ThermaFY Win Highly Commended Innovation Award

ThermaFY are delighted to have won the Highly Commended Innovation Award at the 5^th annual Knowledge Exchange Awards run by Interface.

The Innovation award praised the work we have carried out through the business/academic partnership we have with Fife College. Their expertise and knowledge have been a great help in the development of our technology and we will continue to work with them as our solutions grow. We believe these kinds of partnerships are key when looking to promote effective change both for the environment and to instigate local and global economic growth.

Fife College assisted in helping and improving ThermaFY’s thermal imaging software, used by heating engineers and surveyors to assess buildings in a cost-effective and non-invasive manner. It is a great illustration of a company collaborating with the right academic expertise, in this case, Peter Jones, an academic with 30 years’ experience in the gas industry. With this input, the company quickly realised the importance of providing supplementary training material, allowing engineers to gain a better understanding of how to use the app and the thermal data obtained.

It is clear that the college has helped out ThermaFY significantly, but the benefits are mutual. The college has been able to engage in applied research and ThermaFY have equipped the lecturers with new knowledge from the concept. This knowledge has been disseminated to apprentices and students who have been able to improve their digital skills and given them the confidence to question existing practices within their organisations and the wider sector.

The collaboration was funded by a Workforce Innovation Voucher, from the Scottish Funding Council, which aims to support innovation by developing a company’s workforce.

Among other applicants in the programme, ThermaFY were noted for being one of the businesses who pursued effective countermeasures to the problems we currently face due to climate change. The current Scottish government are committed to tackling these issues - first minister Nicola Sturgeon recently praised the dedication of academic institutions in Scotland to improve their collaboration with business and make the most of their ground-breaking and often world-leading research into sustainability and the environment. ThermaFY are excited to be a growing business at the heart of this innovation to save the planet.

Ivan McKee, MSP and Minister for Trade, presented the awards and remarked on the crucial role these partnerships provide in boosting productivity and creating sustainable economic growth for the country. He also commented on the programmes ability to bring communities and businesses together to create systems that benefit wider industries, propelling Scotland forward as leaders of innovation.

Interface is an Edinburgh company that connects businesses with academic institutions nationwide. The Knowledge Exchange awards celebrate the valuable work produced by these unique partnerships.