News
Patently superior - East London Inventors Club clean up at British Invention Show
05 November 2005
Members of the East London Inventors Club (ELIC), which meets monthly at the University of East London’s (UEL) Docklands campus, are celebrating after achieving an impressive haul of four gold and six bronze medals at this year’s Betfair.com British Invention Show.
The show, held at London’s Alexandra Palace, is widely regarded as the UK’s premier showcase event for inventors. Run by the British Invention Society, the annual event enjoys support from government partners including the UK Patent Office and UK Trade and Investment.
ELIC Chairman, Terry Jennings, a veteran Ilford-based inventor who has already created the ‘‘E’Lite 2000 Safety Triangle’ and the ‘Emergency Hut’, said: “I am very proud of what ELIC and its members have achieved this year. Last year, the club won three gold medals; to come back and treble our medal haul is a fantastic achievement. My congratulations go out to all the members of ELIC who have been recognised for their efforts.”
Terry, who won a bronze award for his latest invention, the ‘Foot and Toe Cleaner’, went on to say: “This success demonstrates that ELIC is a great club to be associated with; in winning such a high percentage of the overall awards we’ve shown that our club can really help inventors get their creations onto the market. Many inventors and organisers from other clubs and networks have commented on how well our club is run, and I’m delighted that our success is encouraging other inventors to join ELIC.”
Launched in March 2003 by Trevor Baylis OBE, ELIC was set up as part of a national network to support inventors and help them to develop their concepts into successful products.
The club, which is supported by Knowledge Dock, the business facing arm of the University of East London, is the first of its kind in East London and has been a tremendous success, boasting a membership of 130 inventors and companies. Monthly meetings are held at UEL’s Dockland’s campus, providing a forum for like-minded inventors and business people to come together and share their expertise and experience. Members also benefit from regular talks from respected guest speakers from the world of invention and innovation.
Amongst this year’s award winners was new ELIC member Barry Reynolds. Barry’s invention, the ‘Ogles Mesoscope’ – an innovative optical instrument that enables the users to observe life within reef systems and captive environments in a non-invasive manner - won a gold medal in the Industrial Category.
Barry said: “This award came as a total surprise to me. I never imagined that I would win anything in my very first year of attending the show. I wouldn’t have been here at all had it not been for the East London Inventors Club and the support and encouragement that I have received from my fellow club members.”
Hilda Varley, Ranjith Wijekoon, and Celia Gates were the other ELIC members to be awarded gold medals, while Brenda Reay, Stefen Knoppik, Cintra Jaggan-Vince, Neil Snowden Bronze, and Charles Seber all claimed bronze.
Sonia Klein, Innovations Manager at Knowledge Dock, said: "The ELIC committee has worked tirelessly this year to develop a strong support structure for our inventors. The success achieved at BIS symbolises their tenacity in the pursuit of enterprise and innovation. I hope this success will stimulate others in our community to bring their ideas forward and realise their dreams. ELIC members are great role models for the Inventors in the Thames Gateway and an effective vehicle for knowledge transfer and creative collaborative with the University of East London."
One of the major selling points of ELIC is that members can access the wealth of expertise, resources and facilities housed at UEL, such as the Product Design Lab. A wide support network is also on hand to help inventors explore the feasibility of their ideas so that viable new products and processes can be researched, developed, designed, prototyped and brought to either pilot or market launch stage.
Support is also given to members on the more commercial aspects of inventions, such as the protection, exploitation and commercialisation of intellectual property rights, while advice and assistance is also available to help inventors access grants, funding and loans.
For further information on the East London Inventors’ Club, including details of upcoming meetings, please visit www.eastlondoninventorsclub.com
© Knowledge Dock 2005
The show, held at London’s Alexandra Palace, is widely regarded as the UK’s premier showcase event for inventors. Run by the British Invention Society, the annual event enjoys support from government partners including the UK Patent Office and UK Trade and Investment.
ELIC Chairman, Terry Jennings, a veteran Ilford-based inventor who has already created the ‘‘E’Lite 2000 Safety Triangle’ and the ‘Emergency Hut’, said: “I am very proud of what ELIC and its members have achieved this year. Last year, the club won three gold medals; to come back and treble our medal haul is a fantastic achievement. My congratulations go out to all the members of ELIC who have been recognised for their efforts.”
Terry, who won a bronze award for his latest invention, the ‘Foot and Toe Cleaner’, went on to say: “This success demonstrates that ELIC is a great club to be associated with; in winning such a high percentage of the overall awards we’ve shown that our club can really help inventors get their creations onto the market. Many inventors and organisers from other clubs and networks have commented on how well our club is run, and I’m delighted that our success is encouraging other inventors to join ELIC.”
Launched in March 2003 by Trevor Baylis OBE, ELIC was set up as part of a national network to support inventors and help them to develop their concepts into successful products.
The club, which is supported by Knowledge Dock, the business facing arm of the University of East London, is the first of its kind in East London and has been a tremendous success, boasting a membership of 130 inventors and companies. Monthly meetings are held at UEL’s Dockland’s campus, providing a forum for like-minded inventors and business people to come together and share their expertise and experience. Members also benefit from regular talks from respected guest speakers from the world of invention and innovation.
Amongst this year’s award winners was new ELIC member Barry Reynolds. Barry’s invention, the ‘Ogles Mesoscope’ – an innovative optical instrument that enables the users to observe life within reef systems and captive environments in a non-invasive manner - won a gold medal in the Industrial Category.
Barry said: “This award came as a total surprise to me. I never imagined that I would win anything in my very first year of attending the show. I wouldn’t have been here at all had it not been for the East London Inventors Club and the support and encouragement that I have received from my fellow club members.” Hilda Varley, Ranjith Wijekoon, and Celia Gates were the other ELIC members to be awarded gold medals, while Brenda Reay, Stefen Knoppik, Cintra Jaggan-Vince, Neil Snowden Bronze, and Charles Seber all claimed bronze.
Sonia Klein, Innovations Manager at Knowledge Dock, said: "The ELIC committee has worked tirelessly this year to develop a strong support structure for our inventors. The success achieved at BIS symbolises their tenacity in the pursuit of enterprise and innovation. I hope this success will stimulate others in our community to bring their ideas forward and realise their dreams. ELIC members are great role models for the Inventors in the Thames Gateway and an effective vehicle for knowledge transfer and creative collaborative with the University of East London."
One of the major selling points of ELIC is that members can access the wealth of expertise, resources and facilities housed at UEL, such as the Product Design Lab. A wide support network is also on hand to help inventors explore the feasibility of their ideas so that viable new products and processes can be researched, developed, designed, prototyped and brought to either pilot or market launch stage.
Support is also given to members on the more commercial aspects of inventions, such as the protection, exploitation and commercialisation of intellectual property rights, while advice and assistance is also available to help inventors access grants, funding and loans.
For further information on the East London Inventors’ Club, including details of upcoming meetings, please visit www.eastlondoninventorsclub.com
© Knowledge Dock 2005
