Tag: Edinburgh Napier University

Students shine as shoe fixing business expands

Edinburgh Napier students combine love of trainers with entrepreneurial spark for new business venture

A trio of entrepreneurial Edinburgh Napier students are shining brightly in the start-up world as their shoe cleaning service continues to expand into new regions.

Shoe Fix Edinburgh was established last year by Edinburgh Napier marketing students Euan Bodie and Lewis Holman and sport and exercise science student Hannah Thomson.

The business puts life back into shoes and trainers by offering a high-end cleaning service that includes a range of services from midsole repainting, body cleaning and shoe protection alongside free collection and delivery.

The trio met while studying at Edinburgh Napier University, with the idea sparking from a conversation they had whilst working a hosting shift at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on how best to clean their designer trainers.

Upon quickly realising there was no company that could provide the service they were looking for in Edinburgh or surrounding areas, the students realised there was an evident gap in the market and Shoe Fix Edinburgh was born.

Since its creation, the business has overseen rapid growth, with 100s using the service to breathe new life into their designer shoes and trainers.

The service has also proved popular with some of the city’s footballers, with Heart of Midlothian defender John Souttar and Hibs midfielder Fraser Murray among Shoe Fix’s growing customer list.

Interest in the shoe-fixing service has grown so much that the business has recently expanded into new areas and now covers Falkirk, Stirling and Livingston as well as Edinburgh itself.

And with the trio’s time at Edinburgh Napier soon to come to an end, the team is looking to build on their success across the country.

Shoe Fix Edinburgh’s Lewis Holman said: “We all have an interest and passion in trainers, as do loads of other millennials across the UK today.

“With a collection of designer shoes between us, we regularly used to browse the web and supermarket shelves to track down the best product to clean our shoes when they needed some TLC, but this wasn’t enough.

“As we are students we can’t afford to regularly purchase high end designer trainers and replace those that we think are beyond repair, and we know we are not alone in this so the idea for Shoe Fix Edinburgh really stemmed from there.

“We were initially surprised with the interest in the service – we didn’t expect to experience high growth in such a short space of time. However we have backed ourselves and knew there was a clear gap in the market. As marketing students we have used what we have learnt over the past four years to our advantage and made use of marketing communications to the best of our ability.

“We believe that our popularity is down to the quality of the service we provide. Through social media we are able to share customer feedback and post the results from a service at Shoe Fix. Our followers on Instagram love to see our before and after shots in which you can see how the shoes have transformed – check them out!

“As university is coming to an end, we thought now is the perfect time to put all of our time and effort into Shoe Fix, expand where we can and meet the existing demand. We love working together and what we do and that’s when we are at our happiest, so we have made the decision to put our all into this.”

Shoe Fix Edinburgh offers three levels of service: basic, advanced and professional. Prices start from £20 with free collection and delivery for all customers.

More information on Shoe Fix Edinburgh can be found on Instagram here.

 

Easing the global refugee crisis by building sustainable homes

Royal Academy of Engineering supports University-led research project

A project led by an Edinburgh Napier academic to provide homes for refugees fleeing conflict and natural disasters has been awarded major research funding.

A grant worth up to £300,000 over three years will help Francesco Pomponi and his team pursue their ambition of creating comfortable environmentally-friendly shelters in Jordan, Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

The cash will fund collaborative research to develop an earlier award-winning prototype called Makazi, which means ‘home’ in Swahili, into permanent housing with features like adobe plastering and thatched roofs which can then be customised in line with local traditions.

Dr Pomponi believes millions of people could ultimately benefit from the backing he has secured from the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Frontiers Follow-On Funding programme, which supports research which tackles international development challenges. He will also be mentored by a Fellow of the Academy as a result of the award success.

Dr Pomponi, Associate Professor of Sustainability Research at Edinburgh Napier, said: “More than 70 million people have been displaced as they flee persecution, conflicts and natural disasters, and half of all refugees are children. 

