concerns with the development of PurifAI, a deployable PCR lab designed to improve pathogen detection and ensure food quality and safety.
Challenge
Foodborne diseases affect over 600 million people globally each year, with Europe seeing more than 5,000 outbreaks annually. Common foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Norovirus, and Campylobacter contribute to serious illnesses and even fatalities. Despite ongoing efforts to control these pathogens, the traditional methods for detecting food contamination, such as culture-based techniques, are slow, resource-intensive, and costly, which limits their application on a broad scale.
Additionally, the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is compounding the public health threat posed by foodborne pathogens. With millions of deaths linked to drug-resistant infections worldwide, there is an urgent need for more efficient, faster, and accessible diagnostic tools to combat these issues.
Innovation
AMPED PCR’s flagship innovation, PurifAI, is a cutting-edge deployable diagnostic PCR laboratory designed to address the limitations of current food pathogen detection systems. The system promises to revolutionise food safety testing with several key features:
- Rapid and Accurate Testing: Unlike traditional methods that take several days to yield results, PurifAI aims to provide highly accurate pathogen detection within hours. This fast turnaround will allow food companies to quickly identify contamination and take immediate corrective measures, reducing the risk of foodborne outbreaks and costly recalls.
- Cost-Effective and Scalable: The proprietary reagents used in the PurifAI system lower the cost of testing while maintaining accuracy. Its scalability and ease of use mean that companies of all sizes, including small and medium enterprises, can adopt the system without needing extensive infrastructure or specialised personnel.
- Deployable and Modular Design: PurifAI is a deployable laboratory, which makes it easily transportable to critical points in the food supply chain, including farms, processing plants, and distribution hubs. This flexibility ensures comprehensive pathogen testing across multiple stages of food production and distribution.
- AI and ML Integration: The PurifAI system will integrate with a cloud-based platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to provide real-time data analytics. This feature offers actionable insights and helps predict and prevent potential contamination issues, creating a proactive approach to food safety.
Benefits to the Industry
The PurifAI system will provide numerous significant benefits to the food industry, addressing several key challenges:
- Improved Food Safety: By providing fast and accurate detection of pathogens, PurifAI allows food companies to mitigate contamination risks more effectively, reducing the likelihood of large-scale outbreaks and ensuring that products are safe for consumers.
- Lower Costs and Increased Efficiency: With its automated processes and cost-effective reagents, PurifAI eliminates the need for costly external testing and reduces the overall time required for testing. This efficiency translates into significant cost savings for food producers and suppliers.
- Compliance with Regulatory Standards: The PurifAI system will comply with international food safety standards, including ISO 13485 certification. This compliance ensures that companies using PurifAI meet regulatory requirements and maintain the highest levels of food safety.
- Sustainability and Reduced Environmental Impact: The deployable and modular nature of PurifAI reduces the need for large, centralised, energy-intensive testing facilities. Additionally, the system helps minimise food waste by enabling rapid identification of contamination, preventing unnecessary recalls.
A Milestone in Food Safety Innovation
By securing the SFIS funding, in addition to investment from the Development Banc of Wales, AMPED PCR has been able to take crucial steps toward the full prototyping and demonstration of PurifAI. This support is allowing the company to fine-tune the system’s design, integrate essential components such as AI-driven data analytics, and ensure compliance with health and safety regulations.
Mr Ben Davis, Founder and CEO of AMPED PCR said, “The SFIS award has been instrumental in providing critical funding and shaping our innovation plan, aligning it seamlessly with our business goals. It has provided a robust framework for engaging key strategic partners, including DNA Software, G-Con, and Google, while paving the way for an expert consultancy from The Technology Partnership and HSE. With RedKnight’s invaluable guidance, we’ve delivered a clear and effective innovation plan, which we continue to refine as we move through the SFIS programme. Quality is at the heart of everything we do at AMPED PCR, and we look forward to working with RedKnight as we progress. We strongly encourage other companies to consider SFIS a powerful tool for driving innovation.”
As AMPED PCR moves toward full commercialisation, the company is well-positioned to expand its reach beyond food safety testing. The system’s versatility opens up opportunities for applications in other sectors, including healthcare, environmental monitoring, and biotechnology.
With continued support and investment, AMPED PCR aims to drive innovation in diagnostic tools, contributing to improved public health outcomes and fostering a more sustainable and efficient food industry.
Sync VR Medical
Project Title:
Artificial intelligence-based, virtual reality application to provide data-driven, patient-centred treatment for people with eating disorders.
Acronym:
Oasis
Call:
Innovate UK’s Mindset: Extended reality for digital mental health – Strand 2
Start Date:
01/08/2024
Duration:
20 months
Grant Amount:
£231,484
Our Role:
Bid Writing
RedKnight is delighted to announce it has supported SyncVR Medical UK Ltd and South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLaM) with their successful application to Innovate UK’s Mindset: Extended reality for digital mental health competition. The win secures a grant of £231,484 for SyncVR and SLaM to develop the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI)-based, virtual reality (VR) application to support medium and high-risk eating disorder sufferers waiting for treatment.
