Automating Composite Structure Inspections & Repairs

The Innovation Exchange programme is working alongside a large UK company. This business is looking to engage innovators and innovative companies that can help them solve a significant challenge they are trying to overcome in relation to a key productivity issue. The Challenge Owner will engage with the suppliers of innovation to support development, if necessary, to better suit the application. The organisation’s facilities are situated throughout the UK and activities take place across the world. Across the estate there are over 6,600 manhole covers or service trench covers in primarily industrial locations, which all require regular inspection. The business needs help to identify an alternative to the current manual inspection regime.

The Innovation Exchange programme is working alongside a large UK company. This business is looking to engage innovators and innovative companies that can help them solve a significant challenge they are trying to overcome in relation to a key operational issue. The Challenge Owner will engage with the suppliers of innovation to support development, if necessary, to better suit the application. The Challenge Owner operates a number of large marine vessels (ships) with significant cooling and air quality requirements. Due to ongoing issues with the current system, based around condensers, the challenge owner is looking for novel approaches to ensuring the health and comfort of those on board through climate control. The Challenge Owner is willing to consider investment in potentially successful solutions.

The Innovation Exchange programme is working alongside a large UK company. This business is looking to engage innovators and innovative companies that can help them solve a significant challenge they are trying to overcome in relation to a key productivity issue. The Challenge Owner will engage with the suppliers of innovation to support development, if necessary, to better suit the application. The Challenge Owner operates a number of large marine vessels (ships) with hulls constructed from glass-fibre reinforced plastic (GRP). Hulls can be damaged as a result of collisions, abrasion, delamination of the GRP, blistering and other mechanisms.  It is important that the damage should be quickly and accurately detected in order to effect timely repair and avoid unnecessary time out of use. Current inspection methods are based around visual inspection. They are time-consuming, labour-intensive and prone to human error. The challenge owner seeks to identify technology to improve all aspects of hull inspection.

The innovation exchange is looking for novel solutions for reducing carbon emissions within Local Authority vehicle fleets. Solutions will be considered for a variety of vehicles, but these will typically between 3.5 and 32 Tonne GVW. The Innovation Exchange, delivered by KTN, is supporting The Greater South East Energy Hub (Energy Hub) and 14 Local Authorities (at the time of writing) in their area to identify novel solutions to innovation challenges. The winning business(es) in this competition will be given an opportunity to present their solutions to a group of Local Authorities and experts from the Energy Hub with the potential of a commercial opportunity to access a public procurement framework which could allow the technology to be deployed with the Local Authority fleet

The innovation exchange is looking for novel solutions for supporting zero emission infrastructure within Local Authority (LA) vehicle fleets. Solutions will be considered for a variety of sites . The Innovation Exchange is delivered by KTN and is supporting Greater SouthEast Energy Hub (Energy Hub) and 14 Local Authorities (at the time of writing) in their area to identify novel solutions to innovation challenges. The winning business(es) in this competition will be given an opportunity to present their solutions to a group of Local Authorities and experts from the Energy Hub with the potential of a commercial opportunity to access a public procurement framework which could allow the technology to be deployed with the Local Authority fleet infrastructure

The iX Challenge competition, delivered by KTN, is supporting the Department for International Trade (DIT) in India to identify innovative solutions to significant and immediate challenges. Those businesses and university programmes which are selected by the challenge owner as offering the most promising solutions will be given a commercial opportunity to deliver their solution and receive support from KTN and the wider DIT network . The DIT is working closely with the Indian city authorities, investor groups and local stakeholders to seek and engage with the best-in-class UK solution curators.  As well as developed solutions being brought forward from the UK within this process, the Indian challenge owners are keen to develop collaborative partnerships with UK industrialists and academics to foster new innovative approaches to managing public spaces in a safer, more pandemic compliant way.  This would also include areas of high utilisation by the public (such as train stations) in a new world that needs to be respectful of pandemic impact.  Cities in India are generally densely populated with high levels of population movement around public spaces and city assets at all times of the day and night.  Solutions to minimise, manage,  scenario model and percolate infection avoidance strategies from pandemic impact are now a key programme of interest with the city authorities and stakeholder groups.  

The iX Challenge competition, delivered by KTN, is supporting the Department for International Trade (DIT) in India to identify innovative solutions to significant and immediate challenges. Those businesses and university programmes which are selected by the challenge owner as offering the most promising solutions will be given a commercial opportunity to deliver their solution and receive support from KTN and the wider DIT network. The DIT is working closely with the Indian city authorities, investor groups and local stakeholders to seek and engage with the best-in-class UK solution curators. As well as developed solutions being brought forward from the UK within this process, the Indian challenge owners are keen to develop collaborative partnerships with UK industrialists and academics to foster new innovative approaches to the air quality challenge agenda in this region. The air quality and pollution challenge is not limited to any single Indian city. Although a keen area of focus for the Indian city authorities is traffic and street pollution (NOx), all innovative airborne pollution abatement solutions will be considered including industrial emissions (VOCs), domestic particulate matter (PM2.5), and sulphur dioxide (SO2).

The iX Challenge competition, delivered by KTN, is supporting the Department for International Trade (DIT) in India to identify innovative solutions to significant and immediate challenges. Those businesses and university programmes which are selected by the challenge owner as offering the most promising solutions will be given a commercial opportunity to deliver their solution and receive support from KTN and the wider DIT network . The DIT is working closely with the Indian city authorities, investor groups and local stakeholders to seek and engage with the best-in-class UK solution curators.  As well as developed solutions being brought forward from the UK within this process, the Indian challenge owners are keen to evolve collaborative partnerships with UK industrialists and academics, fostering new and innovative approaches to managing waste and better utilisation of the city’s resources to create low carbon, circular economy urban ecosystems. 

The iX challenge competition, delivered by KTN, is supporting Pilkington Technology Management Limited (PTML), part of NSG Group in reaching out to its network to identify innovative solutions that could lead to approaches across their business to deliver sustainable net zero manufacturing. Successful solution providers (industry or academia) to this challenge will be given a commercial opportunity to deliver their solution and receive support from PTML, KTN and the wider Innovate UK network. The Innovation Exchange programme is working alongside PTML to help them to identify innovative, robust and resilient materials for the refractory blocks in a gas/oil fired, electrically boosted, glass melting furnace.

The iX Challenge competition, delivered by KTN, is supporting Pilkington Technology Management Limited (PTML), part of NSG Group, in reaching out to its network to identify innovative solutions that could lead to approaches across their business to deliver sustainable net zero manufacturing. Successful solution providers (industry or academia) to this challenge will be given a commercial opportunity to deliver their solution and receive support from PTML, KTN and the wider Innovate UK network. The Innovation Exchange programme is working alongside PTML to help them to identify innovative solutions to assist in the detection of contaminants in the Float bath area of their glass production process. These contaminants can lead to faults on the glass which have potential to adversely affect the final product, restricting its maximum energy conservation or generation performance.

On behalf of Artemis Technologies KTN is running an Innovation Exchange challenge looking for novel solutions to detect and actuate the ride-height on Artemis’ zero emission hydrofoil passenger ferry. Solutions must consider the different demands of this unique vessel. Winning solutions in this competition will be given an opportunity to present their solutions directly to Artemis Technologies with the potential to partner in development and scaling of the technology together in a collaborative commercial opportunity.

On behalf of Artemis Technologies KTN is running an Innovation Exchange challenge looking for novel solutions to predict and detect bio-fouling accumulation on the hydrofoil of Artemis’ zero emission hydrofoil passenger ferry. In addition to detecting awareness of the presence of bio-fouling, solutions are being sought to remove any accumulation that occurs.

Innovative solutions are being sought for this Innovation Exchange challenge, looking at how to measure the effectiveness of nature-based flood prevention measures and communicate this in an effective and engaging way to the communities who are being protected by them. The Challenge is delivered by KTN on behalf of Severn Trent Water. The winning organisation(s) in this competition will be given an opportunity to present their solutions direct to Severn Trent with the potential to partner with Severn Trent to develop and scale the technology together in a collaborative commercial opportunity.

Innovative solutions are being sought for this Innovation Exchange challenge, looking at the identification of pipe material in domestic customers’ water supply pipes without excavation or disruption to the flow or quality of the drinking water. Proposed solutions should specifically be able to detect lead pipes and should be non-destructive. The Challenge is delivered by KTN on behalf of Severn Trent Water. The winning organisation(s) in this competition will be given an opportunity to present their solutions direct to Severn Trent with the potential to partner with Severn Trent to develop and scale the technology together in a collaborative commercial opportunity.