“Existing emergency shelters become their semi-permanent homes despite being soulless, wholly inadequate, impacting negatively on the environment, and in disregard of the social habits and traditional values of the people they host.

“Our project SHELTERs – Sustainable Homes Enabling Long Term Empowerment of Refugees – follows on from earlier funding and will allow us to build full-scale prototypes in different countries.”

Two-thirds of the world’s refugees come from just Syria, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Somalia, but they are generally not hosted by wealthy nations but poor and middle-income countries next to their own.

Francesco’s project team – which includes Edinburgh Napier colleagues Professor Mark Huxham and Dr Bernardino D’Amico as well as academics and experts from the UK, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa – want to develop a model for permanent housing that can be adapted to different settings, and build prototypes through participatory design involving local communities and intended users.

The project will collect unprecedented data on life cycle costs and environmental impacts whilst assessing users’ comfort and the social suitability of the regional variants developed from the Makazi concept to ensure economic viability and environmental issues are fully considered.

With the involvement of Plan International, the UN Office for Project Services and ARUP International Development, Francesco believes the project can achieve substantial impact and benefit the lives of millions.

Francesco said: “As a privileged, white male born and bred in the Western world, I always had a desire to know more of the life of others and their cultures and grew up with a sense of moral duty of ‘giving back’.

“This project is part of a life-long ambition of leaving a positive impact with what I do and I am grateful that so many international partners from developing countries have supported this idea and committed to working together for the next three years.

“I can’t wait to see what we will achieve together, and how our diverse backgrounds will offer novel insights to tackle old problems.”

Professor Mark Huxham said: “Across the world the numbers of displaced people and refugees are growing, and the difficulties these vulnerable people face are getting worse.

“Many attempts to house refugees that are intended as temporary solutions become long term settlements, and these can have major environmental impacts. This unique project brings together engineers, development experts and environmental scientists such as myself to help find solutions that are better for people and for the environment.”

Dr Bernardino D’Amico, a structural engineering lecturer whose role focuses on construction aspects of the project, said: “I feel very excited about the opportunity this represents to help the displaced. Too often temporary camps, deployed as a result of an emergency, become a permanent place of life for many people.”

The Frontiers Programmes are a suite of activities that address global development challenges using an interdisciplinary and innovative approach. The programmes establish a global community of early- and mid-career researchers, innovators and practitioners, with different perspectives from the forefronts of their disciplines.

The Frontiers Follow-On Funding programme offers mid-sized grants, worth up to £300,000 over three years, to build on previously funded projects, helping them to scale up previous activities into fully formed research projects that tackle global challenges.

Edinburgh Napier students join the front line as Special Constables

Innovative training while they studied sees students join Police Scotland Covid-19 response

Five Edinburgh Napier students are ready to support Police Scotland in its Covid-19 response after becoming the first individuals to qualify in the country as Special Constables through a new on-campus training programme.

The students – Larissa Engelmann, Campbell Cunningham, Annelise Hoey, Sumaiyah Shafique and Amy Murphy – who all study within the University’s School of Applied Sciences – have been training as Special Constables since January and have completed 136 hours of training while studying at Edinburgh Napier.

The project to bring the Special Constable training in-house was led by Edinburgh Napier’s Dr Andrew Wooff, who worked with Police Scotland to adapt the training to allow it to be built into the students’ timetable.

Regular Special training requires three full weeks at the Scottish Police College at Tulliallan or every weekend for 12 weeks. The in-house training saw the students undertake their training every Wednesday at Edinburgh Napier’s Sighthill campus, allowing them all to continue their studies and work part-time as they trained.

The training also included a visit to Tulliallan for officer safety training alongside giving the students a chance to meet other probationers and to learn about the discipline required to be a member of Police Scotland.

