Dr Andrea Wheeler, Dr Paul Rowley, Martin Hamilton

An Innovative Knowledge Platform for Business and Community Engagement A co-developed service model for online continuing professional development

in the energy sector

A CROSS-INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING FRAMEWORK FOR ENERGY CPD: MEGS-KT

GREEN ENERGY HEROES

OUTLINE

• Context • Problem.• Method• Solution is: the development method and the

“demonstrator”. • Benefits

Jisc Business Community Engagement (BCE)Programme AIMS

• To enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of institutional BCE and improve external access to institutional knowledge and expertise

• To contribute to making the UK ‘the best place in the world for university-business collaboration’

MEGS CONTEXT

• The need to support the growth of a low carbon local economy.

• The skills and training for local SMEs to make it happen.

Collaborators – working with an existing community

Midlands Energy Graduate School (MEGS)

a collaboration of Loughborough University, The University of Nottingham and the University of Birmingham, which includes the

energy community, local SME’s and entrepreneurs .

The Problem

How to develop a relevant, up-to-date desirable platform for “CFD” opportunities, opening up University resources and allowing SMEs to share their knowledge.

The Method

Questionnaires and Interviews (and Ethnographic Research)

• 10 paper filled questionnaire• 18 online surveys• 16 transcribed interviews• 1 work shadow day (excellent data but too time

consuming)• 3 planned “co-design” workshops

Bristol Online Survey (targeted SME group East Midlands)

• What would you say are the main difficulties to overcome in your role at the present time?

• What are the most important work related questions in your mind right now?

• What information are you lacking to support your business growth?

Barriers and limitations to this sort of primary research

• Hard to engage SMEs • SMEs don’t know what their knowledge needs are (they

don’t know what they don’t know)• Professional bodies/networks limiting access to SMEs by

“outsiders” (difficult to send out questionnaire via professional bodies)

• Concerns about sharing commercial information from SMEs – “I prefer not to say”

Building the MEGS-KT community – the Jisc, the fellows (the catalytic individuals) and SMEs team

SME community (50 participants over 7 workshops (9 speakers))

Fellows: Robin Nicholson (Award Winning Architect, ex- Vice President RIBA), Parity Projects (Award Winning SME), Institute for Sustainability (Training Centre), John Davis (Green Deal Assessor), Saucy Horse (Social Networking Business Champion). Carl Benfield (Prescient Energy [Solar and Wind]), Keyur Vadodaria (Researcher/ Architect), Richard Cartright (Engineer, RDC Energy Ltd, [Heat Pumps]) Jonathan Gilbert (Rapid Technology Transfer Group [Innovative Technologies]) Tracy Thomas (Saucy Horse, Social Media Marketing)

PhD students/Researchers (Loughborough University, Nottingham University) Enrique Centelles, Kate Simpson, Sergey Fomin, Paula Cosar, Becky Gough, Philip Leicester, Sven Hallin

Academics: Professor Jacqui Glass, Dr Paul Rowley, Dr Steven Firth, Zulfikar Adamu

Potential benefits• To address a skills shortage in the renewable energy sector – the energy education need and

demand within the SME community • To exploit an active collaboration between institutions – Loughborough University, The University

of Nottingham and Birmingham University (through the Midlands Energy Graduate School) and users (in the form of the existing MEGS SME community).

• Develop a demonstrator for an e-learning environment as an opportunity for innovative collaboration SMEs with the HEI sector which includes a bi-directional flow of knowledge.

• To meet business development needs an support the growth of low carbon communities and a green economy. To contribute to the LEP strategy building economically, environmental and socially sustainable communities by providing business opportunities for industry, local SMEs and entrepreneurs.

Fellows Lecture Series17/10/2012 Robin Nicholson, Edward Cullinan Architects24/10/2012 Russell Smith, Parity Projects14/11/2012 Terry McGivern, The Institute for Sustainability and the Flash Programme05/12/2012 John Davis, Domestic Green Deal Assessor16/01/2012 Carl Benfield, Prescient Power30/01/2012 Keyur Vadodaria, Researcher, CALEBRE project20/02/2012 Rich Cartwright, RDC Energy , Jonathan Gilbert, The Rapid technology Transfer Group, and Tracy ThomasTo ensure the sustainability of the project CEDE has agreed to fund the continued development of the community and engagement with the prototype through monthly evening lectures.