Eating Disorders (ED), such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating, are serious mental health problems that can severely affect a person’s quality of life, and their families. In the UK, it is estimated there are 1.25 million people with EDs, and a disproportionate number are below the age of 25. People with EDs often suffer with other serious conditions, such as depression and anxiety that need to be managed simultaneously for the best possible outcome. Left untreated, EDs can lead to severe malnutrition, family dysfunction, relationship breakdown and sometimes, tragically, death. Anorexia is known to have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric condition. As a result, it is vital that ED patients have access to effective and potentially life-saving treatment in a timely manner, however waiting list times for ED treatment on the NHS are increasing.
Since 2017, SLaM has been developing a novel transdiagnostic service for emerging adults with recent ED onset known as FREED (First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for EDs). Patient studies have shown at 12 months nearly 60% of FREED anorexia patients returned to a BMI of 18.5 or greater, therefore showing promise as a service model for emerging adults with EDs.
SyncVR is a market leader for providing extended reality (XR) in healthcare including VR and augmented reality (AR). SyncVR’s novel XR platform allows the company to deliver its own applications and host third parties (similar to Netflix). SyncVR has created several successful mindfulness focused applications which are currently being used in over 125 hospitals across Europe, including 35 NHS trusts.
Mr Floris van der Breggen, Founder and CEO of SyncVR said of the success, ““We’ve worked with many innovation grant consultants across Europe, and in RedKnight finally found a partner who works hands-on, independent and creatively. OASIS is an example of a project in which the process from concept to proposal was incredibly efficient, partly due to RedKnight.“
In addition to FREED methods, OASIS will also be underpinned with mindfulness and dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) elements to provide a rapid, cost-effective and scalable technology. It will provide patients with useful coping and mood management skills to manage their emotions while they wait for therapy and support them in feeling more prepared when they encounter it. Furthermore, OASIS will help reduce the enormous economic burden presented by EDs, which currently cost the UK economy ~£9.4bn annually. It will enable patients to better self-manage their condition, in turn reducing sick days, loss of productivity due to absenteeism, and costs to the healthcare systems worldwide.
RedKnight is delighted to announce it has supported SyncVR Medical UK Ltd and South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLaM) with their successful application to Innovate UK’s Mindset: Extended reality for digital mental health competition. The win secures a grant of £231,484 for SyncVR and SLaM to develop the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI)-based, virtual reality (VR) application to support medium and high-risk eating disorder sufferers waiting for treatment.
Eating Disorders (ED), such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating, are serious mental health problems that can severely affect a person’s quality of life, and their families. In the UK, it is estimated there are 1.25 million people with EDs, and a disproportionate number are below the age of 25. People with EDs often suffer with other serious conditions, such as depression and anxiety that need to be managed simultaneously for the best possible outcome. Left untreated, EDs can lead to severe malnutrition, family dysfunction, relationship breakdown and sometimes, tragically, death. Anorexia is known to have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric condition. As a result, it is vital that ED patients have access to effective and potentially life-saving treatment in a timely manner, however waiting list times for ED treatment on the NHS are increasing.
Since 2017, SLaM has been developing a novel transdiagnostic service for emerging adults with recent ED onset known as FREED (First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for EDs). Patient studies have shown at 12 months nearly 60% of FREED anorexia patients returned to a BMI of 18.5 or greater, therefore showing promise as a service model for emerging adults with EDs.
SyncVR is a market leader for providing extended reality (XR) in healthcare including VR and augmented reality (AR). SyncVR’s novel XR platform allows the company to deliver its own applications and host third parties (similar to Netflix). SyncVR has created several successful mindfulness focused applications which are currently being used in over 125 hospitals across Europe, including 35 NHS trusts.
Mr Floris van der Breggen, Founder and CEO of SyncVR said of the success, ““We’ve worked with many innovation grant consultants across Europe, and in RedKnight finally found a partner who works hands-on, independent and creatively. OASIS is an example of a project in which the process from concept to proposal was incredibly efficient, partly due to RedKnight.“
In addition to FREED methods, OASIS will also be underpinned with mindfulness and dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) elements to provide a rapid, cost-effective and scalable technology. It will provide patients with useful coping and mood management skills to manage their emotions while they wait for therapy and support them in feeling more prepared when they encounter it. Furthermore, OASIS will help reduce the enormous economic burden presented by EDs, which currently cost the UK economy ~£9.4bn annually. It will enable patients to better self-manage their condition, in turn reducing sick days, loss of productivity due to absenteeism, and costs to the healthcare systems worldwide.
LIfT Bioscience Ltd
Project Title:
Evaluation of a first-in-class neutrophil-based immunotherapy platform for solid tumour indications in novel translational in vivo models.
Acronym:
N-LIfT
Call:
UK’s Biomedical Catalyst
Start Date:
01/08/2024
Duration:
36 months
Grant Amount:
£1,140,739
Our Role:
Bid Writing
RedKnight is delighted to announce it has supported LIfT Bioscience Ltd (LIfT) with its successful application to Innovate UK’s Biomedical Catalyst (BMC) competition, securing £1.14m of non-dilutive grant funding. With a score of 96.1%, it was the highest scoring funded project in the round.