The programme was devised because of a growing demand from students to get involved as Special Constables, with the five students now ready to go out onto the front line and join Police Scotland community teams in working across their areas. The students will be available to help Police Scotland with its Covid-19 response, alongside offering support during periods where officers may be self-isolating because of the virus.

Dr Andrew Wooff, Lecturer in Criminology at Edinburgh Napier University, is delighted to see the first cohort of the training pass out as qualified Special Constables.

He said: “We are delighted that Edinburgh Napier could be the first to use this new on-campus training module so that our students could train to become Special Constables as they continue their studies at the University.

“Our main priority when devising – and carrying out – the on-campus training was maintaining the high Police Scotland standard while supporting students to become Special Constables. Their time at Tulliallan also gave them an insight into the discipline and standard required by a member of Police Scotland. The training is rigorous and will hopefully facilitate the successful candidates in pursuing a rewarding career with Police Scotland.

“The feedback from both the students and Police Scotland has been great and we’re really proud to see them out on the frontline already, supporting the Force in its community operations. Planning for the next cohort is already underway and we’ve had more than 50 individuals express an interest so far. We feel this type of flexible training benefits our students greatly and we look forward to playing our part in strengthening Police Scotland’s Special Constabulary in the coming months.”

Assistant Chief Constable John Hawkins said: “Police Scotland is extremely grateful to all five students for the time and effort they have already dedicated to their roles as Special Constables, from juggling their studies alongside training to now deploying on the frontline.

“Special Constables have always been a vital and valued feature of policing in Scotland, however during this extraordinary time the significance of their role is greater than ever and we have been humbled by the response of our volunteers.

“Our thanks also goes to Dr Andrew Wooff at Edinburgh Napier for committing his time to working with Police Scotland to adapt the training to allow it to be built into the students’ timetable.

“While Police Scotland undoubtedly benefits from the experience our volunteers bring, we also hope the opportunity is unlike any other where you gain confidence, new skills and get the chance to help people in need. I wish our new recruits the very best for their future on the beat.”

PhD student Larissa Engelmann recently completed her first shifts as a Special Constable. She said: “I decided to become a Special Constable to explore other ways of giving back to the community as I’ve already been involved in a lot of different volunteering opportunities within Edinburgh and beyond.

“The training – even though it was over three months, rather than three weeks – was still very intense. We had to learn a lot of legislation too but nevertheless it was really enjoyable. We had really great police officers who helped us with the training – and we had a lot of fun as well.

“I’ve had my first shifts at the weekend and although it was quiet, it was great to see some of what we have learned in training in practice and develop our own way of working in Police Scotland as a Special Constable.”

The Special Constable role is diverse, demanding and rewarding. Special Constables could be doing anything from policing a football match to assisting at a road accident. Special Constables also police major sporting and public events and provide an excellent bridge between the Police Service and the public, representing both the community within the police service and the police service within local communities.

More details on Police Scotland’s Special Constabulary can be found here.

For Edinburgh Napier students interested in becoming a Special Constable, they can contact Andrew Wooff on a.wooff@napier.ac.uk

Napier nursing and midwifery students take up NHS placements

Students from Edinburgh Napier University have spoken of their pride at taking up placements alongside NHS workers as part of the national drive to combat coronavirus.

Almost 1000 undergraduate and postgraduate student nurses and student midwives from the School of Health & Social Care are now being assigned to hospitals and care homes mainly across the Lothian and Borders NHS areas in response to the public health crisis.

The second and final year nursing and midwifery students have begun taking up caring roles following in-depth discussions involving a number of organisations to hammer out the details of the emergency measures to support the NHS. Those who have chosen to get involved will work on placement for an initial period of six months or until the crisis is over.

The recruitment of student talent to the national effort follows talks between the UK Government, Scottish Government, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, higher education and health officials aimed at putting in place the necessary regulatory and governance arrangements while also respecting students’ course requirements.

Changes to learning and teaching arrangements had to be made, supported by dedicated academic teams, and professional services staff worked tirelessly to help allocate students to paid placements.

