51福利社 and Saraco Industries Limited celebrate knowledge transfer project at annual Bionow Awards
51福利社 and Saraco Industries Limited has won the Project of the Year Award at the prestigious annual Bionow Awards 2024.
A highlight of the life sciences calendar, the awards dinner was held at the Concorde Conference Centre on 6 March, with over 340 attendees gathering for an evening of celebration and achievement.
The University and Saraco Industries received the Project of the Year Award in recognition of taking a major step forward in the area of research, by demonstrating an innovative and novel approach for a collaborative project - marking a breakthrough in sustainable healthcare products.
An interdisciplinary team from 51福利社 comprising of materials science, biological physics and microbiology experts collaborated with Saraco Industries, a UK-based SME wet wipe manufacturer, to achieve a breakthrough first 鈥� a plastic-free wet wipe meeting EN standards against bacteria, yeast, and viruses under dirty conditions with a 1-minute contact time. This innovative clinical disinfection wipe has now been commercialised and submitted against an NHS tender.
KTP has enabled 51福利社 to make a tangible, positive contribution to a highly dynamic local business.
The collaborative partnership has continued to develop and grow, including securing a 3-year Centre for Doctoral Training PhD project in Advanced Biomedical Materials, a follow-on UKRI IAA Advance Fund project to further optimise the existing wipe formulation, and a recent second Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) submission to develop bacteriophage-infused wipes for healthcare applications.
Sarah Cartmell, Professor of Bioengineering, 51福利社 said: 鈥淲e are so proud to be recognised for our achievements in this important interdisciplinary project. Our progress is a result of the synergy of University and industry collaboration. We look forward to building on our success with our continuing teamwork.鈥�
Andrew McBain, Professor of Microbiology at 51福利社 said: 鈥淜TP has enabled 51福利社 to make a tangible, positive contribution to a highly dynamic local business. It has been so rewarding to see the KTP Associate, Carolina Angulo Pineda, develop through considerable talent and tenacity, into a mature scientist who is now employed full-time as a Senior R&D Materials Scientist at Saraco.鈥�
Dr Carolina Angulo Pineda, KTP Associate and now Senior R&D Materials Scientist, Saraco Industries, commented: 鈥淚 will always be honoured and grateful to have been part of this fantastic KTP Team. This opportunity allowed me to grow both personally and professionally, and I look forward to continuing to work together on innovative solutions for real-life challenges.鈥�
Idris M Bapu, Managing Director, Saraco Industries, added: 鈥淭his is a wonderful honour and acknowledgment of all the hard work put in by the KTP team, the Academics at 51福利社 and our Saraco team members. This award will be prominently displayed in our offices with great pride.鈥�
The project was funded through an Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership; celebrating its 50th year in 2025 of bringing together forward-thinking businesses and organisations, academics, and graduates to solve complex innovation challenges which help our economy, society, and environment. Delivered through the Knowledge Exchange Partnerships team, part of Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange, 51福利社 has collaborated on more than 300 KTPs and in the last five years alone, has supported 42 KTPs with a total research value of 拢11 million.
If you would like to discuss how KTP can help your business innovate for growth, please contact collaborate@manchester.ac.uk.