It has been another exceptional year for Research Tools, with a record invoiced income of £1.2 million and a record number of executed agreements (144), representing increases of 18% and 14%, respectively, on the previous year.
These increases are in part due to the extended and accelerated reach enabled by the express licensing platform e-lucid.
The platform now hosts 87 research tools, and the combined benefits of greater efficiency and increased end-user experience have resulted in 33% of all new licences for these tools being processed through e-lucid.
“The CSIM is an exciting addition to our ever-expanding portfolio of Research Tools created by academics and staff members at the University of Cambridge.”
Dr Siân Fogden, Associate Director (Research Tools)
As a world-class, research-intensive university, our portfolio includes a broad range of research tool types and applications. These include methodologies such as the Cambridge Sustainability Improvement Method (CSIM), which addresses the challenge of achieving sustainability in manufacturing – a critical success factor for reaching net-zero goals.
“It has a clear ability to enhance factory sustainability born out of an understanding of the importance of working with not only the factory management but also those people working day to day on the factory floor.”
Cambridge Sustainability Improvement Method
Developed by Gary Punter, Ian Bamford and Steve Evans at the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM), CSIM is an eight-step organisational programme that engages front-line workers to align sustainability with business goals, resulting in a 15–30% improvement in energy, waste, materials, water and rework efficiencies within 12 months.
CSIM analyses factory data to identify key operational drivers for eco-friendly practices. CSIM was integrated into our portfolio in 2023 and immediately licensed to IfM Engage, who provide the methodology as part of its consultancy and training offering. An exciting development for CSIM has been a handbook, created in 2024 to help companies engage staff for sustainability programmes, especially brands or conglomerates creating their own internal transformation teams. CSIM has attracted global interest for its potential to deliver world-leading sustainability improvements within the factory setting.
Founders:
- Gary Punter, Visiting Fellow IfM Engage, Institute for Manufacturing
- Ian Bamford, Commercial Director at the University of Cambridge’s UK Centre for Industrial Sustainability, Institute for Manufacturing
- Professor Steve Evans, Director of Research in Industrial Sustainability, Institute for Manufacturing
Image credits: David Johnson, Unsplash
