Innovation and partnerships

A team from the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development at the University of Reading has the largest share, covering central and southern England. Each university produces a detailed set of management accounts for each business that participates in the FBS and benchmark these businesses against similar farms to their own.

As well as providing annual information of farm incomes, in the last three years Defra have used data from the FBS to help create a new Agricultural policy to replace the Common Agricultural Policy.

The Farm Business Survey is a consortium of six University Research Centres that carries out the Survey in England, collecting rural business research data. It is led by the University of Nottingham and also includes the Universities of Reading, Cambridge and Newcastle, and the Colleges of Askham Bryan and Duchy.

A long-established element of the partnership is in the education and training of the next generation of climate scientists. For example, ECMWF and the University co-supervise PhD students as part of the SCENARIO NERC Doctoral Training Partnership. Also, ECMWF’s atmospheric model and data assimilation system known as the Integrated Forecasting System (IFS) is made available to University of Reading Masters-level students through the OpenIFS programme to support research and teaching.

In 2015 the University established the £13m Institute for Environmental Analytics (IEA) to develop the technologies and skills needed to translate cutting-edge environmental research and deliver commercially relevant solutions with business. 

IEA has established a pipeline of pre-commercial projects, with The Copernicus Climate Change Service operated by ECMWF, developing data analytics tools with end users in a range of markets and stimulate commercial innovation.

Our research also supports reanalysis activities at ECMWF. Reanalysis focuses on the best possible representation of the atmosphere and ocean over the course of past decades. 

For example, at the University the most useful information from old satellite data has been mined and for the first time satellite movies of hurricanes from the early 1970s have been produced which can then be compared to what previous reanalyses had said was happening in that area at the time.

Under SHEAR (Science for Humanitarian Emergencies & Resilience), an interdisciplinary research programme launched in 2016 and funded by DFID alongside the Natural Environment Research Council, University of Reading scientists are investigating how forecasts can be used to take early humanitarian action. 

These collaborations are not only making significant advances in our understanding of weather and climate, they are also having a critical impact on humanitarian aid response following extreme climatic events. 

Most recently, following devastating flooding in Mozambique scientists at the University led work to provide emergency flood hazard reports to the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), in close collaboration with ECMWF and the University of Bristol. 

Two ongoing SHEAR projects informed these emergency reports. In June 2019, Professor Hannah Cloke, who leads research into forecasting and modelling environmental processes and Natural Hazards, was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. The honour was in recognition of her work including advising the UK government on national and international flooding events.

These projects draw on the University’s expertise in agriculture, environment, food, psychology, nutrition and health and involve a diverse range of disciplines from Schools across the University. Project highlights include:

• A digital toolkit to better communicate health claims that draws on expertise from the Schools of English Language and Applied Linguistics, and Agriculture, Policy and Development, and the Department of Typography & Graphic Communication.
• A new food manufacturing technology and B2C concept (Health SnaP) for at-site customised production of healthy snacks. The project involves colleagues in the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, and the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development
• Smart targeting of personalised food advice (O-Live) -a project involving colleagues in the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, and the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences

The full list of EIT Food-funded projects at the University of Reading can be seen on the IFNH website.

Working with Reading's Dr John McKendrick, Lecturer in Organic Chemistry, the company and University recruited a recent graduate as part of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme. The graduate used their knowledge of polymer chemistry, experimenting with biocompatible materials and polymers to develop different blends that resulted in the new biomaterials.

The terms of the KTP allow BioInteractions to keep Intellectual Property created during the partnership. Three patents have been filed and registered in the US and Europe, leading to licensing opportunities for the company. Besides generating income, this allows the company to expand its operations in the area of biomaterials.

The project has also bolstered BioInteractions' knowledge and expertise in organic chemistry and its application in biomaterials for medical devices.

Image credit: Ecole Polytechnique  CC-BY-SA-2.0

Professor Gibson and the team at Reading have developed and manufactured a new prebiotic known as BiMuno. This is a type of molecule called a synthetic lactose-based oligosaccharide. After being eaten, it passes unchanged to the large intestine, where it is an energy source for beneficial saccharolytic bacteria. It specifically increases populations of a type of 'good' gut bacteria called colonic bifidobacteria.

In 2003, BiMuno was commercialised by the biotechnology company, Clasado – now an enterprise with around 50 employees and a cross-continental presence. The product is thriving in the growing prebiotic market, already estimated to be worth $3 billion worldwide.

BiMuno was used by Team GB to help avoid tummy upsets in Rio in 2016, and is recommended to prevent travellers’ diarrhoea by nutritionists working with international sporting stars. In the USA BiMuno is included as a branded ingredient in several supplements and nutraceuticals.

As our understanding of gut microbes develops, Professor Gibson believes that the role of prebiotics in wellness will increase. He is now investigating their potential impacts on cholesterol control, obesity and gut-brain interactions, including autism.

Further information

Read our Research Highlight about this research.

Martin Haley Chief Executive of Red Whale said: ”Just like many small businesses are experiencing, this is a very difficult time for us. Expanding the business to online training was incredibly timely. I am really pleased that our partnership with the University has meant we are in a position to be able to communicate the latest Government advice to GPs speedily and in an easily accessible, engaging format.”

Dr Blessing Mbipom, KTP Associate, said: “We organised a Remote Consulting Webinar specifically in support of the COVID-19 effort and the response we have had from GPs during the pandemic has been incredible. Our delegates appreciate how engaging and professional our online content is. “

Reacting to changing market trends in continuing professional development provision Red Whale needed to establish their training on digital platforms including webinars and online courses.

The collaboration between the University and the company established a knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) in 2018, matching Red Whale’s needs with a KTP Associate, Dr Blessing Mbipom and a team of experts including Prof Rachel McCrindle, Biomedical Engineering; Professor Richard Mitchell, Computer Science; and Dr Yota Dimitriadi, Institute of Education.

Professor Rachel McCrindle said: “We worked with Red Whale to address the challenges associated with moving from a traditional face-to-face approach to a more real-time, varied, convenient and flexible online approach to CPD. Blessing and the team at Red Whale have delivered an online learning infrastructure, while ensuring online training does not prove to be disruptive to the traditional face to face courses, but rather uses the online platform to enhance and extend current course provision.

Seeing how the project has contributed to Red Whale’s fantastic support for GPs during the Coronavirus pandemic has been hugely motivating and highlights the benefits of industry and University collaboration”.

The KTP scheme is a part government-funded programme to encourage collaboration between businesses and universities, linking business with an academic or research organisation and a graduate. At the University of Reading the project developed a digital learning offering that complements the existing face to face offerings and saw a doubling of engagement from attendees online.

Remote Consulting webinar feedback from GPs:

“Thank you! The free webinar and three months free handbook subscription extension felt like a big hug!”

“Thank you, this was excellent and timely (free) learning for working during the CV19 situation.”

“Great, thanks; really good to feel supported at this difficult time.”