Partnerships Powering Growth and Innovation

Collaborations with university students drives results

The National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) is compiling its State of the Relationship report 2025, shedding light on the vital role of collaboration between universities and businesses in fostering resilience and growth.

One standout case revisited from the 2017 report is the partnership between entrepreneurs Kelli Aspland and Laura Griffin and Cardiff Metropolitan University. Motivated by concerns for their children’s sun safety during school playtimes and the limitations posed by ‘no-touch’ policies, they wanted to develop a child-friendly sunscreen applicator.  They experimented and made detailed drawings but needed help building a prototype and connected Cardiff Met, where product design students took up the challenge as part of their degree programmes.

Masters student Laura Smith worked closely with Aspland and Griffin to refine what would become ‘Solar Buddies’. The patented device has since experienced remarkable success: winning accolades at the Business and Education Partnership Awards and attracting investment from Dragons’ Den stars Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden, as well as GoCompare founder Hayley Parsons. In 2025, Solar Buddies claimed a spot on The Times UK’s list of 100 fastest-growing companies, exemplifying the lasting benefits of university-business collaboration.

Having all the skills and talent for your innovation is tricky which is where NCUB’s innovation brokerage tool, konfer is providing valuable assistance. Konfer connects innovators with the expertise they need, through a network of more than 150 Universities and thousands of ‘innovation ready’ companies Increasingly UK universities such as City, St George’s, Bristol and Durham are using konfer to find industry projects for their students.

Recent successes highlight the impact. 3D vision technology specialists i3D robotics,, connected with City, St George’s University via konfer, where MSc student Anojan Raveendran was instrumental in delivering a bespoke commercial automation system. Raveendran’s contributions included developing advanced software and a correction algorithm that improved the clarity of Raman spectra by minimising instrument-based noise.

Envirup Limited also forged a partnership with City, St George’s University through konfer to enhance greenhouse insulation for residential use. Two MSc Advanced Mechanical Engineering students were central to refining the company’s patented panels, with founder Assim Ishaque, Envirup founder, described their input as critical to the product’s development.

These collaborations demonstrate how tapping into academic talent helps businesses, especially SMEs overcome technical and financial barriers, while generating solutions with positive societal impact. By harnessing university resources, businesses are better equipped to thrive in competitive markets.

There are hundreds of calls for innovation partners on konfer. Responding is quick and easy, and free! To find out how konfer can help your innovation collaboration journey visit: konfer.online.

The NCUB’s State of the Relationship report 2025 will launch online on 2 December 2025, register here.

Shivaun Meehan

konfer - communications