Foreword from Richard Gregory OBE
Chair of Yorkshire Science

Innovation cultures can be inspiring and liberating. The buzz and creativity is often so strong you can even sense it in the very fabric of the workspaces. I felt this recently walking through Gripple in Sheffield with Trevor Gregory, it reminded me of many creative/ media companies I have known over the years. Back in the 1980s I helped lead one of the first revolutions in television production technology at Yorkshire TV which saw secretaries become live news transmission controllers, motorcycle despatch riders turn into mobile links operators, and journalists and documentary producers start to film and edit their own material. New innovative technology and new mind sets helped fuel innovative products, or programmes in my case. Stereotypes were broken down overnight; the power of ideas translated into successful action created a fantastic ‘can do’ culture.

Innovation is the key to our regional and national sustainability. This is true for traditional sectors which need to continually re- invent themselves as well as new sectors, for manufacturing as well as service industries. Innovation in production and management processes as well as products and design. Driving down costs, improving quality, defending and improving profit margins, winning market share or opening up new markets, growing the business, keeping customers satisfied – its all part of the virtuous circle.

Our traditional excellence in ideas, nowhere represented better than in our region’s universities, is now being challenged by those emerging nations which were once famous purely for their low labour costs. India and China are producing 2 million graduates a year compared to our 250,000. China doubled its investment in research and development between 1996 and 2002.

So the global innovation race is truly on. In this region we have many wonderfully innovative companies, but just as we need far more companies contributing to our regional GDP, we need more innovation activity. The opportunity to harness intellectual property is there, thanks to our tremendous science capability. But a fit for purpose innovation framework needs far more – innovation friendly planners, financiers, infrastructure investors, deal makers, support agencies, as well as business leaders, academics and politicians. What is needed is a proactive, cohesive, ambitious innovation framework which translates opportunity into reality quicker than our competitors. Which is where Yorkshire Science comes in – to support, advise, lobby, broker and create the right environment for innovation to flourish.

Introduction to Yorkshire Science

Yorkshire Science is the Science and Innovation Council for Yorkshire and the Humber. It is an independent advisory body supported by Yorkshire Forward and established in response to a Government initiative to ensure the UK makes the most of its science, technology and innovation capacity.

The members of Yorkshire Science are high level representatives from private, public and academic sectors. The members work together to identify, analyse and critique large scale regional projects and advise Yorkshire Forward, partner organisations and the government on future innovation policy and strategy.

Key aims for Yorkshire Science are to foster valuable partnerships between businesses, knowledge transfer sectors and the finance community. The organisation is also keen to identify and encourage meaningful partnerships in Europe.

An overarching aim of Yorkshire Science is to encourage businesses in the region, large and small, to embrace the value of innovation of products, processes and business practice, as a valid and valuable tool for sustainable business growth and competitive edge.

Through encouraging innovation in the workplace, horizon scanning and creating value through science and technology, Yorkshire Science is promoting the wealth of knowledge in the region and the breadth of technology and willingness to embrace new technologies.

Yorkshire Science Members

Yorkshire Forward and Yorkshire Science sign Memorandum of Understanding

On 6 June 2006, Richard Gregory, Chair of Yorkshire Science and Simon Hill, Executive Director of Business Development for Yorkshire Forward signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

The MoU marks a commitment from Yorkshire Forward to support Yorkshire Science in its endeavours to increase support for and awareness of the importance of Science, technology and innovation. Simon Hill will represent Yorkshire Forward on Yorkshire science.

In turn, Yorkshire Science will advise Yorkshire Forward on future strategy for science and innovation, while ensuring engagement of key stakeholders and delivery partners, such as businesses, the knowledge base and the sub-regional partnerships.

One Year on, the story so far, by Dr Trevor Gregory

Yorkshire Science has a three year programme to devise a long-term strategy for science and innovation in the Yorkshire region. About to celebrate its first anniversary, Trevor Gregory, Director of Yorkshire Science, explains what the organisation has achieved so far, and what we can expect to see in the future.

“Our first year was very much about setting up the organisation, securing members, appointing roles within the team, and setting our agenda for the rest of the term. Richard Gregory takes over the Chair of Yorkshire Science from Chris White, formerly Managing Director of Nestle, whose enthusiasm and drive were instrumental in the establishment of the Council.

Our brief is a strategic one. Over the past twelve months we have conducted an audit of science based expertise and technology need. We have already established a working group to analyse business support activity in the area of innovation. This information has been fed into the regional Business Support Review, and will help to identify areas for rationalisation and consolidation. Ultimately this should lead to simplification of the landscape and begin to remove the confusion that businesses experience. Perhaps more importantly we will be able to identify any gaps in provision. This will make it much easier for businesses to find and access the kind of innovation support they need.

Traditionally, Yorkshire has a rich history of manufacturing in industries like coal, and textiles, and very labour intensive activities such as agriculture. We have to encourage businesses in these sectors to embrace innovation as a means of remaining (globally) competitive. This will enable them to produce goods (and services) which have high added-value, and will not be as susceptible to high volume goods produced with low cost labour. Furthermore, this culture and environment for innovation driven businesses should encourage growth of companies outside of these traditional sectors. For our survival, we are going to have to do things differently.