Lecturer Dr David Whiteley has put together a continuously updated online support package so both students and School staff have all the latest information and guidance they need at their fingertips.

Edinburgh Napier staff are also supporting the health authorities and NHS Education for Scotland with the wider background infrastructure by collating details of developments like ward closures and mergers, initially from NHS Lothian and NHS Borders, so students can be allocated to roles where they will offer the most effective support.

Dr Hazel Willis, Interim Dean of Edinburgh Napier’s School of Health & Social Care, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has changed all of our lives and is requiring universities, NHS boards and student nurses and midwives to work in exceptional ways to address the requirements of the NHS and the wider population.

“Our students have demonstrated outstanding levels of professionalism during this period of uncertainty, and these remarkable people have the support of all of us as they go out to both aid and assist but also to learn from our frontline doctors, nurses and midwives in these challenging times.”

Lesley Murray, 47, of Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, who is in the second year of a Bachelor of Nursing (Mental Health) degree, has been placed in the Hermitage Ward at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.

She said: “This is the opportunity of a lifetime, to be needed on the frontline and able to meet that need to support our much-loved NHS. It’s a frightening time for all of us, and although I’m paying attention to those fears and anxieties, mainly I’m choosing to focus on the unique learning experience that will come from it.

“Being in mental health, it will be interesting to see how this affects the mental health and resilience of the population during and after the crisis. I imagine the impact will be felt for a long time, so to be involved directly in the care of others during the crisis will give me the context for people’s difficulties as they arise in the future.

“I feel fortunate that I’m in a position to do more than just applaud the NHS at this time; I can get involved and support it.”

Euan Hill, 21, from Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, has been placed in the emergency unit at Borders General Hospital.

Euan, who is in the third year of a Bachelor of Nursing (Adult) undergraduate degree, said: “I feel privileged to be asked to assist the workforce.

“Throughout my training, the support offered by my colleagues within the NHS has been amazing, and the prospect of working alongside them at this difficult time is daunting but very satisfying. There will be lots of challenges over the next few months, but I know that the guidance offered by the NHS and the University will put me in the best position to give the support my colleagues need.”

Getting tourism ready for recovery

A call has gone out to those with skills, expertise and experience, who are currently ‘furloughed’ or on a reduced working pattern, to help address the challenges facing Scotland’s tourism sector. 

In 2017, the sector provided employment for eight out of every 100 Scottish workers, but thousands of tourism business owners are naturally feeling anxious about the future in the wake of coronavirus.

The call to arms – ‘Getting ready for recovery’ – has been championed by around 120 alumni of the Destination Leaders Programme (DLP), a joint initiative for tourism industry professionals delivered for the past seven years by Edinburgh Napier University and Scottish Enterprise.

DLP alumni to mentor furloughed tourism workers along the road to recovery

The aim of the furlough initiative is to help small tourism businesses recover by providing targeted support and mentoring that can enable them to take forward identified actions, outputs and outcomes during this period of enforced reflection.

Professor Jane Ali-Knight (above) of Edinburgh Napier University’s Business School, explained: “It is intended that involvement will fall under the acceptable category of professional training for ‘furloughed’ professionals, and will help maintain and extend their professional skills, expertise, experience and network.”

This will mean projects taken up will be focused on objectives that underpin The Scottish Tourism Strategy to 2030, as well as wider destination leadership, development, management, industry resilience and recovery, and destination promotion.

Aileen Lamb from Scottish Enterprise said: “The objective is to support recovery and potential restructure of the Scottish tourism industry. We want to use this opportunity to encourage innovative thinking across a range of themes.

“Most importantly we want to encourage the supportive and adaptable nature of tourism professionals to shine. The initiative will include a weekly online session called DLP Assemble giving businesses a collaborative place to gather regular updates on initiatives and government funding as we look towards the point when restrictions can be lifted.”

