Newcastle Innovations partnerships secure more than £700,000 to turn expertise into business innovation

A major expansion of long-standing work

Three innovative businesses have each secured funding for a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Newcastle University, following successful applications developed with support from Newcastle Innovations.

Together, the three awards are worth £708,450.

Blu Sky, Origin Tech and Succorfish will each work with a team of Newcastle University researchers and a dedicated KTP Associate to co-deliver their project.

Spanning accounting, water infrastructure and sustainable fisheries, the partnerships will combine the knowledge and ambitions of each business with University strengths in artificial intelligence, data and engineering.

All three applications were successful in the latest Innovate UK KTP funding round.

The three business partners are:

• Blu Sky, a high-growth cloud accountancy firm and strategic business partner
• Origin Tech, an innovative technology company dedicated to solving challenges in the water industry
• Succorfish, an engineering company specialising in subsea communication and monitoring technology

Dr Claire Heron, KTP Manager for Newcastle Innovations, said:

‘Securing funding for all three applications is a fantastic result and reflects the quality, ambition and collaborative strength of these projects. Each partnership responds to a real commercial or societal challenge, while creating an effective route for Newcastle University expertise to deliver tangible impact.

 

‘KTPs are particularly powerful because they do more than provide access to specialist knowledge. They help businesses embed new skills, technologies and ways of working that can continue to generate value well beyond the lifetime of the project.

 

We have worked with all three businesses for some time, and we are looking forward to seeing these new projects strengthen those relationships further.’

What has been funded?

Transforming tax advisory services through AI

Blu Sky has been awarded £225,483 for a partnership with Professor Mohamad Kassem, Dr Huizhi Liang and Dr Erwei (David) Xiang.

The project will develop a high-value advisory offer for high-growth companies by using artificial intelligence to automate routine compliance processes. By reducing the time spent on repetitive tasks, the business aims to create more capacity for strategic financial analysis and insight.

The partnership combines Professor Mohamad Kassem’s expertise in digital engineering, Dr Erwei (David) Xiang’s expertise in financial management and analysis, with Dr Huizhi Liang’s research in data science, artificial intelligence and natural language processing.

Professor Mohamad Kassem, Prof of Digital Construction Management Engineering at Newcastle University, said:

‘Artificial intelligence has significant potential to change how professional services use data and deliver insight. This partnership gives us the opportunity to apply research in AI and natural language processing to a real business environment, developing practical tools that can reduce repetitive work and create more capacity for higher-value analysis.

‘Working closely with Blu Sky will allow us to develop and test these approaches in practice, with the aim of creating capability that can become embedded within the business for the longer term.’

Smarter, lower-carbon pipe repair

Origin Tech has secured £256,597 to work with Dr Ben Wetenhall and Dr Weichao Shi on the development of advanced predictive tools and engineering guidance for trenchless pipe repair.

The project will help water companies make better-informed decisions about the repair and rehabilitation of underground pipes. Its intended benefits include reducing water leakage, lowering resource use and supporting reductions in carbon emissions.

Dr Ben Wetenhall, Lecturer in Marine Technology at Newcastle University, said:

‘This partnership is an opportunity to translate advanced engineering knowledge into practical tools that can improve how essential infrastructure is managed.

‘By combining modelling, predictive insight and real-world industry experience, we aim to support more effective trenchless pipe repairs, reduce avoidable resource use and contribute to lower-carbon infrastructure.

‘KTP creates the conditions for genuine collaboration, allowing the academic and business teams to develop a solution together and embed that capability for the future.’

Keith Waters, Managing Director of Origin Tech, said:

‘We are thrilled to be partnering with Newcastle University as we continue to drive innovation, research and growth across the North East. As a business rooted in the region, we have long-standing ties with the University, with many of our employees having studied there and gone on to make a significant impact within our organisation.

'This partnership presents an exciting opportunity to strengthen those connections, advance collaborative research, and help develop the skills and expertise that will support the next generation of talent across the North East. The research and innovation that will emerge from this collaboration has the potential to make a real difference to communities across the globe, helping to address critical challenges through new ideas, technologies and ways of thinking.’ 

Advancing sustainable and transparent fisheries

Succorfish has been awarded £226,370 for a partnership with Dr Deepayan Bhowmik and Professor Boguslaw Obara.

The project will use advanced artificial intelligence and computer vision techniques to analyse vessel and sensor data. Its objective is to improve the automated monitoring of marine fisheries, supporting greater transparency around catches, regulatory compliance and more sustainable fishing practices.

Dr Deepayan Bhowmik is a Senior Lecturer in Data Science and Co-Director of Newcastle University’s Centre for Data Science and AI. Professor Boguslaw Obara is Dean of Business, Partnerships and Place for the University’s Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering.

Richard (Chad) Hooper, Chief Executive Officer at Succorfish, said:

‘We’re delighted to be working with Newcastle University on this programme and excited to get our Innovate UK KTP project underway.  It is also fantastic to see two other local companies receiving similar levels of support. We have worked with Blu Sky for many years, so it is great to see them in the mix, and we are looking forward to learning more about Origin Tech and their work too.

‘For Succorfish, this project gives us a great opportunity to combine our marine technology and industry experience with Newcastle University’s expertise in AI and computer vision, developing new capabilities that we can embed within the business for the future.’

Ian Blakemore, Knowledge Transfer Adviser at Innovate UK Business Connect, said:

‘These 3 very different businesses have all recognised the value of the KTP model, and are now on a journey to take the knowledge and turn it into tangible commercial benefits. Alongside public money, they have also contributed funding making each project a true joint enterprise. I’m looking forward to working with them as the projects unfold’

Turning Newcastle expertise into impact

The three awards demonstrate the breadth of challenges that can be addressed through collaboration between universities and businesses, from supporting high-growth companies and improving vital infrastructure to protecting marine resources.

Professor Boguslaw Obara said:

‘At Newcastle University, we want to work alongside businesses as equal partners, combining their commercial insight with our research expertise to co-create innovation and support sustainable economic growth in the North East.

‘These new Knowledge Transfer Partnerships demonstrate what that ambition looks like in practice. They draw on clear areas of University strength, including artificial intelligence, data science and engineering, and apply that expertise to opportunities with real commercial, environmental and societal significance.’

Newcastle Innovations is the University’s front door for businesses and other organisations seeking to access research, specialist expertise, facilities and talent.

Its Knowledge Transfer Partnership team supports businesses from the early development of an idea and preparation of a funding application through to the delivery of a successful project. KTPs can help organisations develop innovative solutions, create new products and services, enter new markets and embed valuable capabilities for the future. 

Led by Innovate UK, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) are designed to help businesses innovate, grow, and improve their competitiveness. The programme connects forward-thinking organisations with world-class UK academic institutions to lead strategic, high-value innovation projects.

Each partnership embeds a high-calibre graduate (known as a KTP Associate) directly into the business to lead the project, bridging the gap between commercial strategy and the latest academic research.

For over 50 years, this flagship programme has enabled companies to access new capabilities, drive profitability, and accelerate growth through the transfer of knowledge, technology and skills.