Collaborative Partnerships and Networks - Celebrating our Research and Knowledge Exchange Awards 2025

First Prize: Digital Sport North and LBU Partnership (Carnegie School of Sport)

Led by Dr Ian Richards with colleagues: Dr James Musgrave, John Myers, Julian Farrell and Richard Whitehead, the partnership between LBU and Digital Sport North launched in 2023 with the aim of helping people working in and around the world of sport and tech, creating a community and encouraging the industry to thrive and grow in the North.

Speaking about the partnership, Ian said: "The network cuts across those working in media, broadcasting, publishing, betting, gaming, professional sports clubs, governing bodies, agencies or other related sports and digital businesses to improve networks and develop careers.

"We have hosted three Digital Sport North Events showcasing the University, our business support, staff expertise, students and alumni in The Knowledge Exchange and Leeds School of Arts. This has attracted over 450 attendees. These events ensure that the partnership is not only wide-reaching but also deeply embedded in the realities of the sector. The university's staff and alumni have actively contributed to panel discussions, offering expertise and leadership that enrich the conversations and strengthen the credibility of the network."

Organisations that have met at events have gone on to deliver immersive and experiential applied learning experiences for students.

Speaking about winning the award, Ian added: "We feel very honoured and it makes all the hard work in setting up the partnership and events worthwhile."

Second Prize: Exploring Power and Consent in Key Stage 3 Relationships and Sex Education (School of Humanities and Social Sciences)

The project, Exploring Power and Consent in KS3 Relationships and Sex Education, was led by colleagues Dr Saskia Jones, Dr Kate Milnes, Dr Rhys Turner-Moore, Lauren Korytko, and Dr Katerina Litsou. The team partnered with Barnardo's children's charity and pupil co-researchers from a school in the North of England to strengthen school-based initiatives to educate young people about freedom to consent.

The team wanted to identify what resources are currently recommended for Key Stage 3 (ages 11-14) and work collaboratively with young people to analyse these resources, identifying gaps, taken-for-granted assumptions or messages about power inequalities and sexual consent.

Saskia explained: "We worked with a team of Year 9 co-researchers and provided research training. Together, we analysed and summarised the findings and are continuing to work together as we produce a creative output from the findings.

"We aimed to flatten the hierarchies between ourselves as academics and the young co-researchers and ensured that we made the process beneficial for the pupils e.g., by reimbursing with vouchers, helping them to develop and reflect on the skills gained so they can reference when applying for future work/study, and organised a tour of university subject spaces that the young people expressed an interest in pursuing.

"We have incorporated our experiences on this project into our own teaching and had very positive feedback from the pupil co-researchers around how the project has helped them to see that university and research could be something they'd be interested in pursuing."

Speaking about being shortlisted for the award, Saskia added: "We are very grateful - we're coming to the end of the project now so the recognition from colleagues at the university is really lovely."

Third Prize: Dr Matthew Brooke-Peat (School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing)

Dr Matthew Brooke-Peat was nominated for his partnership work with Leeds-based ARC Building Solutions, which has been built over the past 12 years and has seen the development and patenting of innovative new building insulation products.

Matthew explained: "I led the first collaborative project with ARC in 2013, which formed part of the development process for ARC's now very successful T-Barrier product. Several other building product evaluation projects followed over the years.

"In 2014, I secured funding to convert research outcomes into an invention to aid the retrofitting of roof insulation within eaves, which is a typically problematic area. A patent was granted for this in 2020, and I negotiated a licence agreement with ARC to take the invention to market. The development of the Retrofit Eaves Insulator was the pilot project in a two-year £161k Innovate UK-funded Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with ARC to develop a new product development capability within the company.

"The KTP project went on to be rated by Innovate UK as Outstanding. The Retrofit Eaves Insulator was launched in 2024, and ARC won Best Retrofit Innovation at the Building Innovation Awards 2025 for this product."

A second KTP with ARC has since been secured by Professor Saheed Ajayi and Dr Kate Morland.

Speaking about being shortlisted for the award, Matthew added: "This is a great opportunity to use the university's lasting partnership with ARC to illustrate several forms of knowledge exchange that can be leveraged to create impact within industry.

"Building and maintaining the university's relationship with ARC Building Solutions would not have been possible without the valued input of current and past colleagues. Professor Christopher Gorse, Janet Mulcrone, Jo Griffiths, Gemma Busfield, and Anne-Marie Gallagher are especially thanked for supporting these endeavours."