Ali-Knight says: “We will guide participants on themes and tasks arising through the DLP Assemble initiative, to help form project groups with a good mix of experience and expertise, and to match groups with mentors and professional support.”

Kenneth Wardrop, a fellow DLP founder, says: “We want to act quickly, working with existing groups such as ETAG [Edinburgh Tourism Action Group] and STERG [Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group] in order to start applying practical thinking and solutions in response to the evolving and devastating impacts on Scotland’s tourism industry.”

Edinburgh Napier University is also running a free online course through FutureLearn to help small tourism businesses understand the power of data they hold or can access in helping them market themselves more effectively at this critical time.

‘Understanding Data in Tourism’ is open now for people to register for the next starting point, on 16 May, by visiting: 

futurelearn.com https://www.futurelearn.com/partners/edinburgh-napier-university

Napier University answers Health Secretary’s call for help

Edinburgh Napier is using its resources to boost the national drive to increase testing for COVID-19 by sending equipment from its School of Applied Sciences to support health authorities on both sides of the border.

The move follows a request for help from the Health Secretary.  Matt Hancock wrote to Principal Andrea Nolan on April 10 about the critical need for lab equipment to support the national effort to defeat coronavirus, and listed a number of priority items.

Professor Gary Hutchison, Dean of Applied Sciences, secured permission to return to the Sighthill campus with his family during the national lockdown to identify materials on the Government help list which have now been collected by a team from the army as a temporary loan.

The equipment loaned by the University includes four thermo cycler machines, used as part of the molecular biology process to determine if a patient test is positive or negative for the virus.

Following collection by the army, they will be sent to test centres across the UK to support the drive to increase testing.

In a separate development, Professor Hutchison has been in dialogue with NHS Scotland procurement and NHS National Services Scotland to make them aware of what equipment the University has.

As a first step, Personal Protective Equipment including body suits, masks, gloves and aprons is now being gathered for collection to support staff involved with the COVID-19 testing programme and other frontline activities.

Professor Hutchison said: “Assembling the correct equipment to meet testing needs in this time of national emergency is a huge logistical challenge.

“As Dean I am proud that our School is doing what it can to support the national scientific effort, our local scientists and frontline health professionals as best we can in this time of need.”

Staff at the University’s Merchiston campus have also been supporting health workers, by making scores of face masks on a laser cutter, and a training ventilator has been transferred from the University to the intensive care unit at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Clothing brand takes the honours at enterprise awards

A FORMER student who launched a clothing brand with products made from recycled tents was the big winner at the third Bright Red Sparks awards.

Media companies and initiatives set up to tackle child poverty and drive student enterprise were also among the winners at the event, which showcases innovative products and services developed by start-ups, spinouts, fledging companies and entrepreneurs.

The popular awards, an initiative of Edinburgh Napier’s Bright Red Triangle enterprise hub, were this year held online as a Facebook live event on Tuesday evening.

Students, staff and alumni from across the University community competed for more than £10,000 in prizes, and alumnus James Marshall’s 10T clothing brand emerged as a double category winner.

James, whose venture sees tents abandoned at music festivals turned into hats, bumbags and jackets, won a surprise extra award too; the Moonshot Award, chosen from all finalists by law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn to benefit from £3,700 of legal support and advice.

To cap a great night, James was also announced as Edinburgh Napier’s entrant into the Santander Universities Entrepreneurship Awards.

The awards saw 19 shortlisted enterprises across six categories assessed for everything from the viability of their ideas and clarity of planning to thoroughness of research and potential for growth.  

The Bright Red Sparks Awards 2020 winners are: 

 Bright Ideas (£2000 prize + in-kind support)

10T clothing brand (James Marshall).

Products are made from recycled or upcycled materials. The first collection is a jacket, bum bag, bucket hat and duffle bag made from recycled tents collected from music festivals.

