Alan Hart

Love this question from Simon Blakey - sharing my response as a post too 👇🏻 ❓ Question: do we need micro-grants to help deeptech academic pre-spinouts? I would say yes this wouldn’t hurt. It definitely helps with some early market testing. However, the real gap in funding for deeptech spinouts is between TRL4 and commercialisation. We need to see more investors willing to invest earlier for a longer period of time but that’s a big ask. So that’s where more grants could be helpful but by that point they need to be larger. Also, on the first point: Many deeptech academic spinouts need support even thinking commercially let alone testing commercial viability! Mainly because they’re primarily on the science/tech/academic side. This is where studios like Cambridge Future Tech are super helpful too! So, yeah, complicated to answer but super interested to hear everyone else’s thoughts too? #DeepTech #ClimateTech #Investment #Grants #Spinouts

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“Opportunities for practical science are particularly important for less engaged students but only 26% of GCSE students are doing hands-on practical work at least fortnightly, down from 44% in 2016, and interest in science has declined - this is perhaps unsurprising given how much we know students like practical work.” Alarming new report by EngineeringUK; clearly not enough has been done in the past decade to overcome these barriers! And it begs this question how are we going to compete economically on the world stage with these worrying trends?

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Exciting news for SMEs in Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire! The Innovation for Machinery (I4M) funding scheme is now open for applications. This initiative offers access to advanced machinery expertise, helping businesses develop cutting-edge technologies, enhance skills, and drive competitiveness. Don’t miss this chance to accelerate growth and create the next generation of machinery! #InnovationForMachinery #BusinessGrowth #AdvancedMachinery #SMEFunding #ManchesterBusiness #WestYorkshireBusiness #InnovationEcosystem #AdvancedTechnology

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💴 Do we need Micro-grants to help deeptech academic pre-spinouts???? A question for my LinkedIn Hive Mind 🧠 Is there a place for low-friction grants of £5k or less to help UK academics assess the commercial viability of their research for potential spinouts? Or are there already sufficient funding sources available for this purpose? I’d love to hear your thoughts, especially if you’ve had experience in this space. 🙏 What types of support make the biggest difference at the earliest stages of commercialization?

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Funds available…

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Last week I spoke with Roger Hearing and 🎙️Phil Dobbie of The Why? Curve and recorded a podcast discussing the vital role of #servitization in bolstering the UK's economy. In this episode, we delve into the reasons why shifting from traditional product-based business models to service-led ones can drive economic growth, enhance competitiveness, and create new business opportunities. The Advanced Services Group | Aston Business School | Aston University | Sam Cook

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This paper is well worth a read. Not only does it champion a network of Robotariums around the country, it defines the highly practical measures necessary to ensure the UK can catch up and lead in a global robotics industry. A race in which we are currently lagging in many areas. I very much welcome this important study.

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Interesting report on #AI adoption within the #UKManufacturing sector https://lnkd.in/e_khaM7e

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🔬 From quantum computing confusion to scientific conviction: my journey at the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology taught me why Britain's £20bn science budget isn't just another budget line item - it's our future. 🧬 In my latest piece for Conservative Home, I share why whispers about potential cuts to science funding should alarm us all. From AI breakthroughs to fusion energy dreams, Britain's scientific excellence isn't accidental - it's built on sustained investment and visionary thinking. 🚀 Read more about why we must protect this vital investment in British innovation. #Innovation #Science #UKPolitics #Research #Budget

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A recent Ofqual consultation on equation sheets confirmed that students taking GCSE Physics and GCSE Combined Science in 2025, 2026 and 2027, will be provided with an equation sheet insert as they were in Summer 2024 exams. We have now published the equation sheet on the Pearson GCSE Science qualification website for you to download and use with your students 👉 https://lnkd.in/exbRptpB #Pearson #Edexcel #scienceteachers #gcse #physics #combinedscience

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Sharing this Postdoc opportunity in our Emerging Technology Governance group at Manchester Institute Of Innovation Research & Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub. From the advertisement: "We are keen to support research that advances understanding and responsible innovation practices related to automation and AI applications, sustainability, commercialization, regulation, and policy in engineering biology and in the scaling-up of biomanufacturing. "

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If "Growth" is the intention of the new government, then that means we need to grow manufacturing (as a sector) from the rather meagre 10% of UK GDP at present. In Wales of course, we've traditionally had a larger share of the manufacturing sector, but with current pressures on the cost of employment, will we continue at a higher level of say 15% of GDP in Wales? Having read the latest report from Make UK - I'm not sure that Wales' is ready to punch above its weight in maximising the digital opportunity for manufacturing. Perhaps in some segments such as pharma and med tech. Are we, as previous advertising campaigns have claimed, 'a small & clever country'? Hmm. Do we understand how to make the most of Universities Wales to help us maximise advancements in technology such as data and AI, robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT) and biotechnology? As the Make UK report observes "Unlike previous industrial revolutions – powered by steam, electricity and computers – this digital transformation connects digital and physical worlds, creating smart factories where machines communicate, learn and adapt." If only 1/3 of manufacturing companies use AI in their operations, it seems we have some way to go.

