Centre receives top award nomination

 

The Caparo Innovation Centre (CIC) has been selected as a finalist for The Engineer Technology & Innovation Awards 2008.

 

The awards, which are organised by The Engineer magazine and sponsored by BAE Systems, acknowledge and honour excellence in collaboration between UK universities and some of its most dynamic companies. 

 

The Caparo Innovation Centre, a collaboration between the School of Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of Wolverhampton and the steel multinational Caparo Plc, has been nominated in the “Business Support of Universities” category.  The category recognises the contribution made by large and smaller businesses to the sustainable commercial development of universities’ engineering and technology-based activities.

 

Andrew Pollard, Industrial Professor at the CIC, said: “Being shortlisted for such a prestigious award is recognition of the significant and ongoing commitment of both the University and Caparo Plc towards exploiting the potential offered when academia and industry work together.”

 

The awards ceremony itself will be held on Friday 3 October 2008 at The Royal Society, London.

 

Recent successes from the CIC include the Caparo RightFuel device, which prevents motorists putting the wrong kind of fuel in their cars. The product was the idea of inventor Martin White and is being taken to market by Caparo Vehicle Products.

For more information, contact Vickie Woodward in the Press Office on 01902 322736 or 07973 335112.

 

 

The Caparo Innovation Centre (CIC), a joint venture between the University of Wolverhampton and steel multinational Caparo Plc, was established in early 2003 with the aim of helping inventors to transform new product ideas into commercial products. Based at the Wolverhampton Science Park and part of the Department of Engineering and Technology, the CIC team comprises of engineering, product development and marketing professionals, who work with the inventor to strengthen the business case for promising new product ideas.

 

The CIC has been established under a basic principle that it does not require any upfront financial commitment from inventors. Instead the centre generates revenue by agreeing a percentage of the proceeds in the event that the product is commercialised, this system means that the CIC are as committed to commercialising the product ideas as the inventors are.

 

If you would like to find out more about the Caparo Innovation Centre or have a new product innovation you would like to discuss, please contact Professor Andrew Pollard on 01902 824182, email cic@wlv.ac.uk or visit http://www.help4inventors.co.uk/

 

Ref: 4310/26/09/08/VW

Date Issued: Friday, 26 September 2008