James said: “’I am over the moon to win the Bright Ideas, Business for Good and Moonshot Awards, and to be Edinburgh Napier’s entrant into the Santander Universities Entrepreneurship Awards. I am still in shock but absolutely buzzing to see where it can take me.”

Business for Good (£2000 prize)

10T clothing brand (James Marshall)

Going for Growth (£2000 prize + in-kind support)

High Tide film and video production (Alex Porter-Smith, Eathan Currie). Edinburgh Napier alumni who specialise in creating high end online film and video content for a range of clients.

Alex said: “The cash award will enable us to support our activities over the next few months while continuing to grow our business, but we’re particularly excited about the in-kind support from Shepherd and Wedderburn and Morton Ward – their advice will be invaluable when planning the next stages.”

Active Citizens (£1000 prize)

pRESPECT reducing child poverty (Viana Maya, Karsten Huttenhain). Current students aiming to empower under-represented and diverse individuals to access meaningful and sustainable employment using drama techniques, technology and research.

They said: “We are grinning from ear to ear. This has added a wee skip to our stride as we strive to give our amazing, talented prospects just that tiny boost into meaningful work.”

Enterprising Educators (£2000 prize)

Design for Professional Practice career development (Ruth Cochrane) Fourth year Product and Interior Design module used as a platform to develop the University’s enterprise strategy by embedding undergraduate development opportunities.

Ruth said: “I’m delighted to win this Bright Red Sparks Enterprising Educator award in recognition of the support we offer our amazing students to become entrepreneurs.  We hope to use the prize fund to expand our work in creating inclusive pathways, encouraging and enabling our graduates to start businesses and create employment in an uncertain future.” 

Freelancer of the Year (£1000 prize + in-kind support)

Bright Edge Media video storytelling (John Matheson) Current television student using his skills to create content which supports charities in telling their stories.

John said: “This is a huge encouragement. The experience of Graphic Designer Pro in utilising video communication will be really helpful to me as I take Bright Edge Media forward.”

Nick Fannin, Head of Enterprise at Edinburgh Napier, said: “These are strange and uncertain times and so it was important for us to celebrate the Bright Red Sparks Awards and all the enterprising students, staff and alumni at the University.

“These awards and the cash and in-kind support that goes with them is going to be so important to our winners in the current challenging environment.

“It’s also great to be able to recognise the hard work of all the applicants and to remind everyone that life goes on and that businesses can adapt and still grow.

“Of course we couldn’t have done it without the amazing support from our generous supporters and sponsors, Shepherd and Wedderburn, Morton Ward, Graphic Designer Pro, Santander Universities and the Moffat Charitable Trust.”

John Morrison, Senior Associate at Shepherd and Wedderburn, said: “The quality of entries in the Bridge Red Sparks competition was, again, extremely impressive and all of the finalists deserve to be commended on the fantastic businesses they are each creating.  

“We wish all of the finalists every success and look forward to supporting the Going for Growth and Moonshot Award winners, High Tide Media and 10T, to scale their respective businesses.”

Ewan Morton, Managing Director, Morton Ward, said: “Congratulations to James from 10T and to all of this year’s finalists in what is one of the premier entrepreneurship competitions in Scotland’s Higher Education sector.

“It’s fantastic to see young entrepreneurs rising to the challenges of the modern world with businesses that embrace environmental sustainability and the circular economy. Morton Ward are delighted to be associated with the competition and we are looking forward to working with James as part of his prize.”

Dominic Bargeton, Director, Graphic Designer Pro, said: “We were delighted to be asked to support the Bright Red Triangle, Bright Red Sparks competition.

“It’s such a good opportunity for driven and creative students to showcase their talents. We are looking forward to working more with Bright Red Triangle and their pool of talented entrepreneurs in the future.”

University produces face masks for frontline health workers

Edinburgh Napier is rushing out scores of specially-designed visors to protect health workers on the Covid-19 frontline.

Workshop technician Colin Malcolm began churning out the face shields using a laser cutter at the Merchiston campus just hours after hearing about nurses trying to make their own from cotton before going on shift.

