Business engagement workshop encourages researchers to engage

The case studies development event was organised by the Centre for Sustainable and Resilient Communities

RESEARCHERS often find the process of accessing businesses and organisations difficult.  Equally an organisation may not be aware of the benefits of collaborating with them and the value of engaging in a case study and sharing their story.  At a Symposium held at the University of Huddersfield, postgraduates received a helping hand with the process.

Funded by the Northern Advanced Research Training Initiative (NARTI), the two-day event was entitled Making Waste Work – opportunities for collaboration and case studies and was organised by Dr Leigh Morland, Subject Lead (Acting) Entrepreneurship and Sustainability in the Centre for Sustainable and Resilient Communities for the University of Huddersfield’s Business School.  

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The event focused on how to find a good case study within the theme of waste management and included several talks from industry professionals with valuable advice from tutors on how to take the information they had learned forward in their research.   

Professor Gerard McElwee opened the event and introduced delegates to the ever-growing theme of what to do with waste. 

The morning saw an insightful talk from Jon Brigg, Manager of Innovation with Yorkshire Water.  He explained how the company is effectively designing out the waste not just to benefit Yorkshire Water, but the environment and wider community.  He also spoke about some of the grand designs they have planned for the future.  

David Beattie of Rounton Coffee gave the morning’s second example of how a business deals with waste management.  He described the process of coffee roasting and what can be done with the waste product ‘coffee chaff’, the dried skin on a coffee bean which comes off during the roasting process.  Rounton Coffee deal with this waste by-product by turning it into a briquette for burning.  However, David said there is definitely more out there that can be done with chaff, it just needs to be researched.

Additional speakers included Janice Frost from Leeds City Council, Ali Ward from SLATE and Professor William Young from University of Leeds.

The second day consisted of a workshop, facilitated by two experienced journal editors, the University’s Professor McElwee and Professor Paul Jones of Coventry University, to help participants develop their ideas for case study as well as contribute to knowledge and practice.   

“We had a lively and engaging two days.  Importantly, there have been opportunities for researchers to learn about waste issues in a range of businesses and for business representatives to explore the potential for research and collaboration with universities.

Dr Leigh Morland