Left to Right: Dr Jennifer Davies (University of Liverpool Management School), Angela Augusto (Textile Technical Innovation Manager, AW Hainsworth) and Matt Lambert (Senior Process and Sustainability Engineer, AW Hainsworth) – awarded a new four-month-long Accelerated Knowledge Transfer Programme (AKT)* targeted around Circular Fashion.
The University of Liverpool has secured two new Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) and a new Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (AKT) with a total value of £600,000.
Revolutionising Water Safety
The first of the KTPs, starting in the coming months, will be based in the Department of Materials, Design and Manufacturing Engineering within the School of Engineering. This three-year project with Professor Raechelle D’Sa, Dr Jenny Hanson and a leading UK water treatment company, Feedwater Limited, (pictured below) aims to develop antimicrobial nanomaterial additives for water systems, tanks and cooling towers to prevent biofilm formation and water borne infections in hospital water systems, and beyond. The outcomes of the project will help to enable the reduction of hot water temperatures and biocides in controlling microorganisms and deliver more energy-efficient solutions.
This new capability will strengthen Feedwater’s commitment to developing new technologies to address the current challenges facing the water treatment sector and aligns with the UK’s ambitions to achieve net zero by 2050, where the water industry is highlighted as key, and can also be cost-effective to decarbonise.
John Devenny, Managing Director of Feedwater, said: “This project is a potential gamechanger in water treatment technology and we look forward to continuing our partnership with the University of Liverpool, in developing environmentally friendly solutions in the field of microbiological control.”
Professor D’Sa said: “We are excited about the partnership with Feedwater Ltd. which will be key to the translation of an innovative technology that can revolutionise the water treatment sector by lowering carbon emissions and reducing the development of antimicrobial resistance.”
AI for healthier cows
The second KTP is awarded to Professor George Oikonomou and Professor Robert Smith from the Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, in partnership with CattleEye Limited – a Belfast based artificial intelligence (AI) start-up company recently acquired by GEA Farm Technologies (one of the largest manufacturers of dairy equipment in the world).
CattleEye’s cloud-based AI platform interprets visual imagery of livestock from industry-standard web cameras to autonomously identify animals and extract insights, including measuring gait, applying mobility scores, and monitoring other behavioural signs.
Building on a previous collaboration with Prof Oikonomou and the company through an IUK grant awarded in May 2022 – this two-year KTP will combine dairy cow science expertise with the world’s first Machine Vision autonomous livestock monitoring platform to develop impactful on-farm protocols which will be proven to reduce lameness levels on a dairy herd.
The objective is to rapidly grow its customer base worldwide where there are approximately 200m dairy cows and 50% of those are addressable with this product.
Prof Oikonomou said: “I am excited about this new project which will allow us to continue our already successful collaboration with CattleEye. The planned work can lead to real impact on farm as it will provide dairy farmers with tools that can help them better manage foot health in their herds.”
Terry Canning, Co-Founder & CEO of Cattle Eye said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Prof George Oikonomou from the University of Liverpool on this project, building on what has been a very successful partnership to date.”
Traceability for Sustainable Fashion
A new four-month-long Accelerated Knowledge Transfer Programme (AKT)* targeted around Circular Fashion has been awarded to Dr Jennifer Davies (Management School) and AW Hainsworth (Pictured at the start of the story) – a historic British woollen mill known for producing premium textiles, including the iconic scarlet uniforms of the Battle of Waterloo.
The aim of this project is to develop a novel traceability system for woollen textile production using transformative tracer technologies and blockchain-based digital records, promoting product authentication (proof of provenance/anti-counterfeit), supply chain circularity and compliance with Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and Digital Product Passport requirements.
Dr Davies said: “It is an absolute honour to collaborate with AW Hainsworth on this important area of research. Their commitment to research and innovation is exactly why they have remained a world-renowned woollen mill for nearly a quarter of a century. Together, we aim to set new standards in traceability and supply chain sustainability that will support the textile industry in navigating and complying with the new Digital Product Passport requirements, under the broader Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation.”
Angela Augusto, Technical and Innovation Manager of AW Hainsworth said: “With support from the AKT funding, this partnership will facilitate a comprehensive feasibility study exploring advanced traceability technologies. Specifically, it will investigate the connection of a physical traceable element on each piece of fabric to its digital twin, enabling precise tracking from production to consumer.
We hope this project will set new benchmarks in product transparency and traceability, leading the way in shaping Digital Product Passports for the textile industry. We do our best work through collaboration with others, and look forward to embarking on this innovative project with Dr Jennifer Davies and the University of Liverpool.”
If you are working with industry and would like to know more about KTPs please contact Inma Gonzalez, KTP Impact and Business Development Manager, Research, Partnerships & Innovation, at inmag@liverpool.ac.uk.
*Innovate UK’s AKT Programme is designed to create short-term collaborations between a Business Partner and a UK Knowledge Base to rapidly inject innovation capacity. Inspired by the highly successful partnership model of KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnership), AKT2I’s concept is to deliver a rapid and targeted intervention to accelerate the evaluation or development of an innovation project or concept, which has the potential for significant impact for the Business Partner.