Intelligent Textiles Limited John Hopkins October 2012
Sponsored by the UK government Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS), the Technology Strategy Board is a business-led executive nondepartmental public body. Its mission is to promote and support research into, and development and exploitation of, technology and innovation for the benefit of UK business, in order to increase economic growth and improve the quality of life.
The Technology Strategy Board set its priorities and direct funding under its control to: Help leading sectors and businesses maintain their position in the face of global competition Stimulate those sectors and businesses with the capacity to be among the best in the world to fulfil their potential Ensure that the emerging technologies of today become the growth sectors of tomorrow Combine all these elements in such a way that the UK becomes a centre for investment by world-leading companies
Intelligent Textiles founded by Textile Designer Asha Peta Thompson and Engineering Lecturer Stan Swallow in 2002 as a small start-up company and received initial funding from the Centre for Defense Enterprise using the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) which is managed by the Technology Strategy Board.
Intelligent Textiles Limited is one of the companies that has received an SBRI contract from the MoD. Its solution to reduce the load carried by soldiers our on patrol was to use woven conductive textiles to replace the conventional wiring harnesses that carry power between a soldier s systems and devices.
The Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS) is the governmental stakeholder which sponsors the Technology Strategy Board. The Technology Strategy Board offers innovation support, through a variety of competitions and programmes, for UK companies of all sizes including SMEs. The Technology Strategy Board champions the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI), which is a pathway to developing innovative products and services for the public sector, and other competitions for funding to enable small and large businesses to work together on collaborative research and development projects.
UK Government Ministery of Defense funds through Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS) sponsers champions Technology Strategy Board Centre for Defense Enterprise Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI)
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) in the UK runs a series of Small Business Research Initiative competitions through its Centre for Defense Enterprise, which allows it to harness and fund cutting edge innovation in UK defense. Intelligent Textiles is one of the companies that has received a Small Business Research Initiative contract from the Ministry of Defense (MoD). Intelligent Textiles solution to reduce the load carried by soldiers on patrol, was to use woven conductive textiles to replace the conventional wiring harnesses that carry power between a soldier s systems and devices.
The example of good practice offered by Intelligent Textiles through the funded support of the Small Business Research Initiative: supports the promotion of innovation through technology encourages the textile industry to make use of new developments and influence other areas rather than to simply adapt ready-made solutions to their products stimulates new industries and economic growth enables operational alliances and joint ventures with other technologies promotes interdisciplinary approaches i.e. textiles and engineering
Success factors Unique partnership Power of technology Potential for further development
Difficulties encountered Securing intellectual property rights Patents Commercializing the product
Asha Peta Thompson & Stan Swallow mail@intelligenttextiles.com http://www.intelligenttextiles.com/