Published: 19.06.08

A cookery club for kids, a technique using fat stem cells to repair disc tissue, and a new fire retardant synthetic material that absorbs CO₂ - just some of the winning ideas at this year's University of Brighton Innovation Awards.

Now in its fourteenth year, the annual awards celebrate the best and the brightest business ideas from staff, students and alumni. This year saw over 130, applications.

Students Fras Dakhil-Jerew and John Shepperd, studying for an MSc in Trauma and Orthopaedics, took home the Student Innovation Award for a revolutionary technique set to change the way that back pain is seen by patients and treated by surgeons. The technique uses fat stem cells for disc tissue repair.

Other students to clean up at the awards included Product Innovation and Development MSc student Linzi Ryan, whose UV liquid hand hygiene method which guarantees sterile hands won her the Student Entrepreneurship Award. Georgie Sworder, graduate from BA(Hons) 3D Materials Practice (Wood, Metal, Ceramics and Plastics), scooped the Student Social Enterprise Award having developed a social enterprise hub for artists in Brighton.

Sharing this year's Staff Innovation Award was Dr Laurence Hopkinson and Dr Ken Rutt for their novel fire retardant, synthetic material that absorbs CO₂ during its production, and Dr Ray Whitby, Professor Andrew Cundy and Professor Toru Maekawa for combating global warming by reducing critically opalescent CO₂.

Other staff to impress the six-strong panel of judges included Dr Anne Mandy, who received the Staff Entrepreneurship Award for her work around independent mobility for stroke wheelchair users. The Staff Social Enterprise Award went to Kathy Martyn for KidsKitchen. A cookery club with a difference, it is developed by children so they can cook, taste, eat and talk food.

The winners will share a prize fund of £12,000, but perhaps of greater use, they will benefit form the experience, expertise and advice of the university’s Business Services department.

"I'm looking forward to working with the winners in the future and see them take their products and services to market." said the university's Entrepreneurship Manager Clare Griffiths. "As ever the standard of entries was exceptionally high and I would like to thank all the judges as well as all those who entered the awards."

The judging panel, consisting of business leaders from across the city, were impressed with the ingenuity and inventiveness of the ideas from both staff and students.

The panel of judges consisted of Lorraine Bell, Director of Simply CSR, Phil Green, Managing Director of MDHub, Caraline Brown, Founder and Chief Talent Officer of Midnight Communications and Ian Goodyer from the East Sussex Enterprise Hub. Bringing their expertise to the judging panel for the first time this year were also, Duncan Innes, Director of Sussex and the City and Maxine Horn, Chief Executive Officer of British Design Innovation.