< Previous30 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk ONLINE TRAINING that “High-quality apprenticeships will be a vital contributor to the economic recovery that will follow the pandemic”. The government has therefore committed to working with training providers, end-point assessment organisations and external assurance organisations to mitigate the impacts of the disruption posed by the pandemic and to “maintain the integrity of apprenticeships”. Training providers are supporting this commitment and ensuring apprentices can complete their apprenticeships and providing support and resources to other employees making the most of e-learning. No doubt misconceptions existed around online training before the pandemic with some employers perhaps reluctant to use them over the misguided perception that they aren’t the equal of in-person training or lack the range of subjects. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Online courses cover a diversity of subjects from health & safety, administration and quality assurance right through to management and everything in between. © Shutterstock /fizkes LIVES launch online education package LIVES, the Lincolnshire-based first responders and provider of first aid training, has created a bespoke eLearning education packaging that both community and home-based carers can complete. The package is all about infection prevention and control, this will help you as carers protect every vulnerable member of Lincolnshire and beyond by safely knowing how to protect them against the Coronavirus and other harmful diseases. LIVES can also track how many people have used it, which will also help you know how many of your staff has accessed the training. The education material outlines: the latest guidance on donning and doffing personal protective equipment, equipment cleaning guidance, and what to do during a cardiac arrest scenario during the coronavirus pandemic. Individuals can undertake this education from the comfort of their homes or workplace. The education is current and is created from the latest Public Health England guidance. To find out more, visit www.lives.org.uk. 28-31.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 10:55 Page 3www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 31 ONLINE TRAINING Because of the nature of e-learning and the flexibility we’ve already touched on, it means training providers are uniquely positioned to get creative with their content and how it’s delivered. This ‘out of the box’ thinking offers a great opportunity to make courses and learning content more engaging, memorable and, thusly, more effective. It also means that content can be continually refreshed and updated with the latest research and findings in a way that traditional location- based courses simply can’t compete with. Providers also have access to analytic data from which they can see what does and doesn’t work about the courses they provide and, crucially, they way in which they’re delivered. That’s certainly more reliable that learners filling out a feedback form after they’ve finished the course. So, whether it’s learning new skills for a career change, completing an apprenticeship, ensuring staff are operating to their fullest potential or making the best opportunity of the lockdown, online training is truly a blessing in these times. Although the coronavirus crisis presents an unprecedented hurdle for businesses to overcome, with the use of online training, a stronger, more skilled workforce is evolving, one that will be ready to help get the economy back on track and ensure future growth. As the corporate world evolves, no doubt e- learning and online training will be more commonly used for staff and individuals to achieve their potential and help create a more skilled workforce. © Shutterstock /Rawpixel.com 28-31.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 10:55 Page 4T here have been a lot of webinars, blogs and articles surrounding the current COVID-19 crisis, mainly covering topics such as ‘how to survive in business during the outbreak’ or ‘remote working’, as well as fantastic community projects and new ventures with the view of supporting and helping the vulnerable. What we must not forget in the flurry of panic and slower pace of life we suddenly find ourselves in is to really maintain those business relationships, we have spent so long cultivating. Remember when you first started that job/business? You spent endless days and nights setting up the infrastructure of your business model, worked on your branding, felt elation when your new marketing materials arrived hot off the press? Set your website live and waited for those much-anticipated visits? Launched your social media platforms and spent so much time building momentum for the likes and followers you desired? Bought a new diary and stared at it, longing for it to be filled with opportunities - remember all of that? Turning the ‘closed’ sign to ‘open’ and waiting for the flurry of customers to come stampeding in, like something you’d see in a Tom and Jerry cartoon? And does it happen in this way? No. Not likely. Most businesses have had to work hard, graft and grind to build their customer base, image and to establish their reputation. All of this takes time, effort, energy and, in most small business cases, blood, sweat and tears along the way. Many of us put so much of ‘ourselves’ into our businesses, many of us ‘are’ our clearly struggling – contracts and business lost and wiped out overnight, income stopped in its tracks, invoices not being paid. What sets these apart from others who roll over and give up is their spirit to keep going regardless, and to use the time they have on their hands to help others. What does this do? 1. It provides valuable support to others, that right now is much needed and appreciated. 2. It solidifies you as a decent person and brand – solidifying your reputation in the process. 