Nature Inspired Solutions: • Can help transform industries: Share nature’s R&D, raise awareness. • Are transformative solutions and provide “different thinking”, across traditional disciplinary boundaries. • Can help to solve some of our biggest industry challenges in energy, transport, infrastructure sector. The webcast recording is now available. Click here to watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPyTb_-qhgo Find out more about the Nature Inspired Solutions special interest group at https://ktn-uk.co.uk/interests/nature-inspired-solutions Join the Nature Inspired Solutions LinkedIn group at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13701855/

1. Nature Inspired Solutions (NIS) Special Interest Group
Monika Dunkel, KTM Emerging Technologies and Industries

2. Nature Inspired Solutions (NIS) Special Interest Group
Monika Dunkel, KTM Emerging Technologies and Industries

3. 3

4. Talk to me
4
Monika Dunkel
Knowledge Transfer Manager for Emerging Technologies & Industries
NIS SIG project & team lead
Drop me a line: monika.dunkel@ktn-uk.org
Connect here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monikadunkel/
Join the NIS SIG Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13701855/

5. All this rules and regulations…
5Foto: Uni Sussex, July 19, MD

6. Be with us today
6

7. Contents
• Welcome & Setting the Scene – Monika (8 min)
• Introduction to the NIS SIG – Monika (7)
• What are Nature inspired Solutions – Marc-Olivier (30)
• Examples for Nature inspired Solutions – Showcases (5/)
• Coffee Break
• Bioeconomy Strategy and NIS – Gillian (15)
• An industry example of applied NIS – Lee-Ann (20)
• A big industry problem – Daniel (20) – End of Webcast
• Lunch Break
• Access to Funding – Zoë (15)
• Workshop – Learn from each other (1 h 15)
• Wrap up, Networking, Close (till the end: 16.30 hours)

8. Nature Inspired Solutions (NIS) Special Interest Group
Monika Dunkel, KTM Emerging Technologies and Industries

9. Nature Inspired Solutions Special Interest Group:
Our Mission
9
Connect
Industry problems to solution providers.
Educate
Solution providers with NIS design frameworks.
Translate
Commercialise and accelerate solutions.

10. Nature Inspired Solutions Special Interest Group:
Our Mission
10
Connect
Industry problems to solution providers.
Educate
Solution providers with NIS design frameworks.
Translate
Commercialise and accelerate solutions.
Our Goal: form a network that continues to thrive
after project end in March 2021.

11. Nature Inspired Solutions
11
Rather than imitating the whole plant, animal or
biological process, nature inspired solutions aim to
uncover the underlying mechanisms and apply them in
the design of new products, processes or systems in a
structured way.

12. Nature Inspired Solutions: Learn from a pomelo
12
Project: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229948536_Pummelos_as_Concept_Generators_for_Biomimetically_Inspired_Low_Weight_Structures_with_Excellent_Damping_Properties
Foto: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomelo#/media/File:Citrus_grandis_-_Honey_White.jpg

13. Demand for Nature inspired solutions
13
Biomechanics
Materials
Chemical Engineering
Biotechnology
Robotics
Computational
Engineering
Emerging
Technologies
Nature
Inspired
Engineering
Efficient
process
design
Transport
Energy
Infrastructure
Agri-tech
Medical
applications
From Industry
Problems
To Interdisciplinary
Technology Solution

14. UK Capability and Capacity
14
CNIE, UCL: £5M EPSRC Frontier grant 2013, extended 2019

15. What’s in it for you?
Joining the NIS SIG provides an opportunity to:
Solve problems:
Seek support from the NIS community to solve some of your biggest
challenges.
Showcase your research:
Demonstrate your nature inspired engineering solutions to a wider
industry audience.
Make meaningful connections:
Broaden your network and leading to collaboration opportunities.
15

16. What’s in it for you?
16
156 members
Your contribution

17. Your action required
• Join and use our LinkedIn Group – Nature
Inspired Solutions at KTN
• Register for our NIS newsletter.
• ECI conference, Italy, September 2019 –
Industry workshop, KTN
• Send us feedback of the event / Mentimeter
www.menti.com Code 10 53 53
17

18. What’s next:
• NIS Design Event, 10th October, Birmingham – Register
• Community Building and Showcase Event, November,
Edinburgh
• Big showcase NIS, Q1 2020 – Sponsors welcome
• Sector specific /Topical Industry Workshops
• Commercial Opportunity Report, Landscape mapping
18

