Clients

Technology Strategy Board

Background

The Technology Strategy Board is an executive non-departmental public body (NDPB), established by the Government in 2007 and sponsored by the newly formed Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It promotes innovation in many ways. As well as investing in programmes and projects, much of its work is in spreading knowledge, understanding policy, spotting opportunities and bringing people together to solve problems or make new advances.

Challenge

In March 2009 we were appointed by the Technology Strategy Board to create a new web-based system to promote collaboration and innovation in UK business.

The project will enable innovators in business, research and government to collaborate and share knowledge online as well as supporting collaboration offline, driving forward the rate of innovation in the UK. It will be a key tool for the Knowledge Transfer Networks managed by the Technology Strategy Board, which already number 50,000 members.

The system will also allow the Technology Strategy Board to manage and award competitions and funding for research and development online; further reducing the resources, administration and timescales required to get new projects up and running.

Phased Delivery

Such a wide-sweeping and challenging project requires a phased delivery and deployment.
At the start of October 2009 we delivered the first phase of this project in the form of two new websites for the newly formed Energy Generation and Supply and Financial Services Knowledge Transfer Networks. The websites provide coherent access to a range of information including the latest funding opportunities, events, developments and news.

The next phase of the project is the expansion of the online platform to include collaboration and networking tools and encompass all of the Technology Strategy Board’s existing KTN’s.

Commenting on the contract award Steve Price, Head of IT at the Technology Strategy Board, said ‘TechnoPhobia was chosen because of their ability to provide thought leadership in addition to the high level of delivery.’