Fred Peel Yates MEng graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2020 and has since been applying for grants to help get his business idea off the ground. He is one of 64 young people who have received Young Innovators awards this year, each benefiting from a £5,000 grant, one-on-one business coaching and an allowance to cover living costs.
The former Sustainability Committee member plans to move forward with his green technology startup NoFootprint, and has begun development on small-scale renewable energy solutions to incorporate into clothing to charge mobile phones. His first project will look at the design of energy-harvesting insoles capable of repurposing kinetic energy from footsteps into usable electricity, through a removable wireless battery pack.
Fred (22) said: “I decided to study mechanical engineering to provide myself with a technical skillset while still being able to apply creativity to design solutions. There was scope to do this at Sheffield, encouraging the use of your imagination for both individual and group design projects. I have encountered several problems along the way so far, however being able to apply the research skills and methodical problem-solving methods I’ve learnt through my degree, I have faith I can overcome them.”
“My final year project at Sheffield was titled “3D Print an Energy Harvester”, which proved to be an excellent outlet for applying creativity and definitely sparked some ideas. The following summer after graduating I was keen to expand on what I had learnt, and the Young Innovators Award has provided me with the resources to pursue it. I would encourage anyone with an idea to look into available funding opportunities - there are more out there than you’d think!”.
“I also wanted to thank Dr Patrick Smith for his supervision of my final year project, Dr Candice Majewski for her supervision of my summer research internship for the Additive Manufacturing department, as well as technicians Kurt Bonser and Wendy Birtwistle for their exceptional support throughout the research placement.”
Dr Patrick Smith Said "I'm very pleased that Fred has received this award. From the start, Fred was enthusiastic about his project, rapidly developing and researching ideas and concepts. Since graduating, Fred and I have remained in contact; I'm thrilled to see the promise he displayed in his project translated into an exciting step forward in his career."
The Young Innovators Awards recognise young people from across the UK with great business ideas who have the potential to become successful entrepreneurs and future leaders in innovation. With recent research showing over a third of 18 to 34 year olds want to launch an independent enterprise in 2021, compared to 28% of 35 to 54 year olds, it’s even more important the support is available to those who want to venture into starting a business.
The programme is set to continue rewarding young people from diverse backgrounds until at least 2023. This year, 49% of the winners are female; nearly a third are black, Asian or from an ethnic minority background; 17% have a disability and the projects cover all regions across the UK.
All of this year’s innovators have ideas that promise to address current challenges. Ideas this year span everything from technology to physical and mental health and from sustainability to fashion.
Emily Nott, head of equality, diversity and inclusion at Innovate UK said: “With 2020 proving to be an incredibly difficult year, maintaining our focus on Young Innovators was a priority for Innovate UK since finding the great entrepreneurial minds of the future is more important than ever.
“Working alongside this year’s winners, Innovate UK will help them grow and develop their business idea to make the world a better, and more innovative place. We can’t wait to see what they achieve this year.”
Director of partnerships at The Prince’s Trust Ben Marson said:
“At The Prince’s Trust we know the enormous potential and entrepreneurial spirit of UK young people, even in times of considerable uncertainty.”
"It is more important than ever that all young people, no matter their background, have the opportunity to thrive in work and turn their ideas into reality.”
"Working with partners like Innovate UK allows us to encourage entrepreneurship among young people, and bring diverse ideas and businesses into the economy.”
Any young person interested in getting involved with the scheme can visit https://ktn-uk.org/programme/young-innovators/
For more on Fred’s business get in touch through www.nofootprint.net