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Winners of this year’s iFactor Awards were announced and presented during Innovation Day on 21st April. Guy Jacobs, a director of local business Bloofers, presented the iFactor 2010 trophy to Roman Latypov, who created Smart Wares.
Smart Wares won for its concept of educational toys and products. One range of products is aimed at enabling blind or visually impaired people to achieve equality and access by simplifying the process of learning Braille and making writing much easier. Although this is a niche market, the products can make a real difference for visually impaired children and are therefore likely to be in demand. Another range of products is a set of educational toys aimed at the consumer market, which is growing continuously.
Smart Wares received prize money of £1,000, followed by £750 for second place, and £500 for third place. In addition to the cash prizes, the Knowledge Hub is providing up to £1,000 of free consultancy to the winner to aid business formation, or with intellectual property protection (patent filing, trade marking).
Smart Wares also had a 10-minute slot to pitch the concept to a wider audience during Innovation Day.
The second prize was awarded to Dr. House, a building repairs services company operating in the Attica region of Greece. Third place went to ETIN, for ‘smart’ nappies.
The awards for breakthrough business ideas are run alongside the Basics of Building a Business lectures. We received a wealth of entries from students and members of the public who participated in the series.
Our new Foundation course starting this summer will show you a set of concepts and practices for the effective management of IT services, development and change, and operations. The course aims to provide the skills needed to improve IT service for both customers and staff by giving a set of guidelines to follow when faced with IT situations. Delegates can expect to learn to provide an effective IT support service, run a helpful service desk, handle an IT incident or problem quickly and efficiently and successfully manage any changes in an organisation’s IT systems.
ITIL® is a best practice framework that has been drawn from both the public and private sectors internationally and the guidelines can easily be adapted to any organisation.
John Sentinella, Business Development Manager at the Knowledge Hub, said: “This course is an excellent way to improve customer and staff satisfaction through a more professional approach to IT service delivery. It would be of particular benefit to individuals requiring a basic understanding of the ITIL® V3 framework and those who have already adopted it but need to contribute to an ongoing service improvement programme. ”
The three-day intensive course will commence on 7th June at Putteridge Bury Conference Centre, Luton and concludes with an exam syllabus. The cost is £850 + VAT per person. All successful delegates will receive the ITIL® V3 Foundation Certificate accredited by the APM Group.
ITIL could be delivered at your work premises, subject to a minimum number of delegates.
For further information and bookings call 0800 328 5334 or click here
We were thrilled to present Reece Wood, owner of Bedford-based working at heights specialist Pristine, with the Young Business Person of the Year Award at the inaugural Conquest Business Awards on 25th March.
As sponsors of this award category we formed part of the judging panel. Reece’s entry stood out for his energy, enthusiasm, passion and sheer hard work since forming the business in his early 20s.
We also presented Heather Townsend of The Efficiency Coach with a ‘Highly Commended’ certificate.
Over 90 Bedfordshire businesses attended the ceremony, which took place at The Bedford Swan Hotel. The event was opened by Alistair Burt, the Conservative MP for Bedfordshire North East, who commended the efforts of small businesses in the UK.
To find out more about the winner and runner-ups please click here.
We are hosting a discussion and debate event, which will be open to the public. ‘Conserving our Environment: Facts, Fiction and the Future’ will be taking place on Wednesday 19th May from 6 pm at the Putteridge Bury Conference Centre.
The aim of the event is to unearth some of the latest research that will help attendees to understand and assess the consequences of climate change.
‘Conserving our Environment: Facts, Fiction and the Future’ is part of the 2010 ‘Changing Lives’ programme, which aims to present cutting-edge research and the latest developments in science and technology to the general public.
One of the keynote speakers, Professor James Crabbe, whose research on environmental monitoring is internationally renowned, will be showing some dramatic footage of changes in coral reefs as part of his presentation, ‘Why Conservation Matters.’ He will provide an overview into how good science can lead to conservation actions, which would benefit millions of people worldwide.
In ‘Facts vs. Fiction’ Professor Alan Barrell, Visiting Professor of Enterprise at the University of Bedfordshire , will discuss the body of publicised and factual work from experts in the field of climate change. Simon Hall, Director of Ecostyle Ltd will present ‘Spreading the Good News and Good Advice’, a talk on how imaginative approaches to informing, educating and involving can take the mystery out of climate change and make renewable energy exciting for all.
The event costs £10 and includes a buffet and wine and the opportunity to network with local businesses at the end of the event. Tickets can be reserved by calling on 0800 328 5334 or by e-mailing info@theknowledgenetwork.co.uk