LIfT is a disruptive biotech bringing to market a first-in-class immunomodulatory alpha neutrophil (IMAN) cell therapy designed to overcome the limitations of current immunotherapies in solid tumours. LIfT's ground-breaking IMANs not only directly kill tumour cells in an innate antigen-independent manner, but recruit and modulate recipients' cytotoxic effector cells, such as T cells and NK cells, to give a durable response and long-lasting anti-tumour immunity. LIfTs first generation IMANs are manufactured from the haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) of donors who possess exceptionally cytotoxic neutrophils. IMANs are generated using LIfTs proprietary Neutrophil-based Leukocyte Infusion Therapy (N-LIfT) platform, with future iPSC-derived and gene engineered products in the pipeline.
The aim of the BMC project, a collaboration between LIfT and the Saeb-Parsy Lab (SPL) at the University of Cambridge is to explore and investigate the application of IMAN cell therapy products in SPL’s cutting edge humanised in vivo model systems.
Alex Blyth, Chief Executive Officer of LIfT BioSciences, commented: “The awarding of this grant from Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, is an exciting step that will help expedite our pipeline of new products and their combinations into the clinic and will improve outcomes through the foresight it provides. Current standard mouse models do not have the right chemokines and growth factors to support human neutrophils optimally. Tumour-bearing humanised mice that have been adapted to support human neutrophils are therefore very useful for more accurate modelling of the effects of neutrophils for early insights into what we might see in human trials. We will now conduct groundbreaking in vivo studies to explore the impact of IMAN cell therapies in solid tumour and immunology models uniquely available at the Saeb-Parsy Lab.”
Fundamental to IMANs mechanism of action (MoA) is their ability to modulate the hostile solid tumour microenvironment (TME). Standard in vivo tumour models in immunodeficient mice lack the necessary human immune system components to investigate recipient immunomodulation by therapeutics, and thereby underplay the effectiveness of cell therapy modalities with this MoA by only assaying direct cytotoxicity. Additionally, SPL's humanised models utilise xenografted patient-derived tumour material (PDX), which allows a closer approximation of tumour architecture and component subsets that comprise the solid TME, and which are classically hostile to cell therapy infiltration and efficacy. The SPL humanised in vivo models represent the currently achieved experimental apotheosis in terms of in vivo modelling of the TME as would be encountered by IMANs during human clinical trials.
The BMC funding will allow the project team to perform ground-breaking in vivo (and associated in vitro) activities to explore the impact of IMAN cell therapies in solid tumour indications. State-of-the-art -omics techniques will be employed to generate a holistic view of IMANs potential in solid tumours, unveiling biomarkers for both safety and efficacy of IMANs for future clinical research.
RedKnight is delighted to announce it has supported LIfT Bioscience Ltd (LIfT) with its successful application to Innovate UK’s Biomedical Catalyst (BMC) competition, securing £1.14m of non-dilutive grant funding. With a score of 96.1%, it was the highest scoring funded project in the round.
LIfT is a disruptive biotech bringing to market a first-in-class immunomodulatory alpha neutrophil (IMAN) cell therapy designed to overcome the limitations of current immunotherapies in solid tumours. LIfT's ground-breaking IMANs not only directly kill tumour cells in an innate antigen-independent manner, but recruit and modulate recipients' cytotoxic effector cells, such as T cells and NK cells, to give a durable response and long-lasting anti-tumour immunity. LIfTs first generation IMANs are manufactured from the haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) of donors who possess exceptionally cytotoxic neutrophils. IMANs are generated using LIfTs proprietary Neutrophil-based Leukocyte Infusion Therapy (N-LIfT) platform, with future iPSC-derived and gene engineered products in the pipeline.
The aim of the BMC project, a collaboration between LIfT and the Saeb-Parsy Lab (SPL) at the University of Cambridge is to explore and investigate the application of IMAN cell therapy products in SPL’s cutting edge humanised in vivo model systems.
Alex Blyth, Chief Executive Officer of LIfT BioSciences, commented: “The awarding of this grant from Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, is an exciting step that will help expedite our pipeline of new products and their combinations into the clinic and will improve outcomes through the foresight it provides. Current standard mouse models do not have the right chemokines and growth factors to support human neutrophils optimally. Tumour-bearing humanised mice that have been adapted to support human neutrophils are therefore very useful for more accurate modelling of the effects of neutrophils for early insights into what we might see in human trials. We will now conduct groundbreaking in vivo studies to explore the impact of IMAN cell therapies in solid tumour and immunology models uniquely available at the Saeb-Parsy Lab.”
Fundamental to IMANs mechanism of action (MoA) is their ability to modulate the hostile solid tumour microenvironment (TME). Standard in vivo tumour models in immunodeficient mice lack the necessary human immune system components to investigate recipient immunomodulation by therapeutics, and thereby underplay the effectiveness of cell therapy modalities with this MoA by only assaying direct cytotoxicity. Additionally, SPL's humanised models utilise xenografted patient-derived tumour material (PDX), which allows a closer approximation of tumour architecture and component subsets that comprise the solid TME, and which are classically hostile to cell therapy infiltration and efficacy. The SPL humanised in vivo models represent the currently achieved experimental apotheosis in terms of in vivo modelling of the TME as would be encountered by IMANs during human clinical trials.
The BMC funding will allow the project team to perform ground-breaking in vivo (and associated in vitro) activities to explore the impact of IMAN cell therapies in solid tumour indications. State-of-the-art -omics techniques will be employed to generate a holistic view of IMANs potential in solid tumours, unveiling biomarkers for both safety and efficacy of IMANs for future clinical research.
