Latest News & Events

Coventry University is gearing up for a double celebration as it picked up a brace of Lord Stafford awards.

The awards showcase the links between universities and the private sector and highlight the best in partnership working and innovation.

Coventry University won two of the four categories: Entrepreneurial Spirit and Knowledge Transfer Champion:

• Entrepreneurial Spirit – Stretching By Design Ltd and Coventry University’s Health Design & Technology Institute (HDTI).  HDTI worked with the company to develop the LARA – a device designed to ease spasticity and severe tightening of the thigh muscles; a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). It was invented by Dave Collins who was diagnosed with the condition 20 years ago.

• Knowledge Transfer Champion – Dr Brian More at Coventry University.  Brian is the University’s Intellectual Property Business Development Manager and over the past five years has helped more than 350 firms to access the research and development capabilities at the University. He has also supported the spin-out of 12 companies from the University.

The awards were held at the Gaydon Heritage Motor Museum and Lord Stafford, who is the patron of the awards, said:

“This is the twelfth year the Lord Stafford Awards have been held here in the West Midlands and it seems that every year the quality of the winners improves.

“This year’s crop of winners is incredibly impressive and show that even during a time of economic recession, innovation is still happening and collaborations between universities and businesses are continuing to drive the development of new products, processes and services.

“The potential for the device developed by Stretching By Design is immense and could help to revolutionise the way of life for people with multiple sclerosis“

The collaborative work between Dave Collins, the inventor, and Coventry University's HDTI included product design, prototyping, a field trial involving eight people with MS and the production of an instructional DVD that will be shipped with the product.

Lord Stafford then went on to talk about Coventry University's Dr. Brian More who won the Knowledge Transfer Champion award.

Lord Stafford added:

“If we are to continue to have such excellent working between Universities and businesses, it’s vital that we have people like Dr Brian More to make the relationships work.

“All four category winners are proof that the West Midlands’ reputation as being an innovative region is continuing to build.”

Guy Smallman, Commercial Development Director at Coventry University’s HDTI said:

“This is a superb result for Coventry University and for business collaborations as a whole. These awards highlight the fact that businesses need universities and universities need businesses and by working together, new and innovative technologies can be devised and produced.

“HDTI was set up specifically with the brief to work with companies like Stretching By Design so we could use our expertise to help bring such a promising concept to market. People all over the world could benefit from this device.

“I am particularly pleased for Brian as he has worked tirelessly to help local and regional businesses to access research and development facilities at Coventry University and, as Lord Stafford said, it is people like him that make these kind of partnerships work.”

The Lord Stafford Awards recognise and celebrate the best of innovation between Businesses and Universities. Launched originally in the West Midlands, the competition is now run in the East Midlands and East of England.

 -Ends-

For further information, contact Ali Bushnell, External Press and Media Relations Officer on 024 7688 8245 or mobile 07974 98 41 04.