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Published 1 July 2009

A system to turn a pedal bike into an electric bike in under 15 minutes, a pay as you pedal scheme, and research into the causes and cures for Diabetes were just some of the winning ideas at this year's University of Brighton Innovation and Research Awards.

Now in its fifteenth year, the annual awards celebrate the best and the brightest business ideas from staff, students and alumni as well as staff research. This year saw over 100 applications.

Stephen Britt took home the Graduate Innovation Award for his electric bike innovation. Powered by batteries, it has a motor and a gearbox to control a bike for around 10 miles. The light-weight system allows the full range of gears to be used, giving it high efficiency and making it good at climbing hills.

Stephen said: "The idea formed after being stuck in traffic for 90 weeks while a bridge was built as part of the Beddingham roundabout improvements."

He also shared the Entrepreneurship Award with business studies students, Lauren Goggs, Matt Hacker, Ioanna Zacharis and Emma Brand for their pay as you pedal scheme, which provides a solution to the city’s congested roads.

An online catalogue of recycled products, showcasing unique items crafted from wood destined for landfill, bagged Aneta Smaga, Alasdair Walmsley, Richard Mehmed and Stewart Walton the Graduate and Student Social Enterprise Award. All of the items are produced at community wood recycling centres, often by vulnerable and marginalised people, who through the scheme are finding ways back to employment.

New for this year was the Graduate Entrepreneurs Award, won by Dr Hal Sosabowski for his range of science-based trumps games, DrHal.co.uk. The range supports the National Curriculum, lets children play as they learn and currently includes Dr Hal's Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Recycling Trumps. A new stream of games is in the pipeline for 2010.

This year the university has also introduced a new category which recognises the transforming research taking place across the university.

Sharing the Research Group Award was Professor Morgan Heikal, Dr Steve Begg and Nicholas Miche for a new type of engine which can switch between a two-stroke and a four-stroke system and promises to cut fuel consumption and Professor Marian Barnes and Dr Lizzie Ward for Cheers. The aim of the study was to look at an area neglected by previous research, specifically how alcohol use might relate to people's life journeys as they get older and to the issues that they face. Qualitative research carried out explored the circumstances in which older people drink and the meaning and impact that drinking has on their lives, whether it be positive or negative. The researchers developed a participative approach by involving older people in the design and carrying out of the research.

Other winners to impress the judges included Professor Ann Moore, Professor Peter Burns, Dr Raija Kuisma, Lisa Hodgson and Mike Ellis-Martin who received the Research with Student Involvement Award for Activity Buddies. The programme, pairs an elderly person with a student activity buddy and the latest project Fitness for Health, sees physiotherapy students and older people taking part in exercise and activities while educating the elderly about healthy living. Activities vary from line dancing to boules to circuit training.

Finally the winners in the interdisciplinary research category were Professor Adrian Bone, Dr Wendy Macfarlane and Dr Moira Harrison for their exciting research into Diabetes, its causes, complications and hopefully a cure for the disease.

The winners will share a prize fund of £20,000, but perhaps of greater use, they will benefit from the experience, expertise and advice of the university's Business Services department and its beepurple entrepreneur network.

"The beepurple team was delighted with the awards ceremony this year, and thought the innovative research and entrepreneurial spirit of the staff, students and graduates shone through, making the night a really special occasion," said the university's Entrepreneurship Manager Clare Griffiths. "I'm looking forward to working with the winners in the future and see them take their products and services to market."

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

Among the judges was Dr Ian Goodyer, from the East Sussex Enterprise Hub which creates new, innovative and prosperous businesses. He said "The standard of entries was incredibly high and the decision for the judges extremely hard and we have awarded an exciting range of novel ideas."

"The hub is always on the lookout for great, new propositions and the university's innovation awards are a rich source of ideas. Following on from the awards we often support a number of entrepreneurs and help them to bring their products and services to market."

Fellow judge, Chief Executive of British Design Innovation, Maxine Horn, said: "Stephen was a runaway winner not only due to the product innovation itself but the way in which he had developed a total business proposition including research, rationale, routes to market, costs and production time scales. Such high quality presentation enables a much higher level of engagement with an industry partner to bring this product to market. We wish Stephen every success in that regard."