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📢 Exciting News from Lancaster University Spin-Out! 📢 We're thrilled to announce that CCI Photonics, an innovative new company created from Lancaster University and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust research is one of the first to receive investment from PraeSeed, backed by Praetura Ventures and #NPIFII! This investment will help CCI Photonics develop a groundbreaking solution aimed at reducing the time it takes to accurately detect infections to just 15 minutes! 👏👏👏👏👏 Exciting times for the innovation ecosystem in Lancashire and the North West #LancasterUniversity #Innovation #MedicalTech #Startups #spin outs #InvestingInInnovation #PraeSeed #PraeturaVentures #NPIFII #CCIPhotonics #HealthTech British Business Bank Chris Wynne Science & Technology at Lancaster University Swindlehurst Neil Jeremy Gidlow Mark Rushforth Dion Williams

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If you are annoyed by my hero worship of Laura and Audicin, well... I was recently introduced to the work of Rasheedah Phillips and Moor Mother, so prepare to be absolutely nauseated as I go down that rabbit hole. From their website: « Black Quantum Futurism (BQF) is a new approach to living and experiencing reality by way of the manipulation of space-time in order to see into possible futures, and/or collapse space-time into a desired future in order to bring about that future’s reality. This vision and practice derives its facets, tenets, and qualities from quantum physics and Black/African cultural traditions of consciousness, time, and space. Under a BQF intersectional time orientation, the past and future are not cut off from the present - both dimensions have influence over the whole of our lives, who we are and who we become at any particular point in space-time. Through various writing, music, film, visual art, and creative research projects, BQF Collective also explores personal, cultural, familial, and communal cycles of experience, and solutions for transforming negative cycles into positive ones using artistic and wholistic methods of healing. Our work focuses on recovery, collection, and preservation of communal memories, histories, and stories. » Check out their ritual causality project. Like, holy WOW. I am deeply impressed and moved by everything on their website. This is true energetic power. Naturally I had to make a song for the BQF! So it is one song in two parts, not unsimilar to Kill Bill, honestly: For Rasheedah: https://lnkd.in/gKgFvrQZ For Moor Mother: https://lnkd.in/garexYau Do you ever ask yourself why you're here? Y'all are so tied to your dying systems you do not even comprehend the movements that are happening around you. Just stand back and let the world transform. https://lnkd.in/gxgW9M_s

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Thanks to EngineeringUK, The Royal Society and Wellcome Trust for this important report. It makes for sobering reading and highlights many of the issues we’ve been advocating for across the sector. On the positive side, it’s good to see an increase in the perceived relevance of science to society and also reassuring to see that most young people don’t trust science information accessed via social media. However, the continuing decline in practical work, together with the decline in perceived relevance of science to young people’s own lives are huge issues and ones we’re particularly worried about at the British Science Association. Our recent manifesto (https://lnkd.in/gmp8-843) sets out a number of calls for action that we believe would make a tangible difference in this space, including widening access to all young people at lower secondary to undertake an accredited independent science project, restructuring routes into science at GCSE and a wider curriculum review that introduces a broader approach to science learning, particularly for topics like climate change. We’re encouraging as many people & organisations as possible – including all political parties – to get behind these asks. As this week's report sets out, unless we address these areas, the existing skills and gender gaps we see in the STEM workforce will continue to grow. More than that, we need a science education system that equips all young people with the skills and knowledge they will need to take informed decisions about the impact of science & technology on their lives. And that needs to be one where all young people can see the relevance of what they are learning and have more opportunities to apply their knowledge. As a sector, we already have some of the solutions at our fingertips. We need to bring together what works and drive forward the system changes needed to enable a high quality science education for all young people.

