UKTI Looking for Technology Product Video ahead of Olympic Games

Do you have video of your technology that the UKTI can use to play at overseas events at British Embassies and High Commissions to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Games next year?

UKTI is producing a film to showcase a number of UK companies active in the sports industry, prior to 2012 Olympics. If you have video footage of your technology and wish to be considered please contact Martin Kemp at the NanoKTN ASAP at: martin.kemp@nanoktn.com

At the NanoKTN's Nano4Sport event on 21 September, Neil Semple from UKTI referred to the UKTI Innovation Showcase film that they plan to produce by March 2012 to play at overseas events at British Embassies and High Commissions to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Games.

UKTI have now been asked by the producers of the showcase to provide film footage of UK capability and products that has to meet the following criteria:
1. Is it a genuinely innovation product, service, process or technology that is accepted by markets, governments and society and does it generally signify a substantial positive change?
2. What is the human face of the story? Has the innovation changed lives? One of the key aims of the showcase is to reflect how British innovations have changed the lives of people not only in the UK but around the world.
3. Will there be restrictions in accessing footage?
4. How likely is it that there will be good quality footage available to illustrate the innovation in question?

The proposed duration of the Innovation Showcase is 6-7 minutes inclusive of an introduction and a conclusion. Therefore, each sector will have approximately 30 seconds of screen time, albeit this duration is multiplied by a total of six individual video screens. They will use specifically composed music to help develop pace and emotion throughout the six to seven minutes duration.

If this opportunity is of interest, please contact Martin Kemp at the NanoKTN.

TDSi expands in Nigeria with partner Rapid Vigil Security Company Limited

Poole UK, 31th October 2011 – TDSi, a global leader in access control systems for all sizes of businesses and organisations, today announces Rapid Vigil Security Company Limited of Nigeria has become a partner. The partnership gives TDSi a greater sales reach in the West African market, whilst giving Rapid Vigil Security Company Limited full access to the company’s high quality products and top-tier support services.

Solent’s Collaborate2Innovate 2011 Now Sold Out

Event to build Profitable Partnerships for Organisations in Solent Region

The organisers of Collaborate2Innovate (C2I) 2011 have now closed the event registration after over 500 people registered for this year’s C2I event on Tuesday 1st November 2011, in response to overwhelming interest from local businesses wanting to attend the Solent region’s major collaboration and innovation event.

For further information on C2I please visit www.collaborate2innovate2011.co.uk or contact C2I's press office on c2ipr@mccint.com

TDSi launches new version of MICROgarde access control product software

MICROgarde Version 2.31 software makes installation easier with controller detection and additional language support

Poole, 25^th October 2011 – TDSi, a global leader in access control systems for all sizes of businesses and organisations has launched an updated version (Version 2.31) of its MICROgarde entry-level networkable access control product software. The new version makes installation of the system even easier.

dhc Launches iConnekt XL Software For Improved Integration Between Access Dimensions and Microsoft Excel

Accountancy and finance teams to benefit from faster and more in-depth reporting

dhc, a provider of integrated software solutions, today announces the launch of iConnekt XL. The tool has been developed by dhc to significantly improve the integration between Microsoft Excel and the financial software, Access Dimensions. Using iConnekt XL, accountancy and finance teams benefit from more control and better quality analysis, reporting and presentation of financial information. In addition the tool provides enhanced financial planning, budgeting and forecasting capabilities.

For further information on dhc and dhc's new iConnekt XL software please contact dhc's press office on dhcpr@mccint.com.

TDSi Appoints IP Video Surveillance Specialist, Customer Care Advisor and Pre-Sales Support to Global UK Head Office

Poole, 28^th September 2011 – TDSi, a global leader in access control systems for all sizes of businesses and organisations has recruited three new members to its UK team. Rob Clark joins as Business Development Manager for the company’s VUgarde IP video surveillance solution, Francesca Wilkey is appointed to the role of Customer Care Advisor, supporting TDSi’s partners, resellers and end-users, and Gregg Little has joined in the role of Pre-sales Support.