The masks – strips of polypropylene sheet plastic fastened to a clear acetate visor– are now being delivered to nurses and care workers who run the risk of infection every time they turn up for work.

The quick turnaround production line was set up on Monday after Ruth Cochrane, Enterprise Lead for the School of Arts and Creative Industries, heard from a relative who works as a community nurse in Ayrshire that she had been trying to make her own surgical mask from fabric.

Ruth also saw a social media post about design technology staff at Edinburgh Academy manufacturing face shields to donate to the NHS, and began discussions with Colin about how the University could modify the school’s design to produce a protective mask on our own workshop equipment.

Two large sheets of plastic, a laser cutter and a rivet gun were enough to inspire Colin’s own version of the design

After getting the go-ahead from University managers to be on the premises during the lockdown period, Colin made 20 of the protective masks during an initial session on Monday and hopes to have produced more than 100 by the weekend.

Ruth said: “The design is rudimentary and the masks are reasonably disposable but they will work as a stop-gap measure until official supply lines get going and I don’t think there will be a shortage of people to deliver them to.

“I have given a batch to a community nursing team, and the efforts of Edinburgh Academy have led to requests from nurses, care homes and hospices.

“We are in a situation where nurses are trying to make surgical masks in their own home, so we can certainly use our skills to create a better solution. Even if it only made one nurse safer at work for one day then it would have been worth having a go.”

Colin said: “At a time of national crisis many people are going the extra mile to make life a little bit more comfortable for others, so we are pleased to be able to use our skills and resources to bring a measure of protection to those who are working so hard in healthcare settings.”

Bright Red Sparks shortlist announced

The shortlist has been unveiled for the third Bright Red Sparks awards, which showcase innovative products and services developed by start-ups, spinouts, fledging companies and entrepreneurs.

The popular awards, an initiative of Edinburgh Napier’s Bright Red Triangle enterprise hub, will this year move online as a Facebook live event on the evening of Tuesday April 14.  

Trailblazing students, staff and alumni from across the University community will compete for more than £10,000 in prizes, with food, clothing, cleaning and media businesses among a wide range of projects hoping to impress the judges. 

The 19 shortlisted enterprises across six categories will be assessed for everything from the viability of their ideas and clarity of planning to thoroughness of research and potential for growth.  

Nick Fannin, Head of Bright Red Triangle, said: “The Bright Red Sparks Awards are a salute to all the enterprising students, staff and alumni from Edinburgh Napier University. We are in awe of the creativity, determination and energy of all of our University community to solve problems, to capture opportunities and to build businesses with purpose. 

 “Due to the current lockdown we have taken the decision to cancel the awards ceremony but we wanted to announce the shortlist in line with our original timeline as ultimately we want to be able to award the prize money at a time when businesses and self-employed people really need it. 

“It’s great to be able to reward hard work and we couldn’t have done it without the amazing support from our generous supporters and sponsors, Shepherd and Wedderburn, Morton Ward, Graphic Designer Pro, Santander Universities and the Moffat Charitable Trust.

“The package of support that our sponsors have offered will help our winners at a time when they really need it. We expect great things from all of those shortlisted, so watch out for their names in the future.” 

The 2020 shortlist was drawn up after scrutiny of the entrants’ online application forms, business models and video pitches. 

John Morrison, Senior Associate at law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn, said: “This year’s shortlist only highlights the continued quality of Bright Red Sparks entries, a showcase of the drive and innovative thinking that we need, now more than ever, to build successful businesses for the future.  Congratulations to the finalists for reaching this stage, and we wish you all the very best of luck.”  

Ewan Morton, Managing Director at creative agency Morton Ward, said: “‘It is inspiring to see such bold, brave and brilliant ideas coming from the Bright Red Sparks finalists.

“Not only do these entrepreneurial ideas represent sound business thinking but they also offer hope for the future by embracing digital technologies, the circular economy and environmental sustainability.” 

