Case Studies 
Case Studies
Warwick Warp
A fledgling university spin-out enterprise which specialises in facial mapping technology has the gaming industry in its sights after becoming one of the first firms to benefit from a new fund to support innovation and product development in the West Midlands.
Expert image analysts Warwick Warp, based at the Venture Centre on Sir William Lyons Road in Coventry, have received a £30,000 grant through the new £5.8 million Advantage Concept Fund, to help develop a new application of biometric algorithms to rapidly map and render 3D models of players for computer games and Internet applications using webcams.
Dr Li Wang, Chief Technology Officer at Warwick Warp, said: We are delighted by the support we have received through the Advantage Concept Fund. The grant is helping us to take our expertise in image analysis and develop innovative products with strong potential for commercial application.
We are planning to set up a new company, Fizzog, to exploit this opportunity, in parallel with our existing business in fingerprint analysis for security purposes. We can see the final products reaching the market relatively quickly and easily and being extremely appealing. The mobile phone gaming industry is an obvious target. This is a fantastic opportunity.
Creactive Design
A Leamington firm has proved it is on the right tracks after landing £30,000 in funding to help develop an innovative air cooling system for trains. Industrial design consultants Creactive Design is in the later stages of developing the energy efficient system which is called cabcool.
The system, which uses about a third of the energy of standard air conditioning units, has already attracted interest from a series of national train operators following the success of a similar product on the London underground network. Once the product is formally launched it is expected to attract orders worth millions of pounds. Once the product is formally launched it is expected to attract orders worth millions of pounds.
In order to develop the product, the New Street based company applied for a special grant from the Advantage Proof of Concept Fund and received £30,000 to help with prototyping, expert consultation and the development of software for research.
Tony Hume, engineering director for Creactive Design, said: The Advantage Proof of Concept Fund has been excellent.
Without it we would have had to find the money ourselves and take people off other projects, rather than recruiting external help, which would have put extra strain on the workforce. The funding has moved the project on a lot faster. Being able to take on outside workers has meant we have been able to find solutions quicker.
Integrated Systems Technology
A Black Country firm is set to revolutionise the world of lighting after developing a bright idea with the help of a £30,000 grant. Integrated System Technologies, based in Aldridge, has created a groundbreaking LED lighting system which could flick the switch on a global lighting transformation.
The Birch Lane-based company has developed new driver technology for LED lights which are about seven times more efficient than standard light bulbs and the LED drivers are about five to ten per cent more efficient than any similar product currently available.
At first the lighting products, which last about 60 times longer than standard bulbs, would mainly be used in the commercial and industrial sector but in the longer term the concept could replace traditional household lights.
The firm has already agreed a deal for use of the technology with one of the top three lighting firms in the world, and if the product is rolled out on a global scale, it will result in significant energy and financial savings for users as well as huge environmental benefits.
The technology, which is predicted to bring in over one million pounds over the next five years, was developed with the help of a £30,000 grant from the Advantage Proof of Concept Fund.
Helicopter Simulators Ltd
Helicopter Simulators Ltd secured the maximum £30,000 grant from the awards panel and invested it in developing a state-of-the-art helicopter simulator control system.
John Evetts set up the Aston-based business six years ago. The company design and manufacture unique custom-built flight simulators for flying schools, military, police, training pilots and individual enthusiasts.
Evetts, from Sutton Coldfield, said the money from the Advantage Proof of Concept Fund would allow the business to grow and continue to develop new products.
The grant money was the real kingpin of the whole project and without it we would not have been able to develop the product to a commercial standard,
he said.
We also needed to get the product tested and the grant money was our only real option for doing this. It has enabled us to develop the business, and now we can look at recruiting more staff, and continuing our growth.
Companies Awarded Grants: October 2008 - September 2009
The Fund made 157 awards worth £4.15 million to the end of September 2009. These 157 projects were selected from the 799 companies who lodged formal enquiries with the Fund and the 363 who submitted applications during this period. Details of those projects which commenced during this period are given below:
- 1 Call Research and Design
- Acetylated Fibres Ltd
- Advanced LEDs Ltd
- Advanced Tuning Development (Sales) Ltd
- Aerbuddies Limited
- Air Tube Conveyors Limited
- Ambidextrous Solutions Ltd
- Anaxsys Technology Ltd
- Assistive Design and Development Ltd
- Assuramed Healthcare Limited
- Aston University
- Autocarm Limited
- Be Eco UK Ltd
- Bead Technologies Ltd
- Bentley Chemicals Ltd
- Biotronics Ltd
- Birmingham City University
- Business Smart International Ltd
- Bytesnap Design Ltd
- Capitax Security Ltd
- Celentyx Ltd
- Ceramital Limited
- Chemport Limited
- Clearneeds Limited
- Coachbuilt GB Ltd
- Cobra Technical Moulding
- CoolFuel Technology Ltd
- Coventry University Enterprises Ltd
- Cox & Plant Ltd
- Creactive Design Limited
- Data Driven Logistics Limited
- Davidson Design and Build
- Digifuel Ltd
- Digital 2.0 Ltd
- DIMART Ltd
- Dingley Dell Ltd
- Direct Digital Media Ltd
- Dyecor Limited
- ErgoHome Ltd
- e-RPM Ltd
- Estriatus Energy Ltd
- Evenproducts Ltd
- Exilica Limited
- Galleon Systems Ltd
- GlobeTrack Technologies Ltd
- Green Innovations Ltd
- Grove Engineering Design Limited
- GTS Technologies Ltd
- Harrison Design
- Helicopter Simulators Limited
- Holden Aluminium Technologies Ltd
- Hollywood Gaming
- IMIRP Rapid Prototyping Ltd
- Innovations 28 Limited
- Innovations Factory Ltd
- Install Automation Ltd
- Integrated Ordering Systems Ltd
- Integrated System Technologies Ltd
- Inventor-e Ltd
- Janus UK Flood Defences Limited
- JM Developments
- K&J Enterprises (Wolverhampton) Ltd
- KC International Ltd
- Keele University
- Ketonex Limited
- Keybest Abilities Ltd T/A Terrafirma Tools
- Kobus Services Ltd
- Krysium Technologies Ltd
- Lambent Industries Ltd
- Langer (UK) Ltd
- LDMK Communications Limited
- Leakmate Limited
- Lichfield Staircase Manufacturing Limited
- LM Technologies Ltd
- M J Systems (Midlands) Limited
- M2M (GB) Ltd
- Makmarine Ltd
- Malvern Boilers Ltd
- Malvern Cosmeceutics Ltd
- Manson Doherty Healthcare
- Metal Nanopowders Ltd
- Mi-Zone Ltd
- Mugen Medical Ltd
- My Safe Hands Limited
- Nail Seal Ltd
- Nanunanu Ltd
- Norton Aluminium Ltd
- Novolytics Ltd
- Odissy Ltd
- Omnii Solutions Limited
- Origin Biomarkers Limited
- Original Perspectives Ltd
- Paragon Simulation Services Limited
- Physiological Measurements Ltd
- Piezotag Limited
- Powelli Industries Limited
- Quad-Lock (England) Ltd
- RedBox.com Limited
- RollingMedia Ltd T/A Roll7
- Roof Turbines Ltd
- Safe Patient Systems Ltd
- Sarissa Biomedical Limited
- Sarissa Biomedical Limited
- Self Awareness Holdings Ltd
- Sensaurial Ltd
- Sero Solutions Ltd
- Shoothill Limited
- Siber Engineering Ltd
- Spinning-Composites Ltd
- Sprung Ltd
- Staffordshire University
- StrideZ Limited
- Surface Processing Ltd
- Symptometrics Limited
- Synergic Innovation Limited
- Tails Limited
- Television Junction
- Tension Control Bolts Ltd
- The Lean Company (UK) Limited
- Theorem Solutions Limited
- Thermoplastic Composites (UK) Ltd
- Timing Solutions Ltd
- Touching Sounds Ltd
- Tsirus Limited
- University of Birmingham
- University of Warwick
- Unibyte Ltd
- Velocity 21 Ltd
- VFX Consulting (Technology) Ltd
- Virabiotech
- Vizeye Limited
- Walkin Wifi Ltd
- Warmamask Ltd
- Warwick Effect Polymers
- Warwick Warp
- Washroom Services Ltd
- Water Alert Limited
- Waterside Manufacturing Limited T/A Englands Safety Equipment
- WEEE Suitcase Ltd
- Willworth Enterprises Limited
- Xoptix
