The ongoing collaboration between The University of Manchester’s graphene scientists and Northern England-based outdoor sports brand inov-8 has been awarded as an ‘outstanding’ example of innovation and wealth creation in the UK by Innovate UK.

The partnership, which has seen the launch of and subsequent development of the high-performance graphene-enhanced footwear, is now in the spotlight for its success in taking fundamental research to a successful global hit product.

Officially launched in 2018, the collaborative partners announced that they had been able to develop a graphene-enhanced rubber through a research project which began behind the scenes in 2016.

They developed G-GRIP rubber outsoles for running, hiking and fitness shoes that in testing outlasted 1,000 miles, are scientifically proven to be 50% harder wearing, and deliver the world’s toughest grip.

Subsequently, graphene was infused into the midsole foam as well, to provide superior and long-lasting energy return that supercharges feet. The G-FLY foam midsole was launched in 2021.

Aravind Vijayaraghavan, Professor of Nanomaterials at The University of Manchester, said: “This partnership is an excellent example of how a university research group and a SME can collaborate closely to take cutting edge technology from lab to market at a rapid pace. It demonstrates the significant benefits that graphene can bring to everyday products and impact our daily lives.”

Now Innovate UK has honoured the recently completed Knowledge Transfer Partnership between the two organisations with the highest possible grade of ‘Outstanding’. The project has set the bar high, resulting in not only a world-leading product range, but also a highly effective partnership that is boosting the University’s commercial reputation – and that of a fellow northern brand.

inov-8 founder Wayne Edy said: “This powerhouse forged in Northern England has taken the world of sports footwear by storm. We’re combining science and innovation together with entrepreneurial speed and achieving incredible things.”

Graphene is the lauded atomically thin material, first isolated from graphite by Manchester scientists, leading to the award of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010. At just one atom thick it is lightweight yet incredibly strong, meaning it has many unique properties. inov-8 was the first brand in the world to use the material in sports footwear, and both G-GRIP and G-FLY are patent-pending technologies.

That footwear has since gone on to win multiple awards. The TRAILFLY G 270 and TRAILFLY ULTRA G 300 MAX were both named ‘Trail Running Shoe of the Year’ in the Runner’s World UK Gear Awards for 2020 and 2021 respectively. Graphene-enhanced shoes have also been worn by athletes to set records, especially over ultramarathons distances. Damian Hall wore them to set a new fastest time for the 185-mile Wainwright’s Coast to Coast trail in 39 hours and 18 minutes, as did Jasmin Paris to famously win the 268-mile Spine Race outright and set a new record time that still stands.

The ongoing research and innovation has now also seen the KTP Associate, Dr Nadiim Domun, hired by inov-8 as a Senior Materials Engineer to retain his expertise and to continue the graphene technology development through close collaboration with The University of Manchester.

Graphene has the potential to change lives in so many ways. Athletic equipment is just one current success story for the versatile material. Water filtration, aviation and consumer electronics are among the many applications that are exciting scientists, product developers and the public the world over.

2021 saw Manchester placed at the top of the table for the UK’s Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and become partner of choice for innovation in businesses.

Accountancy firm HURST has joined a global network of businesses as it accelerates its environmental, social and governance strategy.

HURST is the first independent accountancy firm in the UK to become part of the UN Global Compact network.

Launched in 2000, the network has become the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, with more than 14,000 member companies in over 160 countries. Just under 800 UK businesses are members.

The network is a platform for the development, implementation and sharing of responsible business practices aligned to 10 universally-accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, with the aim of contributing to a more stable and inclusive global market and helping to build prosperous and thriving societies where business can succeed.
Members also pledge to take action in support of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The 17 goals include eradicating poverty and hunger, and promoting good health, wellbeing, education, affordable and clean energy, gender equality and responsible consumption and production.

HURST chief executive Tim Potter said: “As a firm, we all recognise how important it is that we make a positive impact on the world in which we live. Having a meaningful and progressive approach to ESG is ingrained in our values and practices.
“We are also conscious that the ESG agenda has become more important to our clients, suppliers and staff.

“Business has a key role to play in making the world a better place, and we are proud to become part of the UN Global Network and its UK chapter, joining thousands of other companies which are similarly dedicated to taking responsible action.
“We’ve not joined just for the sake of the badge. We are committed to making a tangible difference, and our participation in the network will enable us to achieve this.”

HURST has implemented a series of eco-friendly measures over recent years, stepping up its use of recycled and sustainably sourced products, ranging from pens and office paper to coffee and branded materials. The firm is also installing a charging point for electric vehicles at its Stockport HQ.
Tim added: “We are living and breathing it and we are always looking for new ways to improve. The network provides the perfect opportunity to do this.”

Steve Kenzie, executive director, UN Global Compact Network UK, said: “The core of the United Nations Global Compact’s mission is to support companies doing business responsibly by aligning their strategies and operations with 10 universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.
“We also support business taking actions to advice the Sustainable Development Goals. We are delighted and encouraged by HURST’s endorsement of our initiative.”

Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle-based Northcoders TechEd, which is part of Northcoders PLC – one of the UK’s leading independent providers of training programmes for software coding – has confirmed two partnerships that will see it deliver its ReSkill Apprenticeships course to two of the country’s most well-known businesses. It’s also expanding its work with BJSS to offer 10 SMEs and start-ups in the UK the chance to enrol one of their employees onto a course that will improve their digital skills and lead to a Level 4 qualification in Software Development at no cost to the firm or the individual.

For the UK’s leading beach holiday retailer, On the Beach, and Moonpig – the personalised greeting cards and gifts retailer, Northcoders TechEd will be delivering its ReSkill programme. Existing employees of both companies will take the highly respected course which is aimed at those with little or no prior coding experience and will turn anyone with the right aptitude into a fully trained, project-ready developer.

ReSkill Apprenticeship programmes include the Northcoders award-winning training, including Core Fundamentals of Engineering in JavaScript, Backend Engineering in JavaScript, Frontend Engineering in JavaScript and the always exciting Project Block phase, which sees student teams build their own applications. Alongside this, ReSkill programmes include masterclasses in DevOps & Cloud and AWS Certification, as well as Human Skills workshops – all tied together with an end point assessment to gain a Level 4 qualification in Software Development.

ReSkill is ideal for employees who want to stay with their current employer but change their career direction into coding and for businesses that want to either retain talented people whose roles are no longer needed or increase their in-house tech resource.

As well as these projects, Northcoders is also working with BJSS, the leading technology and engineering consultancy for business, to find 10 UK SMEs who want to improve an employee’s digital skills at no cost. BJSS will fund the placements, which again will be on the ReSkill programme, using its apprenticeship levy-transfer. The government allows companies to transfer unused apprenticeship funds to other employers to pay for the training and assessment cost of apprenticeships agreed with the receiving employer.

Amy Wild – chief commercial officer at Northcoders – said: “These announcements are a fantastic start to 2022 as Moonpig, On the Beach and BJSS are all leaders in their respective sectors. We are delighted to support our partners’ growth ambitions by reskilling their current teams, by giving their employees the ability to change career paths and the attributes required to be a software developer.”