Treat-NMD Services Ltd
Project Title:
Patient Lifestyle and Disease Data Interactium
Acronym:
PaLaDin
Call:
Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking
Start Date:
01/01/2024
Duration:
48 months
Grant Amount:
€11,687,611
Our Role:
Bid Writing
The Patient Lifestyle and Disease Data Interactium (PaLaDIn), an ambitious Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) funded initiative (with contribution from The FSHD Society, TREAT-NMD and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI); totalling 21 million Euros), has this month been launched to drive innovative real world data collection from patients with rare neuromuscular diseases (NMDs).
A new state-of-the-art data collection platform is being developed to transform how rare diseases are treated. Known as ‘The Interactium’, the platform will provide insights to accelerate novel drug development, improve patient reported outcome measures (PROMS) and inform health care decision-making at all levels. The learnings from the project will be shared with those working in other rare disease areas via a series of tools and training materials.
The project is expected to provide a major leap forward in integrating different sources of rare disease patient data, including Patient Reported Outcome Measures, patient preferences and data from registries and wearable devices.
Researchers and medicines developers will have access to the data that clearly elicits patients’ preferences and needs, which is particularly important in rare diseases where outcome measures and patient preference data is scarce. This means that treatments and interventions are developed to meet the needs of patients, informing better decision-making in healthcare, medicines development and health technology assessments.
“We at TREAT-NMD provide a global network of experts in neuromuscular diseases. The strength and expertise of our network, and all nine global partners working together to deliver the PaLaDIn project, means that we can collaborate to transform the NMD field.
“The mission of this consortium of partners is to create a data platform that will help to pioneer effective treatments, delivering the best care for those living with NMD and other rare diseases across the world. “One of the biggest challenges we face in our field is the lack of patient data. PaLaDIn is designed to tackle exactly that challenge, working with patients, healthcare professionals and researchers to collate impactful data that can make a big difference in rare disease diagnosis and treatment.”
PaLaDIn will advance knowledge in the rare disease field and address known bottlenecks and hurdles including lack of data from patients living with a rare disease, limited interoperability and reusability of data, low knowledge about diseases, disease heterogeneity, scarcity of PROMS, low numbers of patients.
It is expected that, as a result of the PaLaDIn initiative there will be:
• New frameworks to test the value of co-creation will be created
• More effective and patient-centred health care solutions and research developed
• Greater de-risking of trials for companies due to the availability of FAIR data
• Development of PROMS, and digital tools to give insights on the burden of disease
These expected outcomes will ultimately contribute to increased patient centricity and improved decision making, outcomes and healthcare solutions.
The 9 partners are:
TREAT-NMD services Ltd (Scientific Coordinator) – Newcastle, UK
Newcastle University- Newcastle, UK
Ludwig Maximillan University of Munich- Munich, DE
Duchenne UK- London, UK
University of Amsterdam Medical Centre- Amsterdam, NL
FSHD Society- Randolph, USA
Aparito BV – Leiden ,NL
Leiden University Medical Centre- Leiden, NL
Links:
X: @eu_paladin
Linked in: @eu-paladin
This project is supported by the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU) under grant agreement No 101132943. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, COCIR, EFPIA, EuropaBio, MedTech Europe, Vaccines Europe (and the FSHD Society and TREAT-NMD Services Ltd as contributing partners participating in the project) The project will also receive funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee [grant numbers 10105921, 10103989, and 10083579]
The Patient Lifestyle and Disease Data Interactium (PaLaDIn), an ambitious Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) funded initiative (with contribution from The FSHD Society, TREAT-NMD and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI); totalling 21 million Euros), has this month been launched to drive innovative real world data collection from patients with rare neuromuscular diseases (NMDs).
A new state-of-the-art data collection platform is being developed to transform how rare diseases are treated. Known as ‘The Interactium’, the platform will provide insights to accelerate novel drug development, improve patient reported outcome measures (PROMS) and inform health care decision-making at all levels. The learnings from the project will be shared with those working in other rare disease areas via a series of tools and training materials.
The project is expected to provide a major leap forward in integrating different sources of rare disease patient data, including Patient Reported Outcome Measures, patient preferences and data from registries and wearable devices.
Researchers and medicines developers will have access to the data that clearly elicits patients’ preferences and needs, which is particularly important in rare diseases where outcome measures and patient preference data is scarce. This means that treatments and interventions are developed to meet the needs of patients, informing better decision-making in healthcare, medicines development and health technology assessments.
“We at TREAT-NMD provide a global network of experts in neuromuscular diseases. The strength and expertise of our network, and all nine global partners working together to deliver the PaLaDIn project, means that we can collaborate to transform the NMD field.
“The mission of this consortium of partners is to create a data platform that will help to pioneer effective treatments, delivering the best care for those living with NMD and other rare diseases across the world. “One of the biggest challenges we face in our field is the lack of patient data. PaLaDIn is designed to tackle exactly that challenge, working with patients, healthcare professionals and researchers to collate impactful data that can make a big difference in rare disease diagnosis and treatment.”
PaLaDIn will advance knowledge in the rare disease field and address known bottlenecks and hurdles including lack of data from patients living with a rare disease, limited interoperability and reusability of data, low knowledge about diseases, disease heterogeneity, scarcity of PROMS, low numbers of patients.