We need to find ways to use innovation to stay ahead. Our leading edge will come from exploiting knowledge and technology through innovation and extracting value from targetted distribution.

One of the main aims for us at Yorkshire Science is to encourage companies and businesses to realise the significance of this major mind change and to embrace a culture of innovation as an important part of business survival.

We know that some businesses will need help with the generation and implementation of new ideas. We have lots of knowledge in lots of different places and businesses are going to need time to access this new technology and new knowledge. Part of our role will be to highlight the need for innovation to be at the heart of successful, sustainable business. Those that don’t take on board change won’t grow, and certainly will not have accelerated growth.

If we are to encourage businesses to exploit knowledge, we have to make access easy. In a practical and operational sense, the Centres of Industrial Collaboration (CICs), and the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS), Universities and Knowledge Transfers Units are making good progress here. Part of the role of Yorkshire Science, is to ensure that we are able to pre-empt, advise and guide universities, industry and business towards the next big growth areas, so that as a collective force, we are developing a long term outlook and investing in the future.

As we are developing this long term strategy, we will be acting as the advisory body on innovation to the Board of Yorkshire Forward. We shall be looking to them for endorsement of the strategy, when complete, and their support to drive and implement the strategy, through Yorkshire Forward, and other partners.

Yorkshire Science is made up of representatives from innovative SMEs and global companies, academia and the public sector. It is important that we have different perspectives to understand the challenges and difficulties each organisation faces. This gives us an understanding of similar issues facing the wider regional sectors and helps us to have meaningful insight and to find a common purpose.

We also want to raise Europe higher up the agenda. The region has had access to non-competitive funding through Structural Funds, but these funds will be increasingly reduced over the coming years. Consequently, we need to look toward becoming a better partner in Europe and forming strategic alliances with other regions and sharing good practice. At the same time, we shall be promoting Yorkshire and the Humber as an excellent region for science and innovation, and our credentials speak for themselves.

Accordingly one Yorkshire Science initiative was to invite Harald Egnar from the Fraunhofer Institutes in Germany to talk to representatives of the CICs, universities and cluster managers. As a result of this event several CICs are actively pursuing 'friendships' with Fraunhofer Institutes to develop useful European collaborations.

I shall be working hard to promote the science and innovation culture within the Yorkshire and Humber region. With some of the most advanced and successful universities in Europe, coupled with companies already embracing innovation, we shall be promoting Yorkshire and the Humber offering to government, academics and business leaders.

We also have a major challenge to awaken regional business and industry to the opportunities and exciting developments to be made through encouraging and nurturing innovation as part of their everyday working lives. If our work at Yorkshire Science can help to put this in motion, we will have achieved a major objective.”

Zoo Digital


ZOO Digital Group, based in Sheffield, is a multi-award winning technology and interactive DVD development company. ZOO has built a reputation for delivering innovative professional software products and interactive entertainment across various digital platforms.

A mainstay of the company’s success and its continued expansion has been due in no small part to a firm commitment to innovation, research and development. In 2002 the then start up company was offered a DTI SMART Award to carry out a ten-month project to design and develop a system for creating highly interactive DVD-Video titles.

The successful outcome of that specific project was a prototype of patented technology which evolved into DVD-EXTRA STUDIO™. Sales in the new product for the year to March 2006 were in the region of £1.5 million.

DVD-EXTRA STUDIO maintains an edge over the competition. Using conventional DVD authoring systems to create interactive DVD-Video content is enormously complex, laborious and costly. DVD-EXTRA STUDIO offers a solution to this. It reduces development costs by automating the most complex, labor intensive and error-prone elements of the design and production phases thus enabling rich interactive content to be delivered comparatively cheaply and efficiently.

The interactive DVD genre, which gives users an experience more akin to interactive TV or CD Rom than conventional DVD, was a huge hit with consumers for Christmas 2005 – selling over 2.5 million units in the UK.

ZOO continues to design and develop cutting-edge software tools of the highest quality that will have a significant impact across the video production industry. “Throughout our discussions with Hollywood studios and production facilities it has become clear that ZOO’s software can make a significant difference to the DVD production process for both current and next generation Video Discs,” commented Dr Stuart Green, CEO, ZOO Digital Group.

The company has also developed a DVD Access Control system for secure distribution of video content which may be employed for screening discs used in next year’s Indian Film Academy Awards.

ZOO Digital Group continues to innovate and grow. ZOOtech Ltd was offered a Yorkshire Forward Grant for Research and Development (GRD), the successor of the DTI SMART Award, in December 2005 to carry out an 18-month project to build a prototype of an automated DVD production system suitable for creating professional titles.

Dakine Wave and Virtual Stage

For the next generation of aspiring animators wanting to follow in the footsteps of Nick Parks, the creator of Wallace and Gromit or Pixar, the team that brought Toy Story to the big screen, Dakine Wave, based in Wakefield, have created VirtualStage.

