Hello there, discover business success stories, new partnerships, inspiring research and the latest from The Knowledge Exchange.
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September always brings a sense of fresh energy and new beginnings. We hope you’ve had a great summer and are ready for the months ahead.
In this edition, we’re sharing how Leeds Beckett’s Digital Innovation and Enterprise Hub helped Freight Agency explore practical uses of AI, alongside a closer look at how The Knowledge Exchange (TKE) has supported Nested Learning’s business journey. We also introduce our new KTP Associates, step into the working day of one of our academics, highlight the latest policy engagement activity and welcome a new face to the team.
We hope these stories inspire new ideas and connections. If you would like to explore how Leeds Beckett’s expertise could support your business, we would love to hear from you!
Richard Whitehead,
The Knowledge Exchange Manager
In this edition:
1. From AI ambition to action: Helping Freight Agency unlock productivity through agentic AI
2. New KTP Associates Introduction
3. Improving food equity: A day in the life of an academic
4. More than an office: How TKE supports Nested Learning’s growth
5. From research to real-world policy impact
6. New team member spotlight
From AI ambition to action: Helping Freight Agency unlock productivity through agentic AI
Leeds Beckett University’s Digital Innovation and Enterprise Hub is helping organisations turn emerging technologies into practical solutions for business growth. Through tailored training and access to academic expertise, the Hub supports businesses at every stage of their digital innovation journey.
Recently, the team worked with Freight Agency, one of the University’s Knowledge Transfer Partnership businesses, to explore how agentic AI and process automation could improve productivity. The practical training helped employees identify opportunities to automate repetitive tasks, streamline workflows and create more time for higher-value work, while also considering governance, risk and responsible AI use.
This is just one example of how The Knowledge Exchange connects businesses with Leeds Beckett’s expertise, training and innovation support, helping them turn ideas into action.
Ready to turn digital ideas into real business impact?
🤝 Connect with The Knowledge Exchange to explore how Leeds Beckett’s expertise, training and innovation support could help your business move forward.
🎉 New KTP Associates Introduction
We’re delighted to welcome Dr Rebecca Platt and Dr Shahrzard Falahat, who have joined two Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) projects connecting Leeds Beckett’s academic expertise with organisations tackling real-world challenges.
Dr Rebecca Platt has joined Dementia Forward, North Yorkshire, as Young Onset Research and Innovation Coordinator. Working with Leeds Beckett academics, Rebecca will help strengthen the evidence behind services for people affected by Young Onset Dementia in North Yorkshire. The project also aims to support the development of national standards for Young Onset Dementia care across the UK.
Dr Shahrzard Falahat has joined Zenergy Solar as a Smart Energy Systems Engineer. Her project will focus on developing ZenSmart, an intelligent monitoring and analytics platform for solar energy and battery systems. Using AI-driven monitoring and fault detection, the platform aims to improve the efficiency, reliability and optimisation of renewable energy installations.
These partnerships show how KTP brings research and industry together, turning specialist knowledge into practical solutions with lasting impact.
Improving Food Equity: A Day in the Life of an Academic
Dr Hannah Greatwood
What does a typical day look like for an academic working to create a fairer food system?
Dr Hannah Greatwood, Senior Lecturer in the Carnegie School of Sport and researcher at the Obesity Institute, takes us through her day at Leeds Beckett from teaching and supporting students to collaborating with public health professionals and researching how food environments can better support people experiencing food insecurity and obesity.
More than an office: How The Knowledge Exchange supports Nested Learning’s growth
For Jonathan Mann, Founder and CEO of Nested Learning, The Knowledge Exchange is much more than a place to work. Through TKE, Jonathan has connected with Leeds Beckett academics, students and fellow AI adopters to turn his initial ideas into structured commercial offerings.
From user testing and AI product development to marketing, pitching and business mentoring, these connections have supported Nested Learning as it develops AI tutors designed to help students access personalised learning support when they need it most.
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From research to real-world policy impact
Policy@LeedsBeckett has launched a new Policy Engagement webpage, where you can explore the University’s latest policy activity and connect with researchers. A new Community of Practice has also been created to help academics share knowledge, access resources and build relationships with policymakers.
Academic Policy Engagement
Professors Daniel Kilvington and Thomas Fletcher also worked with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Football to co-author the FairGame Report on Online Harms, offering practical, research-led solutions to tackle online harm in football.
Sport: Leeds Beckett is working with partners across the sport sector to support more inclusive policies and practices. In June, the Centre for Social Justice in Sport and Society and Leeds Business School hosted a symposium bringing together sport organisations, local authorities, advocacy groups and academics to explore inclusive leadership and governance.
Arts and Health: Professor Persephone Sextou’s Glowing Stars project uses a specially designed app to prepare children for MRI scans. It was featured at an All-Party Parliamentary Group roundtable exploring creative technology and digital health, helping to inform the NHS Digital Health implementation plan for 2030.
Professor David Glew, Director of Leeds Sustainability Institute
Built Environment and Engineering: Leeds Beckett worked with the Universities of Salford and Loughborough to deliver the DEEP project for the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero. Through this major study, the Leeds Sustainability Institute is helping shape more effective retrofit policy and support sustainable, affordable housing.
🎉New team member spotlight
We are very pleased to announce that Vicki Sagar has joined us as Coordinator at Carnegie Innovation, Sports Health Tech Incubator, The Knowledge Exchange at Leeds Beckett University.
Vicki has spent 20+ years working in journalism, marketing and communications, 14 of those years working in the world of tech startups, from Moonfruit (DIY website software startup), to accelerator and incubator programmes at Tech North (for tech startups in the North of England), Tech Nation (for tech startups across the UK), and the Berlin-based ProVeg Incubator (for food-tech startups across the globe). She looks forward to bringing this experience to Carnegie Innovation.
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