It is expected that, as a result of the PaLaDIn initiative there will be:
• New frameworks to test the value of co-creation will be created
• More effective and patient-centred health care solutions and research developed
• Greater de-risking of trials for companies due to the availability of FAIR data
• Development of PROMS, and digital tools to give insights on the burden of disease
These expected outcomes will ultimately contribute to increased patient centricity and improved decision making, outcomes and healthcare solutions.
The 9 partners are:
TREAT-NMD services Ltd (Scientific Coordinator) – Newcastle, UK
Newcastle University- Newcastle, UK
Ludwig Maximillan University of Munich- Munich, DE
Duchenne UK- London, UK
University of Amsterdam Medical Centre- Amsterdam, NL
FSHD Society- Randolph, USA
Aparito BV – Leiden ,NL
Leiden University Medical Centre- Leiden, NL
Links:
X: @eu_paladin
Linked in: @eu-paladin
This project is supported by the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU) under grant agreement No 101132943. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, COCIR, EFPIA, EuropaBio, MedTech Europe, Vaccines Europe (and the FSHD Society and TREAT-NMD Services Ltd as contributing partners participating in the project) The project will also receive funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee [grant numbers 10105921, 10103989, and 10083579]
SyncVR Medical UK Ltd
Project Title:
Virtual reality application to aid self-management of people awaiting treatment for mental health conditions/symptoms
Acronym:
Auxilium
Call:
Innovate UK Mindset Extended Reality (XR) For Digital Mental Health
Start Date:
01/07/2023
Duration:
18 months
Grant Amount:
£185,000
Our Role:
Bid Writing
RedKnight is delighted to announce it has supported SyncVR Medical UK Ltd (SyncVR) and South London & Maudsley NHS Trust (SLAM) with their successful application to the Innovate UK Mindset Extended Reality (XR) For Digital Mental Health competition, winning the consortium a grant of £185,000.
The project, titled Auxilium, aims to create the world’s first mental health application to be used on virtual reality headsets for supporting at-risk patients waiting for mental health care. The novel application will be based on mindfulness and dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) skills’ training elements, which have previously been shown to be effective for patients in crisis and suffering from mood instabilities.
“I started out my undergraduate research career transcribing interviews from patients receiving DBT in Dr.Linehan’s lab. Marsha’s passion is infectious, and despite only being at that lab for a short while- I had absorbed and carried that enthusiasm for DBT for years. I’m so thankful to be working at SyncVR where I have the resources to be able to turn my vision into reality and to have access to incredible leaders in the space to build this project. The UK has such a massive need for mental health support that it’s absolutely imperative that we empower users to take control of their own mental health and learn actionable skills that they can start using to better their own lives”- Ari Billig
In 2021-22, over 1.2m people in the UK were on a waiting list for community mental health care (up from 1.08m the previous year). The NHS also failed to meet its goal of getting 1.6m patients into “talking therapy” services, also called IAPT, which are aimed at treating people with mild to moderate depression (1.2m started sessions last year). These waiting lists enhance the sense of loneliness and frustration felt by patients. Alarmingly, 25% of mental health waiting list patients attempt suicide.
SyncVR aims to improve healthcare with its novel XR technology approach, which includes virtual and augmented reality approaches. These are underpinned by SyncVR’s proprietary XR healthcare platform, which enables the company to deliver its own, and host third party XR applications (similar to Netflix). SyncVR has created several successful mindfulness focused applications which are currently being used in over 100 hospitals, including 10 NHS trusts, helping patients to decrease pain, anxiety, and medication. The platform is also used for medical professional staff development through XR training.
The technology to be developed through the Auxilium project will go beyond other existing solutions by enabling users to practice mood management strategies in a relaxing and immersive environment. Auxilium will teach patients useful coping and mood management skills to manage their emotions while they wait for therapy. It will also help them feel more prepared for therapy when they encounter it and improve their overall healthcare experience.
Furthermore, Auxilium will help reduce the enormous economic burden presented by mental health problems, which currently cost the UK economy ~£118bn annually (~5% GDP). The application will enable people to better self-manage their condition, in turn reducing sick days, loss of productivity due to absenteeism, and costs to the health care systems managing patients with mental health concerns.
RedKnight is delighted to announce it has supported SyncVR Medical UK Ltd (SyncVR) and South London & Maudsley NHS Trust (SLAM) with their successful application to the Innovate UK Mindset Extended Reality (XR) For Digital Mental Health competition, winning the consortium a grant of £185,000.
The project, titled Auxilium, aims to create the world’s first mental health application to be used on virtual reality headsets for supporting at-risk patients waiting for mental health care. The novel application will be based on mindfulness and dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) skills’ training elements, which have previously been shown to be effective for patients in crisis and suffering from mood instabilities.
“I started out my undergraduate research career transcribing interviews from patients receiving DBT in Dr.Linehan’s lab. Marsha’s passion is infectious, and despite only being at that lab for a short while- I had absorbed and carried that enthusiasm for DBT for years. I’m so thankful to be working at SyncVR where I have the resources to be able to turn my vision into reality and to have access to incredible leaders in the space to build this project. The UK has such a massive need for mental health support that it’s absolutely imperative that we empower users to take control of their own mental health and learn actionable skills that they can start using to better their own lives”- Ari Billig
In 2021-22, over 1.2m people in the UK were on a waiting list for community mental health care (up from 1.08m the previous year). The NHS also failed to meet its goal of getting 1.6m patients into “talking therapy” services, also called IAPT, which are aimed at treating people with mild to moderate depression (1.2m started sessions last year). These waiting lists enhance the sense of loneliness and frustration felt by patients. Alarmingly, 25% of mental health waiting list patients attempt suicide.