Bright Red Sparks Awards 2020 shortlist 

Bright Ideas (£2000 prize + in-kind support) 

CupClean cleaning product (Ross McFarland), 10T clothing brand (James Marshall), FoxBox tableware hire service (Linda Freimane)  

Going for Growth (£2000 prize + in-kind support) 

MaRobert’s food and sauces (Maggie Mazoleka), High Tide film and video production (Alex Porter-Smith, Eathan Currie), Monstrous Regiment Publishing indie press (Lauren Nickoemus, Ellen Desmond)  

Business for Good (£2000 prize) 

10T clothing brand (James Marshall), Fine Piece homeware from recycled materials (Kirsty McKain & Rebecca Subido), EQUIPLY supply chain equality (Wai Fong Lam)

Active Citizens (£1000 prize) 

Bloody Big Project period poverty awareness (Hannah Stevens, Brogan Henderson, Sam Calder), Towns of Today personalised guides (Rory Cotter, Morgan Tamplin), pRESPECT reducing child poverty (Viana Maya, Karsten Huttenhain)  

Enterprising Educators (£2000 prize) 

Enterprise Partnership Initiative student entrepreneurship (Dr King Omeihe), Entrepreneurial Leadership Programme developing entrepreneurial thinking (Dr Christopher Cramphorn, Dr Rosemary Alford), Built Environment Exchange sustainable construction (Prof Robert Hairstans, Dr Mila Duncheva, Andrew Livingstone, Carola Calcagno, Wojciech Plowas), Design for Professional Practice career development (Ruth Cochrane)  

Freelancer of the Year (£1000 prize + in-kind support) 

Loïc Bauméa web development, Bright Edge Media video storytelling (John Matheson), Charles Seed Media photographer and videographer  

The awards will be shown as a Facebook Live event at 7pm on Tuesday 14 April via the Facebook page @ BrightRTriangle here  

Edinburgh Napier University commended

The UK’s independent higher education quality body has commended Edinburgh Napier University for a range of good practice, including its ‘strategic approach to widening participation and direct entry’ and its ‘support for developing students’ skills in employability, enterprise and entrepreneurship’.  

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) appointed a team of five independent experts to review the University in October and December last year.

In particular, the team commended the University in seven areas:

  • Its strategic approach to widening participation
  • Its support for developing students’ skills in employability, enterprise and entrepreneurship;
  • Its approach to monitoring postgraduate student academic progress
  • The systematic enhancement of leadership in learning, teaching and research;
  • Its clear partnership working between academic and professional services staff;
  • The effective development available for academic and support services staff; and
  • The developing institutional approach to the use of data.

Professor Alyson Tobin, Vice Principal of Learning and Teaching, Edinburgh Napier University, said: “I am delighted that Edinburgh Napier University has been commended for our approach to widening access and for the support we give to our students to develop their employability skills.

“The report also highlights the opportunities our students have to engage in entrepreneurial and professional development opportunities to enable them to be successful in their future careers.”

QAA’s report also makes a number of recommendations, asking Edinburgh Napier University to:

  • Ensure there are clear student representative structures in place at all levels and make sure there are effective arrangements in place for the recruitment, training and support for student representatives;
  • Continue to develop mechanisms to enhance student engagement and respond to the student voice;
  • Continue to develop support mechanisms for online learners, graduate apprentices, transnational education students and other groups studying off campus;
  • Consider introducing a structured and longitudinal institution-wide induction for postgraduate research students;
  • Ensure that all postgraduates who teach complete the mandatory course prior to commencing teaching;
  • Progress implementation of revisions to the institution-led review process;
  • Make external examiners’ reports accessible to all students; and
  • Review the English language entry criteria and the proficiency of students on all transnational education programmes.

Edinburgh Napier University’s full QAA review outcome, with further details on all the above, can be found on the QAA Scotland website here.