3. It makes you memorable. When this is all over and we resume some form of normality, you can say you were involved in the fight to makes things better, offered what you could to someone and made a difference even in the face of adversity. People will remember those who did this post COVID-19 and will be more likely to want to support you in return somehow, someday. This should of course not be your only motivation for doing good and nor is it an opportunity to take advantage of the situation occurring right now for self- gain, nor is it a pressure to do any of the above if you are not able to do so for any reason, it is merely a great way to make use of your time and resources for the greater good, keep visible in your market, perhaps involve your clients in your projects/ideas and to maintain those valuable relationships. How else can you maintain those relationships? * Stay in touch! ITS SIMPLE. We may be working remotely and at a distance, but we are not in hiding, so Maintaining valuable business relationships at a distance and in times of crisis By Fiona Duncan-Steer, founder of RSViP Business Networking Agency. businesses and taking into consideration the old cliché that ‘people buy people’, we day after day put ourselves out there to build a reputation and relationship with each and every person we encounter, who may become a potential customer, supplier or friend to us and our business. We should be doing this with everyone anyway, as we know the best advertisement is one from others. Considering all of this, why then would, when the going gets tough, we forget all of this effort we have gone to and dismiss these relationships even if ‘just temporarily’, or ‘until we get back on our feet’. Granted, with the COVID-19 crisis it’s a very difficult time, but remember, this is a rare and unique thing we are experiencing and as such this actually brings us all together to the same level in some respects. We are all as one right now, being affected by similar issues, which in turn have detrimental effects on us as both human beings and in business. The levels of effects will differ between industries and companies, but as a whole this is an international crisis that is bringing communities of business owners together to, for the first time since many would say the war, help support each other selflessly without judgment or agenda. This then makes us all relatable to one another and further cements business relationships and so with this in mind, now could well be the time to get involved in something charitable and good – such as giving up your time to help the vulnerable voluntarily or offering a free consultation to a struggling business. I have seen many business owners affected by the outbreak. Many of them, my own clients included, are 32 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk NETWORKING 32-33.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 10:57 Page 1Fiona Duncan-Steer – www.fionaduncansteer.co.uk www.rsvipnetwork.co.uk www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 33 NETWORKING there is no excuse not to utilise the readily available platforms we have in the digital space to keep talking. Remote working is where it’s at right now with Zoom downloads increasing by 1250% in the first week of isolation and of course if you have been planning to run that webinar, online event or record that video but have been procrastinating over it, then now is the time to take yourself out of your comfort zone and get it done! Adapting your current business model to go online is vital and if you are not in some way taking steps to do this then you may find yourself in the danger zone very quickly if you aren’t there already. What you have is the blessing of time, so use it wisely to watch ‘how to’ videos and teach yourself to use online platforms that will keep you visible, connected and relevant. Ask for help Who in your network already uses video or digital platforms? Ask them for recommendations and assistance to get started. You may be surprised at the friendly and helpful response you receive, and this could be the difference of you having a business to go back to at the end of all this and not. Keep connected Those clients and customers you have great relationships with – give them a call, email, text. Post things on social media about your clients or ask them if there is anything you can help them with. Send a video message – via apps such as Bonjoro – it’s free. Send them a card or gift through the post to let them know you are thinking of them and relate it to your industry – be creative: send them a tea bag in a card and say: “have a comforting cuppa on us – looking forward to seeing you again soon.” These are simple things, but worth spending time on and there is no doubt that it will forge the path for longevity in business and maintain those valuable business relationships you’ve worked so hard to build. It comes back to that ‘power’ question in networking; “how can I help you?” 32-33.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 10:57 Page 234 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk PHARMACEUTICALS SPOTLIGHT T he East Midlands is home to a number of pharmaceutical start-ups, spin outs, manufacturers, researchers and universities playing an important role in the country’s pharmaceutical prowess. The pharma industry is constantly shifting, with new technologies speeding up the development process, trends such as the growth of personalised medicine pushing the industry further and legislation changes - which will continue to be altered as the UK leaves the EU. With the threat of antimicrobial resistance, a longer living population, and now most pertinently COVID-19, the pharma industry is under severe pressure to pick up the pace of innovation. Though the industry has been recognised as slow to adapt to change - when it comes to digital solutions in particular - a plethora of innovations are now being employed. Pharmaceutical companies are turning to advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) to improve operational