SyncVR aims to improve healthcare with its novel XR technology approach, which includes virtual and augmented reality approaches. These are underpinned by SyncVR’s proprietary XR healthcare platform, which enables the company to deliver its own, and host third party XR applications (similar to Netflix). SyncVR has created several successful mindfulness focused applications which are currently being used in over 100 hospitals, including 10 NHS trusts, helping patients to decrease pain, anxiety, and medication. The platform is also used for medical professional staff development through XR training.
The technology to be developed through the Auxilium project will go beyond other existing solutions by enabling users to practice mood management strategies in a relaxing and immersive environment. Auxilium will teach patients useful coping and mood management skills to manage their emotions while they wait for therapy. It will also help them feel more prepared for therapy when they encounter it and improve their overall healthcare experience.
Furthermore, Auxilium will help reduce the enormous economic burden presented by mental health problems, which currently cost the UK economy ~£118bn annually (~5% GDP). The application will enable people to better self-manage their condition, in turn reducing sick days, loss of productivity due to absenteeism, and costs to the health care systems managing patients with mental health concerns.
iAm Compliant Ltd
Project Title:
A next-generation, artificial intelligence-based, sustainability platform for schools
Acronym:
iAm Compliant
Call:
Innovate UK Innovation Loan
Start Date:
19/09/2023
Duration:
18 months
Grant Amount:
£592,860
Our Role:
Bid Writing
RedKnight is delighted to announce it has supported iAM Compliant Ltd with its successful application to Innovate UK’s Innovation Loan competition, securing the Chester-based SME £592,860 of innovation funding.
iAM Compliant was established in 2016 to provide schools and businesses with a one stop shop for premises, health and safety compliance, and cut through the red tape. The company’s novel platform offers a seamless interface and cloud-hosted solution that brings all the information users need into one central place. Having pushed the innovation boundaries from the outset, the platform is used by over 500 state schools around the UK.
iAM Compliant will use the innovation loan funding to extend the platform’s functionality to provide the world’s first digital tool for schools to guide them through the process of creating their own Climate Action Plan and help them become more sustainable. The platform will be supported by the development of best in class, accredited learning content.
Tom Moore, Founder & Chief Operating Officer at iAM Complaint said, “[insert quote]”.
In April 2022, the UK Government published its policy paper titled Sustainability and Climate Change: A Strategy for the Education and Children’s Services Systems. The policy supports a drive for all UK schools to be “zero carbon” by 2030 and announces long term and consistent policies and funding to enable this (in line with wider Government targets for the UK to be carbon neutral by 2050). The policy ensures there will be investment in training teachers in education for sustainable development across the curriculum, and in equipping colleges and schools to give all learners a connection to nature. The Government also commits to investing in adapting and retrofitting the school estate and the Department for Education commits to improving their building specifications, so that all new school buildings from 2022 onwards will be net zero carbon.
To support these ambitions, by 2025 every school is mandated to have a Climate Action Plan that will result in zero carbon status. Each school will have a trained staff member who acts as a Sustainability Lead and Climate Literacy Training will be offered to every school with sustainability embedded as a statutory feature of careers guidance.
The sustainability responsibility will ultimately rest with site managers (referred to as School Business Managers in schools), many of which manage their current compliance responsibilities disparately across many different spreadsheets. The biggest challenges for those managing compliance is that they are often reactive, limited by budget, resource, and time. There is also often a lack of safety mindset, not necessarily driven by the individual but by the myriad of regulations and legislation they need to interpret and understand. The additional sustainability requirements outlined above will add further weight to the challenge.
The technology and training material to be developed through this innovation loan project will provide a much needed, easy-to-use, cost-effective digital tool to support schools in complying with the new UK Governments strategy and helping them in becoming more sustainable.
RedKnight is delighted to announce it has supported iAM Compliant Ltd with its successful application to Innovate UK’s Innovation Loan competition, securing the Chester-based SME £592,860 of innovation funding.
iAM Compliant was established in 2016 to provide schools and businesses with a one stop shop for premises, health and safety compliance, and cut through the red tape. The company’s novel platform offers a seamless interface and cloud-hosted solution that brings all the information users need into one central place. Having pushed the innovation boundaries from the outset, the platform is used by over 500 state schools around the UK.
iAM Compliant will use the innovation loan funding to extend the platform’s functionality to provide the world’s first digital tool for schools to guide them through the process of creating their own Climate Action Plan and help them become more sustainable. The platform will be supported by the development of best in class, accredited learning content.
Tom Moore, Founder & Chief Operating Officer at iAM Complaint said, “[insert quote]”.
In April 2022, the UK Government published its policy paper titled Sustainability and Climate Change: A Strategy for the Education and Children’s Services Systems. The policy supports a drive for all UK schools to be “zero carbon” by 2030 and announces long term and consistent policies and funding to enable this (in line with wider Government targets for the UK to be carbon neutral by 2050). The policy ensures there will be investment in training teachers in education for sustainable development across the curriculum, and in equipping colleges and schools to give all learners a connection to nature. The Government also commits to investing in adapting and retrofitting the school estate and the Department for Education commits to improving their building specifications, so that all new school buildings from 2022 onwards will be net zero carbon.
