9th December 2003

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KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER PARTNERSHIPS AWARDS 2003

Northern Ireland firm Keystone Lintels Limited, who created a substantial sales increase by diversifying into new and lucrative markets, will today be honoured at the UK national Knowledge Transfer Partnership awards, presented at a gala ceremony in London.

The Cookstown-based firm worked with the University of Ulster and UU engineering graduate Cormac Diamond, to develop the expertise for a new product range of roof windows.

Through the partnership, a new product, a mid-hung roof window, was designed, developed, tested and successfully launched. The company then developed a whole product range, which ensured that in the first year alone sales by its new subsidiary Keylite have gone from zero to £2.5million, 60% of which are exports.

Eithne Kelly, General Manager of Keystone Lintels commented: “At the moment we are now 20% ahead of our turnover target, which we’re absolutely delighted with.”

Professor Dennis McKeag of the University of Ulster said “The idea was to launch a product from scratch so that at the start nothing existed except an idea. Keystone have actually taken 15% of the Irish market and 30% of the Northern Ireland market in the first six months of trading. It’s an absolutely superb result.”

At the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Awards Event the exceptional success of six other knowledge transfer partnerships will also be recognised. Each one involved a business benefiting from the input of expertise from university academics.

Dr Ian Harrison, Deputy Director of Key Business Technologies at the DTI and member of the judges panel, said:
“On behalf of DTI and the other 10 public sector bodies funding Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, I am delighted to welcome the 2003 Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Awards. Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (formerly TCS) is the UK's leading mechanism for transferring science and technology, innovation, knowledge and skills from the knowledge base to business. At any one time, over 900 partnerships are in progress.

For further information, please contact:

Press Office Department of Communication and Development
Telephone: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk