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Innovation and Business Development - Contacts

The Innovation and Business Development team supports academics to engage in innovation activities, ranging from initial research translation projects through to larger-scale, multiple-partner collaborations.

We are a group of highly experienced individuals with backgrounds in industry and the public sector and have significant experience in research and innovation funding.

Our team includes industry-facing Research and Innovation Development Managers and Innovation and Business Development Managers who work with academics at all career stages to raise awareness of available innovation and business engagement funding and to maximise the opportunities to progress innovation arising from their research.

We also provide dedicated, specialist support for Translational Funding schemes and  KTPs, collaborative industry-linked UKRI, or translational UKRI funding schemes, as well as intelligence, advice and support for academics wishing to apply for Innovate UK grants.

For further information, please see the Innovation Funding page, or contact a member of the Innovation and Business Development team.

Dr Ellen Hewitt
Head of Innovation and Business Development

Email: e.l.hewitt@leeds.ac.uk

  • Leadership of Innovation and Business Development team
  • Strategic oversight of research translation funding programmes
  • Identification and development of new opportunities for innovation and collaborative research
  • Analysis, benchmarking and insight relating to University of Leeds’ performance as an ‘innovation active’ institution
  • Linking the Innovation and Business Development team support with other teams in RIS e.g. UK Research, EU, Global Development and KTP teams and Commercial Services  
  • Development and implementation of plans to deliver innovation and business development components of the University's Vision and Strategy 2020-2030 
  • Intelligence on national and regional innovation policy and major UKRI innovation funding opportunities
  • Intelligence on regional industrial strategy and sub-national innovation funding opportunities. 

Translational Research Portfolio Team

Ruth Rayner
Translational Research Portfolio Manager

Email: r.rayner@leeds.ac.uk
Tel: 0113 343 3518

  • Oversight of translational research portfolio, including EPSRC IAA Confidence in Concept, and Wellcome Trust Institutional Translational Partnership Award 
  • Lead on the harmonisation of translational funding 
  • Management of translational research team

Dorota Karasek
Translational Programme Officer

Email: d.e.karasek@leeds.ac.uk

  • Responsible for the EPSRC and STFC Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAA) 
  • Management and allocation of funding to support proof of concept and innovation and impact activities 
  • First point of contact for any questions regarding EPSRC/ STFC IAA processes, eligibility or outcomes 
  • Working with colleagues to ensure effective engagement with a range of stakeholders around EPSRC/ STFC IAA, across all stages of the funding call through to evaluation, allocation and management of projects and collection of outputs and impact  

Dr Halina Norbertczak
Translational Programme Officer

Email: h.t.norbertczak@leeds.ac.uk

  • Support the delivery of the Harmonised Impact Accelerator Account (IAA) in particular lead the People Mobility Secondment and the Pathfinder and Feasibility strands
  • First point of contact for Health and Life Science projects for IAA awards
  • Responsible for organising group training events and workshops across the harmonised IAA portfolio
  • Responsible for administering and delivering the Culture Change strand of the harmonised IAA

Knowledge Transfer Partnership team

Dr Blessing Mukonoweshuro
Knowledge Transfer Manager

Email: b.mukonoweshuro@leeds.ac.uk

  • Strategic oversight on KTP and associated schemes
  • KTP office team lead
  • Yorkshire & Humber regional representative on the KTP National Forum

Dr Rakesh Suman
Innovation Development Officer

Email: r.suman@leeds.ac.uk

  • First point of contact for academics across all university faculties and external organisations and university academics regarding the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) scheme, and the Management KTP (MKTP) scheme 
  • Guidance on KTP eligibility for external organisations, including advice on other models of innovation funding, including Innovate UK
  • Working closely with regional and national bodies such as the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), to facilitate establishment of new partnerships between academics and external organisations 
  • Development of proposals for the KTP and MKTP scheme, including managing the process from idea generation, scoping and final submission

TBC
Innovation Support Officer (Project Development)

Email:

  • First point of contact for academics across all university faculties and external organisations and university academics regarding the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) scheme, and the Management KTP (MKTP) scheme
  • Guidance on KTP eligibility for external organisations, including advice on other models of innovation funding, including Innovate UK
  • Working closely with regional and national bodies such as the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), to facilitate establishment of new partnerships between academics and external organisations
  • Development of proposals for the KTP and MKTP scheme, including managing the process from idea generation, scoping and final submission

James Hartford
Innovation Support Coordinator

Email: j.hartford@leeds.ac.uk

  • Post-award support for Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs)
  • KTP associate recruitment and support
  • KTP case studies
  • First point of contact for allocated company and academic partners while KTP projects are running

Katie Wallett
Innovation and Business Development Project Coordinator

Email: k.wallett@leeds.ac.uk

  • Post-award support for Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs)
  • KTP associate recruitment and support
  • KTP case studies
  • First point of contact for allocated company and academic partners while KTP projects are running

Innovation, Impact and Business Development Officers and Managers

Dr Vivien Badaut
Innovation and Business Development Manager

Email: v.badaut@leeds.ac.uk

  • Transversal role supporting industry-led collaborative innovation projects across the University
  • Contact point for Innovate UK and other innovation funding opportunities; training and support
  • Develops and delivers a strategy for business engagement in collaborative innovation projects
  • Supports academics in industrial/business partnership development including partner discovery, engagement strategy, and follow-up strategy
  • Supports industries/businesses in finding the right academic partner to develop their innovation projects
  • Supports business case development

John Parkin
Innovation and Business Development Manager  

Email: j.r.parkin@leeds.ac.uk

  • Support for specific projects across Knowledge Exchange, Innovation, Translation and Business Engagement

Dr Gemma Jones
Impact Officer

Email: g.l.jones@leeds.ac.uk

  • Providing support for academics conducting translational research in the Health and Life Sciences
  • Translational research with aims of commercialisation or for patient impact
  • Support grant applications giving basic translational research
  • Basic prior art searches and market analysis searches to support early-stage research with potential for translation

Research and Innovation Development Managers 

Jodi Gunning
Research and Innovation Development Officer, Leeds Institute for Data Analytics (LIDA) 

Email: j.gunning@leeds.ac.uk

  • Development of Research and Innovation opportunities with academics within LIDA  
  • Developing and maintaining external partnerships with the public and private sector  
  • Overseeing data sharing agreements with a range of partners  
  • Development of data-driven research and innovation proposals to a wide range of funders  

Dr Adele Parry
Research and Innovation Development Officer, Astbury

Email: a.a.parry@leeds.ac.uk

  • Development of Research and Innovation opportunities with academics within the Astbury Centre 
  • Support for funding proposals for multi-user, interdisciplinary projects 
  • Development of translational opportunities for early stage commercial projects 
  • Industry engagement for projects within the Astbury Centre, including the Industry Advisory Board 
  • Support for the development and delivery of impact from Astbury Centre research  

Jeremy Laycock-Campbell
Research and Innovation Development Manager, Energy Leeds

Email: j.laycock@leeds.ac.uk

  • Developing new Research and Innovation opportunities 
  • Supporting large interdisciplinary and strategically important funding proposals 
  • Creating opportunities for collaborations with external stakeholders by organising networking opportunities, workshops and events 

Simone Wilkes
Research and Innovation Development Manager, Centre for HealthTech Innovation

Email: s.l.wilkes@leeds.ac.uk

  • Development of Research and Innovation opportunities with academics and clinicians within the Centre for Healthtech Innovation
  • Works across both the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to facilitate the development, adoption and diffusion of healthtech innovations
  • Acts as a front door for researchers and clinicians seeking connections across the two institutions and the wider healthtech ecosystem in the region
  • Supporting large interdisciplinary and strategically important funding proposals, with a particular focus for 22/23 on infrastructure grants to overcome barriers to the translation of research
  • Creating opportunities for collaborations with external stakeholders by organising networking opportunities, workshops and events