Press Releases
Celebrating the seeds of a successful university and local business partnership
Release Date : 16 September 2008
The University of Reading, in conjunction with the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), has presented awards to the top students from its inaugural summer work placement scheme.
The Summer Enterprise Experience & Discovery scheme (SEED) is run by the University of Reading's hugely successful Knowledge Transfer Centre (KTC) and offers valuable paid summer work experience for students as well as providing local companies and organisations with welcome additional resources.
Companies, organisations and not for profit charities take on students for eight weeks over the summer to work on a specific project. Placements see students work on specific jobs within their skilled area. Local businesses profit from having access to bright, enthusiastic undergraduates, who are able to dedicate their time and skills to strategic projects that will be of lasting benefit to the company.
At the end of the scheme, which includes two full days training for the students with a professional trainer, the students showcase their achievements. The Finale on 2 September was attended by representatives from the host organisations, academics, senior representatives from the University and local organisations. The judges were Dr Colin Baldwin, Knowledge Transfer Manager, SEEDA, Dr Shirley Williams, University of Reading's School of Systems Engineering and Alex O'Donnell, winner of last year's Shell Step project and now working at Microsoft.
The Overall Winner was Jack Hollingworth, a Computer Science BSc first year student who worked with Assuria, an IT Security software developer based in the Science and Technology Centre on the University's Whiteknights campus. He presented his project, working with Assuria's software engineers, to help them develop software for the company's new remote scanning tool.
Runner-up was Marios Pastou, a Building Surveying second year who worked with the British Institute of Facilities Management. The judges also made a Special Commendation to Rosie Cracknell, a BSc Biochemistry student who worked with Archimedes Pharma and Kim Cave-Ayland, an MEng Cybernetics student who worked with Thales UK.
Frances Young, Business Development Officer at the University of Reading's Knowledge Transfer Centre, said: "The pilot SEED scheme has been very successful. We received a large number of applications to get onto the scheme from students and the best 15 students have made a real impact in the organisations in which they have worked as well as gaining real experience from managing their own commercial projects.
"The University of Reading looks forward to expanding the programme next year. It is a fantastic opportunity for students to apply their academic experience and gain valuable commercial experience - and the students get paid for participating in SEED. "
ENDS
Further information from Alex Brannen, Senior Press Officer, on 0118 378 7388
About SEEDA
SEEDA, the South East England Development Agency, is the Government funded agency responsible for the sustainable economic development and regeneration of the South East of England - the driving force of the UK's economy. Our aim is to create a prosperous, dynamic and inspirational region by helping businesses compete more effectively, training a highly skilled workforce, supporting and enabling our communities while safeguarding our natural resources and cherishing our rich cultural heritage.
wwwwww.seeda.co.uk
University of Reading – enterprise / business
With its active enterprise agenda, the University of Reading makes a significant contribution to the Thames Valley economy and plays a leading role in several regional and national enterprise programmes.
The main focus of the University's entrepreneurial activity is start-up and small to medium-sized technology and knowledge-based companies. Sharing the University's expertise and resources in this way contributes to the knowledge economy and brings benefits to the local community, employers, students and the University itself. Over the last five years we have enjoyed considerable success in collaborative research partnerships, delivering over 1200 projects.
Services offered by the University of Reading to help companies innovate, grow and compete successfully include;- consultancy services, investors and funding sources; innovation and enterprise labs; lectures, networking events and workshops; licensing of intellectual property; low-cost serviced office and laboratory space; employment of high-calibre graduates; research and development facilities at our Science and Technology Centre; world class scientific equipment.
Programmes where the University enjoys particular success include:
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) – with over 30 active partnerships - the University hosts one of the most successful KTP centres in the country; spin-out companies; commercialising research and University intellectual property. www.reading.ac.uk/ktc
Assuria Ltd
Privately owned Assuria Ltd is a UK based IT Security software company, providing automated system security monitoring, compliance and assurance solutions to major organisations in more than 60 countries worldwide. Over 350 major enterprises use Assuria products to help protect against internal and external threats by maximising the effectiveness of internal security controls and protection systems, and they protect organisations and their executives from the risks associated with failure to comply with international regulatory standards.
For more information, please visit Assuria visit www.assuria.com