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Biocatalysts provide unique activities that facilitate chemical transformations that are simply not possible using abiotic methods. Northumbria University researchers with expertise in enzymes and biocatalysis have provided biocatalysis services to the pharmaceutical, fine chemical, food and biofuels industries through our business facing innovation unit Nzomics. This has generated significant contract research, collaboration and licence agreements to companies, including the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline and the services-led company Almac. Biocatalysts produced as a result of Northumbria University research and technology transfer are sold worldwide and benefit business through their use in research and development activities, such as the production of intermediates in drug synthesis.
Governments and major construction clients face significant challenges procuring and delivering large infrastructure projects. Robust and defendable infrastructure procurement is therefore increasingly important for addressing these challenges to deliver value (at minimum risk). Public- Private Partnership (PPP) research within the Grenfell-Baines School of Architecture, Construction and Environment (the unit of assessment, UoA) is led by Akintoye and Liyanage. Their work has made a direct positive impact on some of these issues, the extent of which has benefited several sectors — from construction and transportation, through to the water industry (e.g. Naismiths, iBE Partnerships; WDA Project Ltd; Navigant Consulting); and its reach and significance is evidenced through international engagement at the highest levels (e.g. Queensland Government Australia; Constructing Excellence; CIB; University of Hong Kong China).
Across the Higher Education sector, in the UK and in much of Europe, university lecturers in professional fields are usually appointed on the basis of their practitioner experience and expertise, and they may have little prior experience of teaching at Higher Education level or of research activity. The impact of the research in this case study has been on individuals, Heads of Department, academic developers and universities across the UK in influencing changes in academic induction practices leading to enhanced professional development of university lecturers in professional fields, especially in teacher education, nursing and the allied health professions. The dissemination of the research included the publication by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) of guidelines for academic induction of teacher educators.
A team at the University of Sunderland has undertaken research into equipment maintenance for over 20 years. This has been undertaken within a series of funded UK and EU projects. The work of the team has resulted in a new model for maintenance strategy, and the development of novel artificial intelligence algorithms to monitor the condition of key factory assets. A series of software tools have been developed in collaboration with industrial partners. These tools and the strategic model have been tested in industrial settings and have had impact in the UK, across the EU, and internationally.