UEL’s Civil Engineering Professor, Devapriya Chitral Wijeyesekera (locally known as DC), believes KTPs provide a highly accessible route into cutting edge research for his post-graduate students, “The KTP Associate gets industry practice in solving real problems that a company has identified.  The KTP funding is wonderful, both for covering the research costs, as well as for the graduate who is paid a competitive salary.”

 

Prof. Wijeyesekera is currently working with Rawell, a specialist waterproofing company, which is led by one of his research students, Associate, Eric Loh. 

 

Working on a KTP allows Eric, as the Associate, to complete his PhD work under the provision that is made for his personal development, while at the same time carrying out research and project managing on the KTP. Eric explains, “As an Associate you have to balance the interests of both parties:  for the company; which is desperate for new product and new business; but also for the university - there must also be some academic contribution.”

Rawell, set up thirty years ago by current Chairman Bryan Flynn, produces and supplies waterproofing materials.  Their products are based on Bentonite, a type of fine-grained clay, predominantly from Wyoming in the USA, which once wet becomes impermeable.  One of the latest developments for the product is as a lining for landfill sites to prevent harmful leachates contaminating surrounding land, ultimately entering water supplies.  Eric’s own research and his work for Rawell, is in seeking to design a range of waterproofing products, for the many different climatic and geophysical environments of world-wide markets.

 

Fiona Nightingale, the KTP Senior Adviser explains, “The majority of KTPs are about new product development and that’s from Engineering to Arts based industries.  New products are what companies, particularly SMEs, desperately need to make them more competitive.”

 

Fiona believes that the ability to set up effective KTPs is often linked to pre-existing strong working relationships between an SME and an academic.  She says, “Projects work best when the academic and company partners involved already know each other and there’s some chemistry.  Ideally you’d also have at least one of the partners with previous KTP experience.”  

 

Fiona’s view is exemplified by Prof. Wijeyesekera’s experience who first met Rawell when he telephoned them to get a product sample.  His initial request led to a lasting and beneficial relationship both for Rawell and for DC who is now supervising his second KTP with them. 

 

In November, Rawell’s father and son team Bryan and Steven met up with Eric, Prof. Wijevesekera and Fiona for their KTP local management committee meeting. Fiona’s questions, which were in turn incisive, frank and supportive, drove the meeting forward and examined every aspect of project management, and the development and marketing of the new product. 

 

Bryan and Steven described the day to day hazards in a world of cut-throat competition, political intrigue and industrial espionage, in which, the product claims of some companies are often taken on trust, rather than subjected to rigorous testing.

 

Travel was also high on the agenda, visiting suppliers and distributors, trade fairs and carrying out site tests in different climates across several continents.  Later in the year Prof. Wijevesekera and Steven are travelling to Sri Lanka to look at the need for land-fill sites and find a suitable lining.

 

So what does everyone get from a KTP?  Fiona, from a mechanical engineering background, loves working with multi-disciplinary teams, Eric will get his PhD as well as precious industrial experience and access to a product – on a good salary, Rawell get a successful, vibrant  business and a new product, the Government get a good return on their investment as SMEs increase profits, productivity and create jobs.
 

And Prof. Wijevesekera?  “I get the satisfaction of creating funded research PhD’s for my students and I get the satisfaction of finding solutions to problems.”  He also gets the national and international recognition he deserves as an eminent Professor of Civil Engineering with a strong record for research for which he finds practical and commercial applications.