19. Thanks to everybody who participated in the
webcast.
We will send information and presentations, if you have
questions, get in touch.
Monika Dunkel
Knowledge Transfer Manager for Emerging Technologies & Industries
NIS SIG project & team lead
Drop me a line: monika.dunkel@ktn-uk.org
Connect here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monikadunkel/
Join the NIS SIG Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13701855/
19

20. And now … for the lunch break
Look at the 7 showcases
Eat, drink and be merry
Talk to someone you never met before
KTN colleagues and I are happy to facilitate
introductions
Be back in the room energized at 2.15 PM
20

21. Competition: Bioprocessing waste into
reusable products: DASA
This Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) competition seeks proposals for novel and
innovative approaches to develop a Bioprocessing Prototype System to recycle military
waste, oils, fuel and other liquid waste, into reusable products to enable the Ministry of
Defence (MOD) to manage its own waste on-site and produce reusable by-products to the
benefit of the environment.
This competition seeks to develop a prototype bioprocessing solution.
The innovation should include the development of an energy powered bioprocessing
system, the appropriate microbe mixes to break the waste down and the ability to capture
the by-products for reuse. Bidders can address all three aspects or individual aspects,
provided they can show a joined up capability with the other areas.
Phase 1 of this competition has approx. £1 million available to fund 3-5 proposals.
Additional funding is anticipated to be available for future phases of this competition.
To help understand the problem space and to facilitate opportunities for collaboration, an
event will be held at RAF Brize Norton on 25 September 2019. To sign up to this event
please register on Eventbrite.
This competition is anticipated to close in October 2019
More: https://bit.ly/2LGBVhn
21

22. Nature inspired Special Interest Group – summary
22
Nature Inspired engineering solution providers meet
industry problem holders that can benefit from Nature
Inspired solutions.
Focus
• Transport
• Infrastructure
• Energy
Activities
• Networking events; 1:1 introductions to start collaborations
• Showcases; shared best practice and success stories
• Community building with UK focus incl. LinkedinGroup
• Landscape Mapping / Commercial Opportunity Report
with support from KTN Teams:
• Emerging Technologies,
• Access to Finance & Funding
• Design

23. Project Plan
23
Landscape map / Commercial
Opportunity Report
4 events per year (3 sector
workshops, 1 NIS showcase)
Build an on-line presence for the
community, share stories
Landscape Map: After 2 years of
SIG activity
Exit: established NIS network
with NIS Specialist / KTM

24. What are we measured on?
• Growth of the community
• Success stories and best practice shared
• Increase of players on Landscape Map
• Collaborations brokered (KPIs)
- introductions
- collaborations
- GBP and other hard facts
24

25. Conclusion
25
• Nature Inspired Solutions can help transform
industries: Share nature’s R&D, raise awareness.
• Nature Inspired Solutions are transformative
solutions and provide “different thinking”, across
traditional disciplinary boundaries.
• Nature Inspired Solutions can help to solve some
of our biggest industry challenges in energy,
transport, infrastructure sector.

26. Good luck and spread the word.
264 leave Oxalis?, https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=498, Photo, June 19 morning, MD,
spread via bulbils or seeds

27. I hope you are not overheated yet: Workshop time.
274 leave Oxalis, Photo, July 19 midday, MD

28. Workshop Themes
DESIGN with Jake
(design, general knowledge Nature inspired solutions)
MATERIALS with Brian
(materials, bio-based materials, packaging, microbiology)
ENERGY with Chris
Energy, energy efficiency
SMART CITIES with Monika
TRANSPORT / AVIATION with Mark
transport, aviation, reducing drag, flow/airflow
AUTONOMOUS / CAV with George
sensor technology, visual systems, autonomous driving,
robotics, agritech
IT & MORE with Ali
computer algorithms and more efficiency, mapping & navigation
BIO SYNTHETICS - Dana
28

29. Workshop
29

30. Talk to me
Let me know the most interesting /
meaningful conversation you had to today.
30
Monika Dunkel
Knowledge Transfer Manager for Emerging Technologies & Industries
NIS SIG project & team lead
Drop me a line: monika.dunkel@ktn-uk.org
Connect here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monikadunkel/
Join the NIS SIG Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13701855/