Geoff Herrington Innovation Prizes, University of Bath
While the Geoff Herrington Foundation (GHF) has supported less advantaged young people to transform their lives, another aspect of Geoff Herrington’s biography was his innovative and entrepreneurial zeal in the field of engineering. It was therefore fitting that Andy Langridge (Chair of the GHF) initiated the Geoff Herrington Innovation Bursary and the Geoff Herrington Innovation Medal awarded by the University of Bath annually since 2013.
These prizes were developed by Andy together with Stephen Newman (Professor of Engineering, University of Bath) who worked with Geoff on Knowledge Transfer Partnerships that resulted in Geoff’s company, Supply Point Systems Ltd, receiving the Queen’s Award for Enterprise and Innovation in 2004.
The Geoff Herrington Innovation Medal and Bursary reward innovation by final year students within the Departments of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at the University of Bath. The Medal is awarded on the basis of innovative work in the students’ final year project. The Bursary provides 3 months of post-degree support to allow students to take ideas formulated in their final year project to the next stage and explore the potential for commercialisation.
The Inaugural Winner
Chris Day was the inaugural winner of the Geoff Herrington Innovation Bursary in 2013 for his research developing new battery systems for go karts. The Bursary was foundational for Chris getting a job with BIZ Karts and their development of electric Go Karts. Electric Go Karts have revolutionised the indoor karting industry. Chris continues to be in touch with Andy Langridge and says:
‘The Geoff Herrington Award I received in 2013 made a substantial contribution to my career and life. Reflecting on its significance the award gave me the confidence to trust myself and believe I could achieve success without needing to be nurtured further by a graduate scheme. I was fortunate enough to have the same confidence bestowed by the company I went into that allowed me to take the ideas I had beyond the initial funding of the award, while gaining vital workplace and product experience. I went on to be awarded further grants from the Niche Vehicle Network, and together with the team at BIZ, we have grown the business 430% in the last 11 years with products directly influenced by concepts and ideas that developed from 2013.’ (Chris Day, BIZ Karts, July 2024)