efficiency, streamline processes and grow productivity. Holding the potential to reduce the research and development spend of new drugs, AI and predictive analytics are accelerating innovative approaches to drug development by intelligently searching large pools of patents, publications and trial data, allowing researchers to examine previous results from tests. AI is set to boost drug development efficiency by removing strain on research efforts, in a data and research-intensive industry, by helping locate data patterns and interpret data analyses faster, rapidly developing hypotheses and proposing molecules for new medicines, ultimately enabling pharma companies to make smarter and more strategic decisions and more quickly arrive at viable drugs. Further, AI can perform protein modelling to understand the mechanics of disease and uncover novel treatment methods and is being implemented to shape more effective treatments, as well as find new uses for existing drugs. AI is has gained heightened prominence in the pharma space due to its use in the fight against COVID-19, with natural language processing, data analytics, machine and deep learning, chatbots and speech recognition used for diagnosis, tracing the virus and treatment. In treatment development AI is being used to develop antibodies and vaccines, to design drugs to fight the outbreak, study the DNA structure of the virus, Historically, pharmaceutical companies have been accused as slow to adapt to change. However with threats like COVID-19, and acceptance of technologies like AI, the industry is accelerating innovation. needed needed Innovation 34-36.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 10:58 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 35 PHARMACEUTICALS SPOTLIGHT © Shutterstock /LeoWolfert search through relevant research papers and scan through existing drugs to pinpoint those that could be repurposed. In March, the IBM Summit supercomputer identified seventy-seven compounds as possible treatment candidates, after running simulations on over 8,000 to find molecules able to inactivate the virus. AI was also an essential partner for scientists recreating the genome sequence of COVID-19, allowing this to be done in just a month. Outside of COVID-19, in January, UK start-up Exscientia developed the first AI-designed drug to enter clinical trials, to treat patients with OCD. Expediting the drug development process, the AI-designed compound entered clinical trials within a year, where it would take on average five years with traditional methods. Assisting diagnosis of Coronavirus, AI is detecting pneumonia (a common complication of COVID-19) using CT scans, while cameras with AI-based multi- sensory technology are detecting people with fever. Additionally big data analytics and machine learning are being utilised for surveillance, to track the spread of infectious diseases by trawling through news reports, social media, animal disease outbreaks, travel, airline and other data. Back in December the company BlueDot had managed to uncover Coronavirus before Chinese authorities recognised the emergency. Additionally, AI algorithms are being applied to mobile phone location data to predict disease spread. This could change how we fight future outbreaks. Coronavirus has spurred innovation, research and development across the globe, particularly as researchers race to develop a vaccine with unheard of speed. Aided by the amount of data being shared online, as pharma companies gradually recognise opening up their research is for the greater good of humanity, and gene sequencing data from Fudan University in January, the first human clinical trials for a vaccine began in Seattle in March. Pharma firms have donated compounds including those previously tested on other viral pathogens like HIV and Ebola, while others are looking at how to utilise existing technologies that hold the ability to quickly upscale production once vaccine candidates are found. A myriad of projects are underway, involving medical schools, pharma companies and government collaborations. The pharma businesses, research teams and universities in our region are playing their part in the fight against COVID-19. The University of Leicester, using pioneering techniques in molecular evolution, for example is developing decoy proteins that bind and trap coronavirus to stop it infecting cells in the body. COVID-19 usually infects lungs and tissues by binding to a receptor - ACE2 - on the surface of our cells. The decoy mimics these receptors but is engineered to be more attractive to the virus, meaning it binds to the decoy and not ACE2, preventing it from ‘hijacking’ and reproducing in our cells. The University has also been working on a research project for the development of a 36 Á 34-36.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 10:58 Page 236 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk PHARMACEUTICALS SPOTLIGHT diagnostic mask that could detect the presence of the Coronavirus before symptoms appear. Meanwhile a firm in Derby has developed a test that is able to detect Coronavirus in 10 minutes. SureScreen Diagnostics’ test check’s blood and shows up Coronavirus in three to seven days after infection, prior to the appearance of symptoms. The test has been validated in China and is being used in numerous countries across the world. Moreover, Scientists at the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University (NTU) are contributing virology expertise to help develop a safe and effective vaccine to prevent COVID-19. Experts from the universities will assist Scancell Holdings plc, a developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, to adapt its existing cancer vaccine platform for the development of a new vaccine. Virologists at the University of Nottingham’s Centre for Research on Global Virus Infections have identified parts of the Coronavirus that they think will generate an immune response that will prevent future infection by the novel Coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Scancell is using this information to design DNA-based vaccines to allow easy and effective delivery of the virus vaccine into humans to produce virus killing antibodies and T cells. Work at NTU’s John van Geest Cancer Research Centre will screen the new vaccine for its capacity to trigger immune responses against COVID-19, before the new approaches are tested in healthy volunteers. Coronavirus has also stimulated innovation in how patients are interacted with by healthcare professionals. Medical robots and robotic medicine carts with cameras, screens and medical equipment are being used in quarantined areas to prevent the spread of COVID-19, with robots being used to check temperature, transport medical samples and offer hand sanitiser. Concurrently telemedicine has skyrocketed in the UK as people are being asked to avoid visiting doctors to reduce transmission risk and the strain on the healthcare sector. Video consultation platforms have thus been vital in the COVID-19 outbreak, in reducing the number of patients visiting surgeries and managing those who potentially have Coronavirus, enabling them to be monitored remotely. This digital approach to healthcare reflects a slow shift in the pharmaceutical industry, already taking place prior to the outbreak, in which companies have been transforming business models to attach digital health technologies to treatments to go ‘beyond the pill’ and add value - instead of purchasing a pill, one would buy an entire solution. Helping prevent, treat and manage medical conditions, digital therapies are augmenting, and even replacing, drugs in treatment. Smartphone apps and wearable monitoring devices are changing the landscape for production of new medicines. New data sharing processes are key for pharma companies here, with digital therapeutics set to offer real-time consumer insights and, for doctors, new tools to manage patient health, with the transmit of data allowing for additional visibility in care, creating new ways to improve treatment outcomes, and offering easier feedback access from doctors via apps. An IQVIA analysis indicates that if the NHS used clinically validated digital health apps for diabetes, asthma, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation (patient populations with reduced use of acute care services), it could save £170m a year and improve health outcomes. Digital health apps are bridging the gap between consumers and companies, and are opening the potential for treatments to be better customised, mirroring a current trend of patient centrism. © Shutterstock /LuckyStep 34-36.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 10:58 Page 3www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 37 ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT A s global warming takes hold of the globe, millions are displaced by fires and floods and heatwaves hit the UK, with 2019 holding the hottest day on record, the country must step up its response to the climate emergency. Last June, the UK government became the first major economy to pass laws to end its contribution to climate change by 2050, aiming to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by this point. Meanwhile, our region is making its own commitments, with Nottingham planning to become the UK’s first carbon neutral city by 2028. The UK’s engagement with energy is key in achieving this and continues to evolve. A transition to renewables is clear, from investment in offshore wind farms to a focus on hydrogen as a clean energy source, and a wider range of energy options are coming to the forefront as businesses and the public look to gain better value for money and become more interested in how their energy is generated. With the UK aiming to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050, and the climate emergency only intensifying, businesses must minimise their carbon footprint. 38 Á Eradicating emissions with efficient energy © Shutterstock /petrmalinak 37-39.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 11:00 Page 138 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT For seven consecutive years, the UK has cut carbon, and in 2019, the country’s carbon emissions fell to levels that were last seen in 1888. The results of a recent study show that the UK’s transition to renewables has helped drive a faster rate of decarbonisation over the last decade than anywhere else in the world. Additionally, Britain has this year set a new record for its most consecutive days without coal-fired power generation as well as a new solar power record. To meet ambitions however, action must be taken to build focus on carbon capture, offshore wind, energy storage, smart microgrids, hydrogen, and nuclear options. With the climate emergency and net- zero goals in mind, businesses in all sectors will need to play their part to operate more sustainably, reducing greenhouse gas emissions to not just help achieve government aims but improve their bottom line. Mitigating a business’s carbon footprint is beneficial on numerous levels. Of course, one helps the environment, but making this commitment can also increase sales from conscious consumers paying for products and services based on values, see one win business from those seeking suppliers that will improve the carbon emissions across their supply chain, attract talent and retain employees, boost your brand image, reduce energy costs and those associated with the cost of complying with regulation. A HSBC report illustrates the environmental priorities of UK businesses, with almost half of 2,500 organisations surveyed planning to increase environment related spending by 2021, with sixty-nine per cent looking to make manufacturing more sustainable, sixty-six per cent investing in improving internal practices and sixty-three per cent updating equipment and buildings. Meanwhile a global survey from Nielson indicates that eighty-one per cent of consumers feel companies should actively work to