Kingston University announces 17 innovative projects to receive Seedcorn funding

In 2024 Kingston University is funding 17 Seedcorn Innovation projects at a value of £156,500 in support of innovative, knowledge exchange projects with commercial potential or with potential for further funding in collaboration with business partners. 

The Seedcorn Innovation Funding Scheme is supported by the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) and this year sees 12 projects fully funded across all four of the University's faculties, as well as an additional five which are partly funded by this scheme.

Dr Martin Davies, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Knowledge Exchange and Innovation highlighted the importance of the scheme. "The scheme helps facilitate valuable knowledge exchange and demonstrates how Kingston University is committed to supporting businesses to grow and innovate, facilitate local growth and create societal impact," he said.

Each project is allocated up to £10,000 and some key projects this year include helping cancer patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital deal with anxiety by creating an innovative communication design that saves money and improves patient experience. The academic leading on this is Associate Professor in Illustration Animation Dr Jake Abrams from Kingston School of Art.

Another utilising the Seedcorn funding is being led by Cancer Biology expert Professor Helmout Modjtahedi from the Faculty of Health, Science, Social Care and Education in partnership with Royal Surrey County Hospital. This project will use immunohistochemistry to investigate the properties of novel antibodies (developed by Kingston University) for use in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Projects in the Faculty of Engineering, Computing and the Environment include the development of an AI-based model to enhance accuracy of air pollutant measurements working with Technocom, while a project from the Faculty of Business and Social Science focuses on building a circular solution for collection, collation reuse and recycling of baby bottles, in partnership with Circular Economy Ltd.

You can find a full list of the projects and their funding below:

Evaluation of a sustainable, cost-effective and scalable technology (PropairgateTM) for the generation of fertiliser from the atmosphere

Academic Lead/Faculty: Adam Le Gresley (HSSCE)

Business Partner: Innovatius Ltd

Characterisation of novel monoclonal antibodies in cancer, developed at Kingston University, for diagnostic and therapeutic application and commercialisation.

Academic Lead/Faculty: Helmout Modjtahedi (HSSCE)

Business Partner: Royal Surrey County Hospital

Ubiquitous Therapeutic Play with Electromyography (UbiTheraPlay) Trials and Market Strategy – Phase 2

Academic Lead/Faculty: Christos Politis (ECE)

Business Partner: St George's University Hospital London/Children's Physio North West/AHEPA University Hospital part of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH)

Novel app system for acquisition of clinical pulse oximetry data

Academic Lead/Faculty: David Wertheim (ECE)

Business Partner: Cambridge Digital Health.

Development of Sustainable Lighting Solutions using Biodegradable Piezoelectric Materials

Academic Lead/Faculty: Payam Khazaeinejad (ECE)

Business Partner: Shinealight Ltd

Feasibility study of an AI-based model to enhance accuracy of air pollutant measurements collected from a network of low-cost sensors.

Academic Lead/Faculty: Farzana Rahman / Jean-Christophe Nebel (ECE)

Business Partner: TechnoCom Consulting UK Ltd

Leveraging and tailoring video quality assessment strategies for remote driving safety

Academic Lead/Faculty: Maria Martini (ECE)

Business Partner: Imperium Drive

Characterisation of the Atout Process Ltd. Electrical Capacitance Tomography sensor for Hybrid Propellant combustion studies for TRL raising activity – Phase 2

Academic Lead/Faculty: Peter Shaw (ECE)

Business Partner: Atout Process Ltd

To create innovative interactive communication design to help alleviate anxiety for cancer patients, saving money and improving patient experience.

Academic Lead/Faculty: Jake Abrams (KSA)

Business Partner: Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children

Innovative Short Courses for National Third Sector and SMEs: Toolkits for Professional Writing and Bid Writing

Academic Lead/Faculty: Kate Scott (KSA)

Business Partner: Kingston Voluntary Action

Festival of Futures: how communities can own their own futures

Academic Lead/Faculty: Cathy Gale (KSA)

Business Partner: The Community Brain

BottleBack: Building a circular solution for collection, collation reuse and recycling of baby bottles and other ‘early years' plastics.

Academic Lead/Faculty: Kate Jones (BSS)

Business Partner: Circular Environment Ltd

Partially funded projects

A small number of projects received partial funding to progress specific aspects of the project they proposed. These were:

Product-service system (PSS) design for improved child road safety

Academic Lead/Faculty: Pingfei Jiang (ECE)

Business Partner: Trafold Ltd

Neuromorphic visual sensing technologies for structural health monitoring

Academic Lead/Faculty: Maria Martini (ECE)

Business Partner: EU JRC

Phase 2 of Exploiting ways to allow ‘Adaptive Connectivity using Multiple Wireless Networks on a single platform' for Mobile Healthcare Applications

Academic Lead/Faculty: Muhammad Arslan Usman (ECE)

Business Partner: iScientia Limited, Wireless World Research Forum

The Q-Player AI System for Non-Player Characters in Games

Academic Lead/Faculty: Owen Brierley (KSA)

Business Partner: MODE Studios

Waste is no more waste: New product design from post-consumer textile waste

Academic Lead/Faculty: Smirti Kutaula (BSS)

Business Partner: Niimaar