Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards 2020

Making a Difference

The Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards recognise, reward and celebrate the impacts achieved through academic and business partnerships – apply now and show Scotland how innovative businesses, universities, research institutes and colleges are leading the way towards economic growth, societal improvements and environmental advances.

Making a Difference Award 2020:

This award is given for a collaborative business-academic project that has produced significant social or environmental impacts that ultimately contribute towards a better, fairer and more sustainable future.

Applications should demonstrate how the business-academic partnership has been fundamental in supporting the development of a product, process or service and the impacts achieved for society and the environment. The collaboration must have been initiated within the past five years (since 1 August 2014).

Please mail your completed application form to marketing@interface-online.org.uk by 5pm on Friday 29 November 2019.

Key Dates:

Submission Deadline: Friday 29 November 2019 at 5pmShortlist Announced: Thursday 9 January 2020Awards Ceremony: Thursday 27 February 2020

Announcement of WinnersWinners will be announced at the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards ceremony on Thursday 27th February 2020 in Edinburgh.

If you have any questions regarding the completion of the questionnaire, please contact Marketing on 0845 013 0536 or email marketing@interface-online.org.uk

Please Note: The judging panel decisions are final. The panel reserves the right not to make an award in a specific category if the standard is deemed to be of insufficient quality. Previous Award winners are not eligible to apply to a category that they have won in the past

Making a Difference Award 2020

Application Form

Name of business

Contact details Name

Job title

Address

Postcode

Telephone

Email

Name of academic lead and university, research institute or college involved

The collaboration has been developed via:

Academic team directly ☐Interface ☐SFC Innovation Voucher programme ☐Other ☐

1

To ensure that applications can be considered on equal terms, please ensure that you follow the word limits specified below. Additional information provided will not be considered by the judging panel.

However, if you would like to add any assets in support of your application (such as images, video links), please include these within this submission, or as an appendix.

Please provide a brief summary on the background to your business. (150 words)

Please provide a brief summary on the social or environmental objectives that you aimed to achieve through partnering with the academic team. How did this fit with your company strategy? (250 words)

2

Describe how the product, process or service was developed in partnership with the academic team. Things to consider: How did you identify the need for academic support? How / why did you choose your specific academic partner? How has the business implemented the outcomes from the collaborative project? What support did the academic team provide that you could not source elsewhere/in-house? (approx. 400 words)?

Describe the main features of the new product, process or service, in particular, outlining why it is important to building a better, fairer and more sustainable future. Things to consider: what change/improvement will it offer, who are the key customers, what’s the current stage of development? (approx. 400 words)

What are the societal and environmental impacts? (Outline tangible and intangible benefits (i) achieved to date and (ii) predicted for the future e.g. any research or stats that show improvements to health, wellbeing, environment, cost savings etc.) (200 words)

Outline the impact of the collaboration to the academic partner (e.g. impacts on teaching, employability, learning, research, income, public engagement etc.) (400 words)

3

Pre and Post Award Promotion:

The Interface Marketing and Communications team will endeavour to raise the profile of your organisation, the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards and the Interface service through pre and post Award promotion. By submitting this application/nomination form, you are agreeing for the details to be used in any related press and marketing materials. We recommend, therefore, that there should be no IP or confidentiality issues which would restrict publishing details of your application.

To assist in our promotion, please provide a brief summary of your collaborative project below (100 words):

Data Protection:

By completing this application/nomination form, you accept and consent to the use of your data by Interface – The knowledge connection for business, and any individuals, i.e. judges, involved with the delivery, audit, review and evaluation of this application/nomination form. It is the lead applicant’s role to ensure that all parties, whose details are included in this application form, are aware of and agree to this submission.

Interface’s full privacy statement can be read here.

Please email your completed entry forms to:marketing@interface-online.org.uk

by 29 November 2019, 5.00pm.

4