Hartpury University and Hartpury College enjoyed an excellent night at the inaugural Circle 2 Success Business Awards last night (21 June), winning the Change Management and Innovation Award for the outstanding work carried out by its Digital Innovation Farm.
Prof Steve Draper (Academic Dean (Research and Knowledge Exchange) at Hartpury) and Stuart Emmerson (Director of Business Development at Hartpury) had earlier handed out the Growth Award to winners Cosgrove & Drew in a category sponsored by Hartpury University and Hartpury College.
The ceremony saw local organisations and business leaders gather at the Manor By The Lake, with representation from across Gloucestershire, Bristol, Wiltshire and Worcestershire. Award categories included sustainability, employee engagement, culture and diversity, leadership and employer of the year.
Comprising an Agri-Tech Centre and Tech Box Park, the Digital Innovation Farm is widely used by industry to access the latest advances in technology, research and best practice. Hartpury’s reputation for agri-tech innovation continues to strengthen, and the recent addition of an Agriculture Digital Studio provides students and businesses with access to the latest in agri-technology and precision smart farming simulation.
Hartpury University has been working closely with Circle 2 Success in recent months to promote its Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) and their benefits for business. Businesses taking part in a KTP with Hartpury University can take advantage of an approved knowledge base to help them solve a specific challenge. Access to academic expertise, facilities, resources and a growing population of talented postgraduate students can help businesses to improve their processes and performance.
This isn’t the first time Hartpury has been recognised for its research and knowledge exchange. Research carried out by Hartpury University, submitted as part of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 process, was recognised as ‘world-leading’ and ‘internationally excellent’. Last year, Hartpury was also named as the no.1 specialist STEM university for local growth and regeneration, in the second publication of Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) results released by Research England.
Speaking shortly after picking up the award, Steve said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have been recognised with this award, especially in an area that we’re so passionate about. We’re working hard to ensure our facilities and research outputs allow us to remain at the forefront of innovation and change.
“Taken together, the many resources available to business as well as Hartpury’s trusted industry contact base, can help them to gain a competitive advantage to meet the needs of their customers.
“I’d also like to congratulate Cosgrove & Drew for winning the Hartpury-sponsored Growth Award and thank Circle 2 Success for organising a superb awards night.”