Multitone Launches i–Page Mobile Messaging and Fault Monitoring System

New Communication System For SMEs Improves Efficiency and Effectiveness of Staff Co-ordination and Incident Response

Multitone Electronics Plc, specialists in wireless communication, today launches i-Page, a cost effective and versatile messaging system. It enables small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to instantly, discreetly and securely communicate with staff via pagers, from any networked PC on their premises. i–Page can also be integrated with business equipment to provide a fault monitoring system, that upon detection automatically alerts staff to take appropriate action.

For further information on the i-Page and Multitone, please contact Multitone's press office on sarah.murray@mccint.com.

Information Security Solutions Europe 2011 to Focus on Trusting The Cloud, Mobile Security and e-Identity Management

22nd and 23rd November 2011, Clarion Congress Hotel, Prague, Czech Republic

EEMA, the European association for e-identity and security today announces that ISSE 2011 (Information Security Solutions Europe) will take place in Prague on 22nd and 23rd November 2011. Owned by EEMA, ISSE 2011 is the only independent, interdisciplinary IT security conference and exhibition in Europe. The 13th annual ISSE will be hosted this year by the Czech Chamber of Commerce and Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic and is supported by the European Commission, ENISA and TeleTrust.

For further information on ISSE 2011 and to register for the conference as a member of the media please contact ISSE's press office on issepr@mccint.com

Variety is the spice of the PR life

The first week at our new office has been a hugely enjoyable and productive one. We have had the pleasure of meeting many new people, who are working on some very exciting ventures, and the team here at MCC International have already begun seeking out the best places for lunch. What’s more we have found the cheapest petrol station for miles around!

However, every once in a while it is great to get away from the desk, so yesterday a couple of the team met with another company on the Southampton Science Park, whilst I was excited to be heading out to The London Stock Exchange, a great venue for an event, that is somewhat overshadowed the neighbouring, St Paul’s Cathedral. The seminar was being hosted by NICE Systems and co-branded by the excellent security website Info4Security and was titled ‘From the front door to the trading floor’, focusing on the hot topic of security and financial crime.

Today I was back in the office and as always Friday has a habit of being one busiest days of the week. But, powering up my laptop this morning and being greeted by a clients face on the front page of one of their top tier publications was a fantastic way to start things off. This morning was spent working on a few articles that will be going online and in print in the next few weeks, then just after lunch (a sandwich at the desk rather than lavish long lunches people think us PR’s have every day) another client decided to dropp by to say hello and provided a welcome break from the screen. As the afternoon pushes on we are busy arranging media attendance for a big event that will take place in London later this month, as well as hosting a Pan European PR call.

It is weeks such as this that make me realise how lucky I am to be working in PR.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Graham

A new home for MCC International

This is the first blog posting from the exciting new home of MCC International at the Southampton Science Park, a 45-acre development on the historic Chilworth Estate. As well as being a nature conservation area, the park is home to more than 60 leading-edge technology companies including University spin-outs and international household names in pharmaceuticals, software design, satellite broadcasting and mobile telecommunications. We are looking forward to sharing our 24 years experience in science and technology PR with many of them.

To get in contact with the team, you can now reach us at our new address:

MCC International

Southampton Science Park,
2 Venture Road,
Chilworth,
Southampton,
Hampshire SO16 7NP

We also have a new telephone number: 02380 111 977.

MCC International is just an hour from London and a mile from the M3, so we are easy to find and all of the team is looking forward to welcoming many of you to our new office in the coming weeks and months.

Graham Thatcher

NanoKTN and JEMI UK to Host Seminar at NANO Live UK

NanoKTN and JEMI UK to Host Seminar at NANO Live UK
Identifying Key Advances in MEMS & NANO Processes, 27th September 2011, Birmingham NEC

The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), one of the UK’s primary knowledge-based networks for Micro and Nanotechnologies, is pleased to announce that it will be hosting a seminar session at NANO Live 2011, in partnership with JEMI UK. The session will feature top speakers showcasing the latest advances in MEMS & NANO processes for Electronics, Industrial & Biomed Applications.

