Albion Environmental Ltd and The Open University awarded ‘Very Good’ final grade for their Knowledge Transfer Partnership Project!

In May 2019 Albion Environmental took on their first KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnership) Associate Jennifer Kowalski, to deliver a Bioaerosol Monitoring project in conjunction with The Open University. Two and a half years later, the project has completed and has been awarded a ‘Very Good’ final grade from Innovate UK. This KTP program introduced Bioaerosol Monitoring Services to Albion Environmental, with theoretical, technical and practical skills passed on to our team by our associate Jennifer who delivered the project. To mark the completion of the project, we thought we would take some time to reflect on the journey this took us on, and share our progress.

So, what is Bioaerosol Monitoring?

Bioaerosol monitoring is the practice of measuring airborne fragments of living or non-living biological materials, which usually consist of microbes. Bioaerosols often need to be measured at sites handling large amounts of organic materials (such as organic waste treatment sites) to ensure that any bioaerosol emissions are unlikely to be causing harm to human health.

The focus of our KTP project was to provide Albion Environmental with the knowledge and skills to complete bioaerosol monitoring surveys independently, thereby expanding the capacity for this work in Scotland and North England. Before the KTP, bioaerosol monitoring capabilities were limited in these parts of the UK, making it difficult and expensive for sites who needed to complete this work to get it done. Now, this work can be completed more locally, making it cheaper and easier to arrange, especially considering the work is weather dependant, and so long travel times can present a real problem.

Now that the KTP project is complete, Albion Environmental have gained a host of new capabilities, that can be offered to clients, and fulfil everchanging needs in the market. These skills include:

• M9 bioaerosol monitoring
• Occupational monitoring
• Dust monitoring
• Writing bioaerosol and dust reports
• Assessing bioaerosol, dust, and weather data
• Provide recommendations for lowering bioaerosol and dust emissions
• Provide H&S training & materials relevant to bioaerosols

How does the KTP Program work?

The process of securing this KTP involved finding an academic partner to work with (in this case, The Open University), and then applying for it via Innovate UK. Then, once the application was successful, we put out a job listing, and hired our KTP Associate – a recent

graduate with some relevant experience, who can come into the role and act as the main project manager for the KTP.

Once the Associate has joined the KTP, it is time to get the ball rolling on the KTP project. A KTP team was established, and project aims and milestones were finalised. It was then up to the Associate to determine the tasks and activities required to meet each milestone, and to work toward achieving these. The main tasks included:

• General project management
• Site visits – involving training of Associate, who then trained Albion staff
• Research – including an investigation into monitoring techniques and equipment, and gathering data to generate research reports
• Developing report-writing and data-analysis techniques used in regards to bioaerosol monitoring
• Keeping on top of any recent research into bioaerosols, and incorporating this information into new KTP materials
• Attending conferences & industry events, for networking & sharing information on the KTP

Navigating a KTP Project throughout Covid-19

One of the main challenges our KTP faced was the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lockdowns that came with it. This began halfway through the original project schedule, and it presented a major difficulty when trying to schedule and complete site visits, as the staff involved were often unable to travel. Additionally, weather conditions often hindered plans to get out to site, as poor weather often means that we need to cancel any planned trips, and try to re-work those trips back into multiple busy schedules.

Fortunately, our KTP partners were all very flexible and adaptable after the arrival of COVID- 19, allowing us to extend the project by a total of 6 months, to provide extra time to complete on-site activities. Alongside this, the KTP was adapted, and this was very important as the role progressed. The main milestones were achieved, but certain pieces of work were difficult to do in light of the pandemic, and scheduling difficulties. Conversely, it was possible to bring new tasks and objectives into the KTP, based on work opportunities that arose during the project.

Comments from the Project Team

Jennifer Kowalski KTP Associate

“Being a KTP Associate was a great way to enhance my career and gain new skills. Within this role, I was provided the opportunities to go on multiple training courses that hugely enhanced my skillset. I was also provided with a generous personal development fund, which meant I could explore different ways of learning, and have the chance to attend conferences and acquire relevant industry memberships. I also really enjoyed the fieldwork and networking aspects of my KTP, as this often gave me the opportunity to travel somewhere new, and spend time either outside in the sun, or around like-minded people with similar goals. However, I think the best part about a KTP is that they are often working towards a very important aim, one that can be very beneficial for society.

There were challenges at times, such as dealing with a global pandemic that made work a lot more difficult. However, I faced each challenge without letting them curb my enthusiasm and tenacity, and I have learned a lot from the process.”

Alasdair Meldrum – Director of Albion Environmental Ltd

“Albion is delighted with our first KTP project and really welcomed the fact we could tap into the expertise from Toni Gladding and Denise Pasquet from the Open University and our KTP Supervisor Gerry Black. We have gained considerable expertise and experience in the bioaerosol field and the KTP has allowed us to expand our portfolio into providing bioaerosol services. We will also be able to continue to tap into The Open University expertise as they will continue to supply the laboratory analytical work for this service. KTP’s are an excellent way for companies to expand their range or services or products and we would highly recommend them.

A special thanks to all involved in this project who ensured it was delivered successfully, including the core KTP team from Innovate UK, The OU, our associate Jennifer and the extended team from the labs who aided in the successful delivery of this Bioaerosol KTP.”

The company looks forward to growing our bioaerosol monitoring portfolio and delivering new and innovative solutions for our clients.

To find out more about the bioaerosol monitoring services we can now offer, click here.