In August 2003 the company received a DTI SMART Award, a scheme now delivered by Yorkshire Forward as the Grant for Research and Development(GRD) to carry out a ten month project to investigate a software toolkit that allows users to create a virtual world, including virtual people with artificial intelligence and speech. The product can be used to create and record a film using virtual actors, sets and sounds.

Named VirtualStage, the software product provides a low cost route into animation filmmaking and creating a virtual film world for people without access to expensive 3D rendering equipment or graphics experience. VirtualStage capitalises upon the phenomena known as Machinima, enabling lay people to create their own virtual world, at home, on their own PCs.

As well as an excellent product for budding filmmakers to realise their creative dream on screen, the product has other exciting potential applications. Paul Brown, Chair and technical Director of Dakine Wave explains:

“There is a growing importance in virtual worlds; we can already see this with the growth of online games and virtual real estate being bought for real money. Virtual reality will become increasingly important as software becomes ever more sophisticated and virtual worlds and 3D graphics will appear in a growing number of application areas.”

“There are many potential areas of rich spin off for Virtual Stage technology. Simulations already play a role in the construction industry. However, where we feel there is a real gap in the market place is for the creation of virtual people. VirtualStage represents Dakine Wave’s capability to simulate human beings, people and their relationships and interactivity with one another."

“We perceive a real opportunity for growth here in the area of corporate and online training software. For example, dealing with a difficult customer or handling confrontation. This could be an invaluable tool for training sales staff, police and community officers, or for teachers working with their pupils to tackle issues such as bullying, relationships and so forth.”

With the assistance of grant funding, the product was launched in 2004. A ‘giveaway’ version of VirtualStage was developed in 2006 and so far, over 16,759 versions have been downloaded. The company is now looking for an investment partner to help convert downloads into sales and to assist in marketing and selling this highly innovative product to wider audience.

Yorkshire Science out and about
We are always looking for opportunities to promote the science and technology strengths of the Yorkshire region and to encourage more businesses to embrace innovation as a central philosophy for growth.

One of the ways we can deliver this message is to be involved in events, exhibitions and debates, pertinent to our cause. Dr Trevor Gregory, Director of Yorkshire Science, is particularly active in this area. In May he took part in a Manufacturing Alliance event, at Warwick Manufacturing Group.

Led by charismatic manufacturing champion Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, Dr Gregory took part in a rigorous debate about university to manufacturing knowledge transfer. At the event, Yorkshire Science was able to offer excellent working examples such as the CICs.

Dr Gregory said: “The Manufacturing Alliance is dedicated to sharing best practice and encouraging innovation in the work place. Part of our remit at Yorkshire Science is to create the right environment for businesses, large or small, to embrace innovation as part of its general practice. The debate was an excellent opportunity to spread the message of R&D and innovation in technology as a route to competitive edge.

The event was attended by manufacturing businesses from across the country, with contributions from Prof Jo McGeehan, MD of Toshiba research laboratories, Ralph Speth, VP of operations at Linde and WMGs Dr Charles Carey were some of the participating panellists, held to order by FT correspondent, Jonathan Guthrie.

Proving that you are never too young to learn about the value of innovation, Dr Gregory was one of the judges of the Engineering Inspirations 2006 event, held at Yorkshire Air Museum, in July 2006.

Organised by SETPOINT North Yorkshire, Engineering Inspirations is an education showcase event for students’ work in Science, Engineering and Technology. Involving over 500 primary and secondary school students and over 100 teachers, it is designed to raise awareness about the career opportunities in the field of science, technology and innovation.

Commenting on a very rewarding event Dr Gregory said:

“Engineering Inspirations is a great project and highlights theresident talent to innovate in our schools. Getting people interested in science, technology and its capabilities early on is essential so that we can find the innovators and entrepreneurs of the future.

“Yorkshire Science is all about creating the right environment to nurture and cultivate ideas and to turn these ideas into commercial value. What better way to encourage skills and development than through inspiring the next generation to take up the challenge.”

Yorkshire Science council member, Barry Dodd, was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours list in June for his services to Business.

A successful entrepreneur for over 30 years, Mr Dodd is a dedicated ambassador of innovation in the region and has worked as part of the GSM Group for over three decades,which has had consistent growth year on year and an enviable track record of innovation in both products and services.

A keen advocate for innovation in the workplace, Barry is a member of the Yorkshire Forward Board with responsibility for Business and Innovation, is vice-chair of Business Link York and North Yorkshire and is Chair of Connect Yorkshire.

Mr Dodd was pleased to receive the award and said:

“I’m delighted to receive the award and to use this opportunity to convince businesses in our region about the benefits of innovation. Innovation is vital. It plays a huge part in driving our economy. If we are able to compete on a global level we need to tap into good ideas and expertise and to develop new products and services, which offer quality and added value.”

Are You Embracing Innovation?

We are keen to hear from businesses, universities and research centres with a commitment to innovation, science and technology. If you have some news about an innovative product or practice that you would like to share with us, please contact Antonia Kershaw – Antonia.kershaw@yorkshire-forward.com