Innovative project to enhance the future of energy management
ASK4 and Innovation Futures secure funding for exciting energy management project
A Sheffield-based SME has teamed up with Innovation Futures at Sheffield Hallam University to secure £22.5k of funding for an exciting project which is sure to enhance the future of energy management.
ASK4, whose principal business is focused on providing internet and technology services, recently joined forces with Innovation Futures to develop new services providing energy data to residents and management of Multiple Tenanted Units.
Before approaching Innovation Futures, ASK4 had completed preliminary work in the development of a ‘smart meter’ that would use the existing network infrastructure of a building to aggregate data.
Working with ASK4, Innovation Futures identified potential funding from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and together the two organisations worked on submitting a detailed project proposal to the Board.
Utilising the University's strong track-record in securing funding for research activities, which includes a number of previous successes with TSB projects, Innovation Futures provided ASK4 with access to their expertise and together they produced a compelling bid.
The result was a competition win of secured funding amounting to £22.5k, allowing ASK4 to move their proposition forward and enabling them to carry out further work with experts in the fields of interaction and service design from Sheffield Hallam University.
This work has involved creating concepts and designs for the smart meter interface that would be used by the students.
Alex Prince, Director of Innovation Futures says: “Innovation Futures found this work extremely rewarding and we’re delighted to have helped to secure a positive outcome for our client. Similarly, the University has also gained some important experience by working with ASK4 in the important field of future energy management, and has been able to apply the knowledge it has gained to a number of other projects. For the University, this engagement brought benefits in both directions.”
Jonathan Burrows, Managing Director at ASK4, says: "Working with Innovation Futures was very beneficial to ASK4. It helped us access funding from the Technology Strategy Board for a piece of research and development that has lead to a viable product which we are now taking to market, as well as acting as a conduit to other parts of the University that were able to provide us with expert advice."
Project supported by Innovation Futures
