New Research to Support Animal Health Company

Image of cows in field A prestigious 2-year DTI and Welsh Assembly Government funded Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between Bangor University and Denbigh-based company Telsol Ltd, will enable the company to develop new products and even greener manufacturing procedures for animal health products mainly for cattle, sheep and goats.

This KTP partnership coincides with the Telsol’s need to meet increasing sales and it is hoped that this, and the new product lines, will lead to new jobs. The KTP will bring together the expertise of Telsol in specialist glasses with the advanced inorganic materials research of Dr Peter Holliman’s group at the School of Chemistry in Bangor.

Image of sheep in a field Currently Telsol manufactures specialist glass which is formed into tablet shape to make them easier for animals (mainly cattle, sheep and goats) to swallow. The tablets are made of a specialist glass which dissolves slowly over several months to deliver controlled amounts of essential nutrients (e.g. copper, cobalt and selenium) to the animal to improve it’s health and fertility. Without these nutrients, the animals can suffer nutrient deficiency and these highly effective tablets are currently sold both within the UK and to a rapidly increasing export market.

The partnership have appointed Dr Sharon Griffiths as the KTP Associate. Sharon said “Coming from North Wales, I am delighted to have the chance to work with a local Company and I am looking forward to a new challenge working with new technology at Telsol and also at the University in Bangor. The KTP programme also encourages KTP Associates to maximise their opportunities for training and I am looking forward to use this to develop new skills”.

The School of Chemistry at Bangor has particular strengths in materials chemistry and, within the School, Dr Holliman’s research focuses on using inorganic materials to create cleaner processes, reduce waste or pollution and improve recyclability. He has worked extensively with companies in North Wales and has supervised on several previous KTP grants.

Bangor University (UWB) has a long-standing commitment to working with local businesses to develop the economy of North Wales. Bangor University is Wales’ leading developer of KTPs having consistently featured in the top 10 of Universities for the number of partnerships running. Bangor has won awards for its KTPs and has now been involved in over 80 partnerships - many of them having been recognised as innovative and groundbreaking.

KTP is a UK-wide programme that helps businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills that reside within the UK’s Universities and FE Colleges. KTPs allow participating companies to undertake strategically important projects by covering some of the costs involved in employing a graduate, and supplying University academic supervision. KTPs can last between 1 and 3 years and must deliver tangible financial and business benefits for the Host Company to gain approval. In addition business and management training is provided, and there is the opportunity to register for a higher degree.