Knowledge Transfer Adviser, Stephen McComb, awarded Best PhD Thesis 2019 by Ulster University Business School

KTP Adviser wins top prize for healthcare technologies thesis

Congratulations to Knowledge Transfer Adviser (KTA) Stephen McComb, who has just been awarded the prize of Best PhD Thesis at Ulster University Business School.

His thesis focused on the topical question of how to improve healthcare delivery through Lean and technology. Lean is a philosophy Рwith associated tools and techniques Рwhich is all about releasing maximum customer value with minimum resources. It has been used in manufacturing, services and government improvement initiatives.

Through Stephen’s knowledge of Lean transformation programmes and insight into emerging technologies, he was able to identify the opportunities for healthcare technologies to address healthcare wastes and unmet needs. ¬†As a live case study, he focused on the Cardiology Network in Northern Ireland and patients with Heart Failure. His main learning was that healthcare reform has traditionally focused on the provider rather than the patient; however, a combination of Lean and technology provides an opportunity to re-focus on the patient which can lead to improved outcomes and reduced cost.

The work has formed the basis of a number of further research projects and contributed to the City Deal for Belfast which has a heavy Healthcare Technology focus. Similarly a Northern Ireland consortium has been formed in preparation for the ISCF Healthy Ageing demonstrators, which centres around the emerging reform topics discovered in the research.

McComb is due to receive his award from the Doctoral college on the 10th April as part of Ulster Universities annual Festival of PhD Research.

One of the Knowledge Transfer Network’s thirty expert Knowledge Transfer Advisers based throughout the UK, Stephen McComb links forward-looking companies with specialist academic teams to drive innovation success through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership. These unique three way partnerships – between a company, an academic team and a talented graduate – are designed to introduce and embed skills and knowledge to create transformative change.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships are delivered by the Knowledge Transfer Network and funded by UKRI through Innovate UK as part of the government‚Äôs Industrial Strategy. Currently over 800 companies are actively involved in KTPs – a programme which has been running for over 40 years and which is also one of the UK’s biggest graduate employment schemes.

Applications for funding, approx. 90% of which are successful, are available all year round. Find out more here.