Corporate Connections

Corporate Connections brought together diverse companies to spark innovative new ideas that could be translated into profitable businesses.

A series of collaborative workshops were organised involving: AXA; BASF; BUPA; Carbon Trust; Eon; GSK; ITCM; Kidde; McLaren; National Grid; NATS; Ordnance Survey; Philips; PPP; Premier Foods; Procter & Gamble; QinetiQ; RBS; SEEDA; and Virgin Atlantic.

The workshops focused on sharing technologies to develop new applications; and collaborating on a common issue, such as the sustainable use of resources, to mutual advantage.

Corporate Connections

Developing shared ideas

Opportunities that emerged from the workshops were assessed and analysed. The best ideas were followed up for further development and seed funding.

NESTA and H-I Network worked together to ensure the most innovative ideas were developed into profitable business concepts.

A major new business collaboration

Two of the companies taking part in Corporate Connections - McLaren and NATs - have begun a major new business collaboration as a result of the programme.

NATS, the UK market leader in air traffic control services, has adapted race control computing developed by McLaren to aid the management of aircraft on the ground. This venture into Airports-Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) software could significantly enhance air-traffic efficiency and be marketed on a global scale.

McLaren Applied Technologies is now recruiting staff to develop the new product. Business Development Director Chris Crockford said: "NESTA's Corporate Connections programme has given McLaren an unexpected opportunity to work with a totally unrelated business. It shows that in the right circumstances the most interesting innovations can come from unlikely collaborations."