Guests attending the University of Hull’s first ever Innovate North Awards next week will be asked to determine who should win the hotly contested People’s Choice category in a nail-biting live vote on the night!
Taking place next Tuesday, the Innovate North Awards celebrate business innovation, growth, talent and progress towards reducing carbon emissions among the hundreds of businesses from across the Humber and North Yorkshire regions that the University of Hull has supported in recent years.
Almost 700 businesses received European Union-funded innovation support through University programmes such as Aura Innovation Centre, SparkFund, the Flood Innovation Centre and the Humber Internships Programme. This support has resulted in 170 new products being launched, a 400-tonne reduction in carbon emissions, the creation of 195 jobs and increased sales of around £85 million for the small to medium enterprises involved.
The three business nominated for the People’s Choice Award are:
• Fitmums & Friends, a charity affiliated to England Athletics that started life in East Yorkshire and now runs a series of volunteer-led, community fitness groups for people across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Fitmums & Friends successfully applied for match funding from the University of Hull’s SparkFund, which allowed them to develop an innovative information management system and accompanying app for both members and volunteers to use.
• iParcelBox, an East Yorkshire-based tech firm responsible for creating secure, weatherproof drop-boxes, allowing customers to receive parcels securely when they’re not home. Keen to understand whether it’s better for the environment for deliveries to be sent to people’s homes or to a pick-up point, the developers worked with experts from the University of Hull’s Aura Innovation Centre to develop a carbon calculator capable of mapping the emissions from various different delivery options.
• HFR Solutions is a Hull-based Community Interest Company founded in 2012 that uses seconded, retired and operational personnel from Humberside Fire and Rescue Service to review and test safety procedures and planning, and deliver workplace safety training. Having identified a knowledge gap around supporting parish councils and other community-based organisations with the creation and implementation of flood plans, HFR Solutions worked with the University of Hull’s Flood Innovation Centre to develop a ‘Flood-in-a-Box’ product that can be used to deliver flood resilience training.
Sarah Clark, Operations Manager at Aura Innovation Centre, said: “Through the various European Union-funded programmes that the University has been running in recent years, almost 700 businesses from the Humber region and North Yorkshire have been able to access a broad range of funding and support, providing them with exciting opportunities for innovation and growth.
“From accessing academic research and specialist facilities to helping them connect them with the right partners to deliver their innovative ambitions, the University of Hull is proud to have played a part in their success stories and we’re very much looking forward to celebrating their achievements at the Innovate North Awards on 9 May.”
Sarah added: “The fact that the winner of the People’s Choice Award will be chosen by guests attending the awards ceremony in a nail-biting live vote only serves to add to the excitement for everyone involved. All of our nominees are incredibly deserving, we’re looking forward to seeing who wins the popular vote!”