NANO Live UK 2011, hosted at the Birmingham NEC from 27 – 29 September will focus on the exciting and emerging area of nanotechnology, which promises ‘more for less’. It offers ways to create smaller, cheaper, lighter and faster devices that can do more, more intelligently and, use less raw materials and consume less energy. It is the next step from micro manufacturing and as it becomes commercially viable, NANO Live will showcase this cutting edge technology. The three-day event will offer a unique opportunity to showcase and share the ideas, knowledge and contacts that will drive the full commercial potential of this exciting and ground-breaking technology sector.

NanoKTN and IoN Confirm Success of UK Nanotechnology Mission to America

The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), one of the UK’s primary knowledge-based networks for Micro and Nanotechnologies, and the Institute of Nanotechnology (IoN), a professional membership organisation for the nanotechnology industry, are pleased to announce the success of the 2010 International NanoMicroClub (INMC) NanoMission to America. The mission, supported by Technology Strategy Board funding, was established to support UK nanotechnology SMEs in international business development.

The US is the largest market for biopharma, both in terms of the number of companies that the UK could partner with but also with regards to market size. In 2008 alone, the US has spent $2.3trillion on healthcare. To ensure the UK took advantage of the business potential in the US, the INMC organised a mission in September 2010, to BioPharm America™ and to visit various companies in Boston.

The UK mission team comprised BHR Group, Point-2-Point Genomics, Nanomerics, Conformetrix and EuropaRx. During the mission, they met with a number of organisations from Boston and the surrounding area, leading to five NDAs being signed. Despite business development being a long process, a number of potential opportunities for business and funding are already being explored, and the feedback from the mission delegates has been very positive.

NanoKTN to Look at Impact of Nanomaterials on Man and the Environment

14th September, 2011 – Begbroke Science Park, Yarnton, Oxford

The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), one of the UK’s primary knowledge-based networks for Micro and Nanotechnologies, is pleased to announce an event to review the possible effects of nanomaterials on man and the environment. The one-day seminar will examine the complex issues surrounding recent advances in the measurement and characterisation of nanomaterials throughout the whole product cycle.

By hosting this event, the NanoKTN aims to bring experts in standards, occupational health, toxicity and ecotoxicity, together with equipment producers and providers of analytical facilities. Networking sessions will provide a forum where experts can discuss the advances and issues in this field, meet and explore business and research opportunities with others, and evaluate testing methods and manufacturing processes. There will also be an opportunity for delegates to see first-hand the capabilities of new technologies in the nanoscale world through a stimulating and exciting exhibition.

Cutting costs in IT Security is a bad policy

By Robert May, Managing Director of ramsac (www.ramsac.com)

Business IT security is a perennially favourite topic of discussion. From SMEs to multi-national corporations (and even in government circles), the security of IT systems is much discussed and yet there is a feeling that maybe it is not always given the consideration it deserves. At a recent conference, CompTIA CEO Todd Thibodeaux suggested that it would be sensible to allocate 10% of a company’s IT budget to providing security, and yet the evidence suggests that in reality this is often not the case. For example, a Gartner survey recently found that the industry average spend on IT security is only about five percent. Perhaps even more startling is a report by the Ponemon Institute, Cenzic and Barracuda Networks which found that 88% of companies surveyed indicate they spend more on coffee than they do on securing Web applications!

NanoKTN and IoN secure £100K for UK Nanotechnology SMEs at recent Japanese Mission

The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), one of the UK’s primary knowledge-based networks for Micro and Nanotechnologies, and the Institute of Nanotechnology (IoN), a professional membership organisation for the nanotechnology industry, are pleased to announce that the International NanoMicroClub (INMC) NanoMission to Japan has so far secured new contracts and sales worth £100K for attending UK SMEs.

The mission, supported by the Technology Strategy Board funding, was established to help raise the profile of UK nanotechnology and give UK nanotechnology SMEs the opportunity to drive international business development. The UK mission team comprised BHR Group, Bio Nano Consulting Ltd, Promethean Particles, Mantis Deposition, Mode Diagnostics Ltd, Izon Scientific Ltd, Nanoco, Engrid Consulting, and Oxford Advanced Surfaces.

NanoKTN Helps UK Nanotechnology SME Grow To Industry Leader

The NanoKTN is pleased to announce that on-going support from its staff and events has helped a UK SME to secure business leads and forge relationships with key collaborative partners. As a result, scientific engineering company Plarion has grown to become a leading manufacturer in its field.