To support these ambitions, by 2025 every school is mandated to have a Climate Action Plan that will result in zero carbon status. Each school will have a trained staff member who acts as a Sustainability Lead and Climate Literacy Training will be offered to every school with sustainability embedded as a statutory feature of careers guidance.
The sustainability responsibility will ultimately rest with site managers (referred to as School Business Managers in schools), many of which manage their current compliance responsibilities disparately across many different spreadsheets. The biggest challenges for those managing compliance is that they are often reactive, limited by budget, resource, and time. There is also often a lack of safety mindset, not necessarily driven by the individual but by the myriad of regulations and legislation they need to interpret and understand. The additional sustainability requirements outlined above will add further weight to the challenge.
The technology and training material to be developed through this innovation loan project will provide a much needed, easy-to-use, cost-effective digital tool to support schools in complying with the new UK Governments strategy and helping them in becoming more sustainable.
Waymap Ltd
Project Title:
The world’s most accurate and inclusive personal navigation
Acronym:
Waymap
Call:
Innovate UK Innovation Loan
Start Date:
01/10/2023
Duration:
12 months
Grant Amount:
£990,580
Our Role:
Bid Writing
RedKnight is delighted to have supported Waymap Ltd with its successful application to Innovate UK’s Innovation Loan programme, securing the start-up £990,580 to deliver the late-stage research and development required for its disruptive indoor positioning and navigation technology.
Waymap’s vision is to develop the world’s most accurate and inclusive personal navigation smart phone application. Rather than simply routing a user to a train station, imagine if an app could then route them through the building, underground to the correct platform, on and off the train, and all the way to the end destination. These are the truly end-to-end journeys that Waymap can make a reality. No other personal navigation app on the market has adequately addressed the great indoors, which represents a major commercial opportunity.
When discussing the success of the loan application, Mr Celso Zuccollo, Waymap COO said, ““This funding, and the continued support of Innovate UK, is crucial in incentivising businesses to continue investing in hard technologies that solve difficult real-world problems, like what we are doing at Waymap. This money allows us to expand our core technology portfolio further, creating a better product and ultimately a better experience for the users of our app. Given the product we are building, this not only means that we can better address a very large commercial opportunity, but also that we can create meaningful social impact at scale.”
Waymap was born out of requirements identified by the Royal Society for Blind Children. Through several focus groups, the RSBC identified independent city navigation as a key issue for children with visual impairments and tasked Waymap to develop a high-tech solution that would allow them to navigate cities as if they had no disability.
As a result, Waymap has developed world-leading core technology and a smart phone app that locates and navigates users to an accuracy of up to 1m and 10 degrees heading. In 2021, Waymap extended the functionality of its core location algorithm, to ensure the app operates effectively while the smart phone is carried in all the manners that a usual commuter would carry their mobile phone, for example, in their pocket, whilst texting, or in a bag. All of this is done with no physical infrastructure and no external signal required, meaning the navigation app can work indoors, outdoors, underground, and when the smart phone is in flight mode. Waymap’s unprecedented level of accuracy and ability to be used anywhere makes it a truly unique and game-changing proposition.
The Innovation Loan project will enable Waymap to deliver the late-stage research and development work required to finalise the product development. Successful demonstration of the proprietary technology will pave the way for market deployment within 12 months of project closure.
RedKnight is delighted to have supported Waymap Ltd with its successful application to Innovate UK’s Innovation Loan programme, securing the start-up £990,580 to deliver the late-stage research and development required for its disruptive indoor positioning and navigation technology.
Waymap’s vision is to develop the world’s most accurate and inclusive personal navigation smart phone application. Rather than simply routing a user to a train station, imagine if an app could then route them through the building, underground to the correct platform, on and off the train, and all the way to the end destination. These are the truly end-to-end journeys that Waymap can make a reality. No other personal navigation app on the market has adequately addressed the great indoors, which represents a major commercial opportunity.
When discussing the success of the loan application, Mr Celso Zuccollo, Waymap COO said, ““This funding, and the continued support of Innovate UK, is crucial in incentivising businesses to continue investing in hard technologies that solve difficult real-world problems, like what we are doing at Waymap. This money allows us to expand our core technology portfolio further, creating a better product and ultimately a better experience for the users of our app. Given the product we are building, this not only means that we can better address a very large commercial opportunity, but also that we can create meaningful social impact at scale.”
Waymap was born out of requirements identified by the Royal Society for Blind Children. Through several focus groups, the RSBC identified independent city navigation as a key issue for children with visual impairments and tasked Waymap to develop a high-tech solution that would allow them to navigate cities as if they had no disability.
As a result, Waymap has developed world-leading core technology and a smart phone app that locates and navigates users to an accuracy of up to 1m and 10 degrees heading. In 2021, Waymap extended the functionality of its core location algorithm, to ensure the app operates effectively while the smart phone is carried in all the manners that a usual commuter would carry their mobile phone, for example, in their pocket, whilst texting, or in a bag. All of this is done with no physical infrastructure and no external signal required, meaning the navigation app can work indoors, outdoors, underground, and when the smart phone is in flight mode. Waymap’s unprecedented level of accuracy and ability to be used anywhere makes it a truly unique and game-changing proposition.
The Innovation Loan project will enable Waymap to deliver the late-stage research and development work required to finalise the product development. Successful demonstration of the proprietary technology will pave the way for market deployment within 12 months of project closure.
Futuresoft
Project Title:
A next generation hybrid office visualiser platform to enhance workforce collaboration and productivity.
Acronym:
Focos-HOV
Call:
UK Smart Grant
Start Date:
01/10/2022
Duration:
18 months
Grant Amount:
£347,449
Our Role:
Bid Writing
RedKnight is delighted to announce a successful application to Innovate UK Smart Grants on behalf of Futuresoft Ltd. The cutting-edge software-as-a-service (SaaS) company will receive £347,449 to develop its next-generation hybrid office visualiser platform, Focos-HOV.
The successful application means RedKnight has secured more than £10.5 million since launching in 2015. Mr Dayne Hodgson, Director at RedKnight said:
“We are thrilled that Futuresoft have secured this funding to support a game-changing innovation that will help address challenges we have all experienced over the past two years. We look forward to seeing how this exciting technology develops over the next 18 months and where Futuresoft can take it.”
The Problem
When the pandemic began in 2020, the tools and technologies that workplaces needed to operate remotely already existed. The main challenge was adopting them quickly and updating longstanding processes.
For some, remote work has created new job opportunities, offered more family time, and provided options for whether or when to commute. These benefits have made many organisations recognise that hybrid working is here to stay as we emerge from the pandemic.
However, the transition to a hybrid workplace is proving more disruptive than the move to remote work, with many organisations greatly underestimating the challenge. One crucial factor is that the technology needed to create a seamless hybrid office experience remains largely nascent, meaning there is a significant technology gap in the Digital Workplace market.
Immersive technology remains costly and impractical as it requires the use of hardware, such as headsets. While non-immersive technology provides virtual environments with no hardware requirement, current solutions only offer basic collaboration functionality. None currently harness the power of big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML).
The Solution
Futuresoft’s first-generation product, Focos, enables businesses to operate all their SaaS applications via one single cloud platform, reducing the user’s need to switch between various tabs and windows.
Focos-HOV will build on this technology, harnessing the data collated by Focos and integrating other data sources and AI/ML techniques. The platform will provide an on-screen virtual office environment, showing company members, location, and availability to one another for enhanced remote and office worker awareness. It will enable vital ‘unscheduled’ interactions between workers to foster creativity and collaboration and reduce unnecessary context switching and interruptions.
Testimonial
Futuresoft said of their Innovate UK Smart Grants success:
“We are excited for the future and how we may positively affect workplace productivity at a time when there has been so much change with working from home. It is great to see Innovate UK acknowledge our ambition and capabilities as a cutting-edge, innovative technology company by awarding us this grant.”
Helping companies access innovation grant funding is RedKnight’s core mission. Please get in touch in order to discuss a potential application.
RedKnight is delighted to announce a successful application to Innovate UK Smart Grants on behalf of Futuresoft Ltd. The cutting-edge software-as-a-service (SaaS) company will receive £347,449 to develop its next-generation hybrid office visualiser platform, Focos-HOV.
The successful application means RedKnight has secured more than £10.5 million since launching in 2015. Mr Dayne Hodgson, Director at RedKnight said:
“We are thrilled that Futuresoft have secured this funding to support a game-changing innovation that will help address challenges we have all experienced over the past two years. We look forward to seeing how this exciting technology develops over the next 18 months and where Futuresoft can take it.”
The Problem
When the pandemic began in 2020, the tools and technologies that workplaces needed to operate remotely already existed. The main challenge was adopting them quickly and updating longstanding processes.
For some, remote work has created new job opportunities, offered more family time, and provided options for whether or when to commute. These benefits have made many organisations recognise that hybrid working is here to stay as we emerge from the pandemic.
However, the transition to a hybrid workplace is proving more disruptive than the move to remote work, with many organisations greatly underestimating the challenge. One crucial factor is that the technology needed to create a seamless hybrid office experience remains largely nascent, meaning there is a significant technology gap in the Digital Workplace market.
Immersive technology remains costly and impractical as it requires the use of hardware, such as headsets. While non-immersive technology provides virtual environments with no hardware requirement, current solutions only offer basic collaboration functionality. None currently harness the power of big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML).
The Solution
Futuresoft’s first-generation product, Focos, enables businesses to operate all their SaaS applications via one single cloud platform, reducing the user’s need to switch between various tabs and windows.
Focos-HOV will build on this technology, harnessing the data collated by Focos and integrating other data sources and AI/ML techniques. The platform will provide an on-screen virtual office environment, showing company members, location, and availability to one another for enhanced remote and office worker awareness. It will enable vital ‘unscheduled’ interactions between workers to foster creativity and collaboration and reduce unnecessary context switching and interruptions.
Testimonial
Futuresoft said of their Innovate UK Smart Grants success:
“We are excited for the future and how we may positively affect workplace productivity at a time when there has been so much change with working from home. It is great to see Innovate UK acknowledge our ambition and capabilities as a cutting-edge, innovative technology company by awarding us this grant.”
Helping companies access innovation grant funding is RedKnight’s core mission. Please get in touch in order to discuss a potential application.