improve the environment. There are many changes businesses can implement to address their carbon footprint - the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced directly and indirectly in operating a business - which will of course vary based on your sector, service or product. A manufacturer and accountant will certainly have different priorities. However effective energy management applies across all industries. This includes procurement, use and monitoring to uncover how energy should be managed. A strategy integrated into your CSR policy and taken on board by senior management should be compiled, detailing how exactly a business plans to reduce energy emissions and take into account regulation. Frequent energy management reviews should also be undertaken to remain on track. Perhaps the most obvious way of improving a business’s carbon footprint is to switch to a renewable energy provider, especially now that green energy such as wind and solar have declined in price. Alternatively just switching to a cleaner energy supplier is a good start. Comparison websites are useful tools here, facilitating the exploration of options and tariff comparison to discover the perfect provider and best deal. Firms might also consider investing in onsite energy generation and battery storage. One of the simplest ways to minimise your footprint and save money though is to reduce energy consumption. Energy Minister Kwasi Kwarteng suggests that if business energy use falls by twenty per cent by 2030 UK businesses could save as much as £6 billion and stop 22 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions entering the atmosphere. Switch off what is not in use and invest in efficient technology. Changing to LED lighting, and using motion sensors to automatically turn lights off, as well as switching off appliances, laptops and monitors rather than leaving them on standby can make a huge difference 37-39.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 11:01 Page 2www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 39 ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT © Shutterstock /Suwin here, and simultaneously reduce energy costs. Just leaving a photocopier on overnight uses energy equivalent to making 5,000 copies. A report from the Green Alliance highlights that UK businesses are wasting £60 million in unnecessary energy bills. To keep track of energy use, digital technology such as smart sensors and algorithms can be used across buildings, and AI energy optimisation systems, according to the Green Alliance, could slash commercial building energy use by fourteen per cent and generate payback within a few months. Sophisticated smart meter reading will allow active management of energy and enable forecasting. Moreover, when moving offices businesses should look out for a building’s energy performance ratings. Fortunately, new buildings are primarily being built to high energy efficiency standards and older buildings are being transformed to attract businesses looking to lower their carbon footprint. Minimising waste, recycling and avoiding landfill as far as possible are also essential to reduce harmful greenhouse gases. Begin by tracing sources of waste and address bad practices like over and unnecessary use of paper. Buy recycled paper, and print and photocopy as little as possible, instead digitising documentation as far as feasible, allowing for online contract signing for instance, and using cloud computing, which also adds convenience in enabling access from various devices from any place at any time. Eradicating emissions from transport within businesses is another aspect to consider, especially where companies dealing in logistics are concerned. Installing a telematics system on a fleet will provide a wealth of data to be used to make fleets more efficient. One might also look to train drivers in ecodriving to save fuel, or invest in fuel efficient vehicles, those powered by alternative fuels or electric vehicles which are usefully exempt from clean air zone charges. There are grants available to subsidise the cost of new low emission vehicles. A variety of funding and support options are available to assist businesses in reducing their carbon emissions. Last August a project which helps Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire businesses that want to develop low- carbon solutions was awarded funding to support SMEs for another three years. ‘Energy for Business’ will provide support for low-carbon and energy projects until October 2022. Over 400 businesses in the region have been supported so far, receiving free consultancy, expert advice and the chance to attend a number of energy themed events and lectures. One company that has benefited from the support is Giltbrook Workwear which has been able to assess the potential of a roof mounted solar photovoltaic system. As a result, it will install a 50 kWp system that will save one third of its electricity bill and help reduce its carbon footprint by 23 tonnes a year. The region also hosts the DE- Carbonise project for Derbyshire SMEs. Free on-site carbon reduction surveys are available, alongside technical and research support for product and process carbon reduction and grants for between £1,000 and £20,000 for carbon reduction measures. The grant covers up to forty per cent of the total cost of works, depending on the carbon saving. Support is available until October 2022. SMEs in Leicestershire meanwhile can access phase 2 of Green BELLE, offering grants from £1,000 to £7,000 towards the cost of energy efficiency measures, for example energy efficient heating systems and controls, low energy lighting replacements, renewable energy systems like biomass and solar panels, innovative low carbon measures, such as heat recovery systems, replacement energy efficient machinery, insulation and Building Energy Management Systems. Green BELLE will run until December 2022. 37-39.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 11:01 Page 3Next >