---
title: "(NU/1433-4) Dragonfly Insulation - Aerogel Technology: The Provision of Business Consultancy to Assist Commercialisation of University Research."
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-4531361a-c46a-41e5-9fcb-9b2eddf7f708"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-4531361a-c46a-41e5-9fcb-9b2eddf7f708"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-4531361a-c46a-41e5-9fcb-9b2eddf7f708.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-4531361a-c46a-41e5-9fcb-9b2eddf7f708.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY"
published: "2019-10-04"
---

# (NU/1433-4) Dragonfly Insulation - Aerogel Technology: The Provision of Business Consultancy to Assist Commercialisation of University Research.

Buyer: NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-4531361a-c46a-41e5-9fcb-9b2eddf7f708

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-4531361a-c46a-41e5-9fcb-9b2eddf7f708)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-4531361a-c46a-41e5-9fcb-9b2eddf7f708.json)

## Summary

The procurement process involves Newcastle University seeking business consultancy services to assist with the commercialisation of aerogel technology, specifically through their project titled "(NU/1433-4) Dragonfly Insulation - Aerogel Technology." This initiative falls within the business and management consultancy industry category. The contract will take place in the North East of England, with a contract period starting from 18th October 2019 and ending on 30th April 2020. The project, which has a value of £30,000, has progressed to the Award stage as of 4th October 2019, when Burnside Business Consulting Ltd was awarded the contract.

This tender presents a unique opportunity for companies specialising in business consultancy, particularly those with experience in innovation and technology commercialisation. Businesses that can offer strategic planning and management expertise will be well-positioned to participate in the project, especially given the innovative focus on adapting manufacturing processes for aerogel production. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to expand their operations into emerging markets like advanced materials would also find this tender relevant for fostering business growth.

## Notice

Aerogels are the most porous and thermally efficient materials known to man. They are used in space exploration including the capture of high-speed star-dust, cryogenic insulation for space launch vehicles and thermal insulation for Mars rovers. With their outstanding insulation properties, aerogels have great potential to be commercialised, but until now the high cost of manufacturing has prohibited their use in domestic applications. Aerogel companies working on these developments are addressing some of the major challenges facing the world over the coming decades, such as energy efficient manufacturing processes and materials to promote energy efficiency. Whilst there is an emerging demand for aerogel products, both the traditional high-pressure manufacture of aerogel and environmental-pressure manufacture of aerogel (using high-cost organic solvent) can never practically meet the demands of the market. Currently, there is no aerogel manufacturer in the UK. At Dragonfly Insulation Ltd, we aim to establish an innovative manufacturing facility for aerogels (powder/granules) in the North East of England. Our novel and potentially disruptive approach is to move from the traditional high-pressure/high-solvent-cost manufacturing process, to a simple environmental pressure manufacturing process, where aerogels are produced with low-cost water-based drying solvent. Our innovation facilitates such an approach for the first time. The funding for this project and prospective spin out company comes from a mix of EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account, Northern Accelerator Proof of Concept and Innovate UK ICure and follow on funding (pending). Prior to obtaining the relevant permissions from Newcastle University to license Intellectual Property into a Spin Out Company, the founders have secured Northern Accelerator Funding to recruit a CEO designate. Once a company has been created and spun out of the university, the founders will set-up a facility to scale-up the manufacture of aerogel, organise the sale of raw aerogel powder/granular products, secure certification for aerogel panel insulation and establish lab-space and R&D projects with previously identified customers. A suitable CEO will be recruited who will bring together the founders as well as a management and delivery team to guide the pre-start business through company creation and spin out in the first instance. The CEO designate will refine the business model and lead the team to the University Intellectual Property and Spin Out Company Panel (IPSOC).

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f3419e82-6b10-43d3-b3ad-387ad93f902c |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Other - |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 4 Oct 2019 |
| Submission deadline | 23 Aug 2019 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 3 Oct 2019 |
| Contract period | 17 Oct 2019 - 30 Apr 2020 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £30,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £30,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY |
| Locality | NEWCASTLE |
| Post town | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Postcode | NE1 7RU |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear |
| ITL 3 | TLC43 Tyneside |
| Local authority | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Electoral ward | Monument |
| Westminster constituency | Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West |
| Delivery location | TLC North East (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | BURNSIDE BUSINESS CONSULTING |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services

## Release History

- 4 Oct 2019 at 13:44 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f3419e82-6b10-43d3-b3ad-387ad93f902c

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f3419e82-6b10-43d3-b3ad-387ad93f902c
  4th October 2019 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder

## Notice URLs

- https://ncl.ac.uk

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-4531361a-c46a-41e5-9fcb-9b2eddf7f708. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-4531361a-c46a-41e5-9fcb-9b2eddf7f708.json.