Mapping the sector (members and potential members of the community)

Catalytic Individuals and Our Social Media Fellow Tracy Thomas

LinkedIn Community (50+ additional members in the East Midlands)

Twitter Group 920 Followers

Fellows Lecture Series + Co-design workshops ahead of fellows lectures

Blogs feeding University website, twitter retweeted on University accounts

Planned Dissemination• Hamilton, Martin (2013) "Learning Analytics for Green

Energy Heroes" JISC Cetis Conference 2013. • Wheeler, Andrea (2013) “MEGS-KT : Building a

Community for Social Networking and Information Exchange” EDULEARN: 5th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies 1st – 3rd July Barcelona (forthcoming).

• Wheeler, Andrea (2013) “MEGS-KT : Social Networking and Information Exchange for the Renewable Energy SME Community in the Midlands” Engineering Education for Sustainable Development (EESD2013) University of Cambridge, September 2013 (forthcoming)

• We have established a community of academics, researchers, local individuals and SMEs keen to develop proposals and pilot project testing community energy projects.

• Provided physical opportunity for community meetings around renewable energy and interest in community energy projects.

• We have a service demonstrator which will sustain this community and it’s thirst for knowledge (and a sustainability plan).

What we need?

Sustainability

• Fellow – Tracy Thomas will continue to maintain LinkedIn group and twitter feed.

• Lecture series post project to continue with the support of CEDE (responding to the demand) as part of the outreach activities of CEDE.

• IT services Loughborough University to continue to host and provide technical support for the platform in the case of technical difficulties.

The Community Views• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx602KnOiFM

The Community Views• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPL8I8B6374

Benefits to others

• Initiated collaborative projects – students/ young academics linked with SMEs

• Proposals put forward for community energy projects.

FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE DEMONSTRATORAutomated functions v. community building and communities

of practice? (extending the community)

ROLES(self-identification)

ACTIVITY*(interviews and

questionnaire responses demonstrated the industry to be fluid in roles and identifying activities may reflect better the characteristics of the sectors)

INFORMATION SOURCES (cited in interview and questionnaire)

BUSINESS NEED (Knowledge transfer drivers)

Client advisor-consultant-low carbon consultant-researcher-unpaid consultant-lobby group-Fire consultant-Health and Safety

engineer-Architect--Design manager--Project manager Trainer-facilitatorDesigner-Fabricator/

ManufacturerSupplierWholesalerClientHomemakerContractorTradesmenElectricanApprenticeInstallerManagerDirector-Entrepreneur

ResearchWritingBusiness

strategy/strategic thinkingDirect marketingAdministrationOrganisational tasksInnovationBusiness developmentBuilding

relationships/networkingInterpersonal

communication Client advise (consultant)Technical interface

(architect)Integration of client

advice (architect)Training TeachingResearchingGrant writing/Tender preparation

Green DealGovernment

statisticsDECCPeople in GlazingSustainable INetDerby County

CouncilUniversitiesDerby Carbon

InitiativeFabricators/

manufacturersPersonal libraryBuilding onlineRIBA-

www.architecture.comGoogle/WikipediaBuilding magiciansNHBC foundationwww.edjcdatabase.comInternational energy

agencyEDUCATEAshrae.orgCIBSEEnergy plusSAP textbooks

Communication skillsFinding fundingSupport for business innovationFinding resources for R&DMore business opportunitiesTechnical knowledgePolicy knowledgeQA training for installersFinding work/new projectsFinding new projects abroadWinning new business on the right commercial termsAllotting enough time to new business venturesDon’t know what is neededAttracting skilled workforceKnowing how to meet LEED and Breem compliance levelsTo have a variety of projectsHow to identify projects that will bring the most and those that will bring the

least financial benefitsHow to deal with the recessionMore information on the Green DealJobsMarketing to clients

The taxonomy: “ a list of lists”

STRONG AND ENGAGED COMMUNITY

Potential collaborations (University of Nottingham and Birmingham Universities BCE)

http://www.greenenergyheroes.org