When UK-based Plasmon went into administration in 2008, a team of engineers with years of experience in the field established Plarion, which recently announced the development of its Discipher diagnostic solution. The low-cost, walkaway system is based on a DVD drive and DVD discs with microfluidic channels for rapid biochemical analysis. The on-board reagent storage and sample preparation, along with automated analysis software, offers significant time advantage through minimal user interaction, allowing a large number of tests to be done at the same time.

Plarion’s Systems Development Manager Jackie Cole has been directly involved with the NanoKTN since the company’s launch in 2009, attending events as an exhibitor, delegate and presenter. Actively engaging as a member of the NanoKTN has provided Plarion with vital intelligence about R&D facilities and services available in the UK, as well as providing opportunities to identify possible collaborative partners with specific expertise.

Two steps forward and a quick look back

It has been a busy week of looking forward here at MCC International with a big new client win that we cannot wait to start working with bright and early on Monday morning and securing a regular monthly column for one of our clients in their key publication. In other news, we have been busy putting together a very exciting new business proposal for a really interesting technology, so all fingers are tightly crossed for the go ahead soon.

On Tuesday, Agency Director, Graham Thatcher, attended his first (well first official!) CIPR committee meeting in Southampton and was delighted to hear that the Wessex region certainly has a thriving PR community. The CIPR is putting on a lot of events between now and the end of the year that will be ‘must attends’ for PR professional is the area.

Whilst some of us have been looking forward, others have been taking a peek in to MCC’s past, recalling our launch of Segway in to the UK market way back in 2005. In fact, they have been dusting off the two-wheeled transporter that many visitors to Winchester House have admired in our reception, with Simon modelling it for our Twitter profile, take a look at: www.twitter.com/mcc_int.

NanoKTN Awards Additional EPSRC Studentships for Innovative Research Projects

The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), one of the UK’s primary knowledge-based networks for Micro and Nanotechnologies, is pleased to announce that after initially awarding three EPSRC studentships in May 2011, it has allocated an additional three Awards to exceptional projects at the Universities of Birmingham, Oxford and Sheffield. The research projects will focus on polymer based dye-sensitized solar cells, additives to improve the adhesion and performance of inks, and anti-microbial agents in nano-hydroxyapatite coatings for titanium implants.

The NanoKTN had an exceptionally high number of applications this year, all of which were of a very high standard. The NanoKTN therefore highlighted these projects to the EPSRC for consideration and funds became available recently which enabled the NanoKTN to award 3 additional studentships.

The Future of PR

On Monday afternoon I had the privilege of taking part in The Future of PR debate, hosted by Bournemouth University (an institution with a well deserved reputation for churning out high calibre PR graduates), as part of an ongoing CIPR initiative.

For the seven of us sat around the table - a mix of senior in-house, agency and academia - it was like being back in the classroom.

Fuelled with a lot of coffee, as every PR person I know tends to be, we enthusiastically took part in a two-and-a-half-hour scenario planning exercise, where we considered what PR practise would likely look like in the year 2020, along with our hopes and fears.

Of course, placing a group of PR people in a room together and asking them for their opinion it never going to be difficult to get a debate raging and sure enough we were soon tackling issues of diversity, career progression, respect, evaluation, use of research and the broader public perception of our profession as a whole and the need for positive role models and advocates of good PR.

Undoubtedly, one of the most hotly contested topics was whether PR will still be known as PR in the next 10 years. Some could envisage it becoming absorbed under a broader integrated marketing communications banner, driven in part by the calls for new and emerging digital channels to be ‘owned’ by the PR function. Meanwhile, others could see a clear split emerging between those delivering high-level strategy becoming branded as Management Consultants, and the more tactical end adopting the moniker of Publicist.

One area of unanimous agreement was the fact that whatever it is called the need for PR is here to stay. There are many great PR practitioners doing a lot of great work and it is the responsibility of those of us who have chosen this as our career path, whether in-house, agency or those educating the next cohort of PR undergraduates, to continually promote best practise and extol the benefits of our profession.

Author: Graham Thatcher