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When I walked into IT Dept at Bournemouth University last week, I saw this profound message from Confucius on one of the walls. This is exactly what my Human Futurist PhD research is focusing on. Using an individual’s beautiful historical numerical patterns, as revealed through their bespoke Inteliigent Mathematical Blueprints [IMBs] to take an informed forward-looking, data-cube driven view, of pending future experiential themes. These are then further assessed through SWOT optics to drive next level performance. #BUProud #futurist #humanpotential #opimumperformance #intelligence #predictivemodelling #PhD #psychology #mentalhealth #entrepreneurs #peakperformance

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The latest #ScienceEducationTracker from EngineeringUK, The Royal Society and Wellcome Trust’s great work aligns with what we’re seeing at Tech She Can 👏 Our recent research with Templeton and Partners - Tech Recruitment looked at similar attitudes to, and experience of, #STEMeducation and #careers, but with a focus on *primary* age. It shows what primary teachers urgently need: https://lnkd.in/e85J_pSZ 👀 Our report: https://hubs.li/Q02j0Glj0 👉 75% of primary teachers believe that careers education is important in primary schools, but only half have access to quality and *inclusive* careers education and only 15% feel the available experiences are sufficient, leaving many without *diverse* career insights 👉 c70% of primary school teachers believe that gender stereotypes around STEM start *before* the age of 11; 1 in 5 teachers are confident that stereotyping starts at *pre-school* age  👉 Although girls are reported by their teachers to enjoy STEM subjects more than boys, girls are almost 70% less likely to aspire to a STEM career 👉 c60% of teachers believe a trained volunteer - such as a #TechWeCan Champion, a real-life, relatable industry role model - visiting a school to deliver lessons would be most effective to inspire children. At #TechSheCan our experiences and learning resources start young - from age 5 to +16yrs - because we know STEM gender stereotypes set in early. They're designed by teachers, for teachers. They're inclusive, girl-friendly. For all. The Tracker calls for:  📢 ’'Government... to ensure the teaching of science, maths and computer science is more engaging for all students and builds confidence in the subjects, particularly for girls…’’; 📢 ‘’Extra-curricular activities boost young people’s interest in continuing their STEM education. Half of students who visited a business said they were inspired to continue with STEM subjects and 45% of those who had a talk at school from someone working in STEM said the same...’; 📢 ''[industry]... also needs to step-up and help young people see the range of opportunities for them...'' We have the solutions. We bring roles to life, making tech roles real and current. We connect childrens' passions to STEM and show that science & tech is inherently creative. And we’re doing it *with* industry (+250 members across +40 sectors): literally #openingdoors, taking children into our partners’ workplaces for immersive Career Insights. Many of the schools we work with would not otherwise have #access to these experiences. We see the realities of the education sector on the ground, and the '#AspirationGap’ in classrooms across the UK, every day. https://lnkd.in/eQejXD4X With Sheridan Ash MBE, Robyn Howard, Becky Patel, Millie Stacey #GenderEquality #WiT #STEMEducation #socialmobility

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I don’t usually write personal thoughts on LinkedIn – perhaps it reflects my vulnerability – However, today, after the Enabling SME event (https://lnkd.in/eX_RxbpM), a mixture of relief, disheartenment and reflection on what to learn and what’s next, I feel I need to spell out some personal feelings and thoughts to be able to sleep! Some might say today’s event wasn't a successful one – there could have been more people, more discussion and more suggestions. Yes, perhaps. Nonetheless, was it meaningful? I would say yes! I have been exploring the concept of ‘meaningfulness’ for my research on meaningful work – this notion can be associated with two occasions, namely, feeling authenticity and the value of action being shared widely (e.g., my action creates meaning not only to me but also to others). Having been feeling ‘authentic’ in this process? Yes! Throughout the process of developing scenario and organising this event aiming at contributing to co-creation of the scenario, I felt authentic interests, enthusiasm and efforts in learning and exploring 1) myself – the bias, pre-conception and assumptions that I have had but was not aware of; 2) the technology – the basic of it, what might be possible or not, what can be done or not, and thus, what might be desirable or not; and 3) experiences of disabled people – the challenges they are facing in their daily life, the future they are hoping and the reality that makes them being sceptical about the hope.  Was the value shared with others? Absolutely! Through this process, I’ve met people who just do kind things simply because they believe the value of what I am doing. Thank you Ingo Frommholz for having been my personal scientific advisor 😉. Julian Gwinnett Wolverhampton School of Creative Industries – you were basically another member of the team, appreciating this event even more than I did! Katy Deacon you value the hope side from our imagination of the possible by sharing this with your contacts even though we haven’t met in person yet - such trust and support of yours in our scenario have been an enormous encouragement for me to keep going...  So what's next? Our scenario building to contribute to InterAct scenario is still ongoing (the scenario and following questions can be found in the link below) and we Marisa Smith Nigel Caldwell Sebastian Pattinson John Oyekan, PhD, CEng, MIET, FHEA, FRSA will consider this experience as the first stepping stone for many more conversations and collaborations to come. Well, I might regret writing a very long honest personal post when I wake up tomorrow – but perhaps, sometimes being vulnerable is just ok… https://lnkd.in/gAJa2-_D

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