The London College of Communication (LCC) and Inca Digital Printing have been presented with a Grade A for a two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project. Acknowledging “Outstanding Achievement”, the award recognises successful collaboration in the advancement of high performance inkjet technology.

Based at the Inca company headquarters in Cambridge, the KTP project applied LCC expertise in digital colour management to the company’s development of high-performance UV inkjet printers. The objective of the project was to optimise the selection and use of additional coloured inks in the new six-colour and eight-colour models of the printers.

The team achieved all objectives in the time designated, as assessed by a panel of expert advisers at Momenta, the Government agency that administers the KTP programme throughout the UK.

According to KTP Associate, Johanna Kleinmann, as well as promoting technical advancement the programme also provided a unique training opportunity. “The Knowledge Transfer Partnership supported extensive personal development in ensuring the success of the project. Through the scheme I was able to complete a part-time MSc and acquired strong skills in colour science. I also had great working experience in a competitive company made up of brilliant people.”

Dr Will Eve, Director of Technology at Inca, comments: “Having access to the University’s expertise to improve our understanding of colour was one of the reasons for undertaking a KTP and it has worked very well. The combination of fresh, eager talent on site, together with experienced top-level supervision from the University, is really effective.”

Professor Lindsay MacDonald of the School of Printing & Publishing at LCC endorses the approach: “This was a project in which everyone benefited greatly, and we at the University were privileged to be involved in world-class engineering by a British company being applied to exciting new print media applications.”

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships helps businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills that reside within the UK knowledge base. It is funded by the Technology Strategy Board with 17 other funding organisations.

More information about the University’s KTP activity can be found at: http://www.arts.ac.uk/business/ktp.htm