An incredibly light material that can reduce aircraft engine noise to little more than that of a hair-dryer has been developed by researchers at the University of Bath. The meringue-like insulation weighs just 2.1kg per cubic metre – making it the lightest ever manufactured. Researchers from the university’s Materials and Structures Centre (MAST) believe...
The founder of Bath-based spectacles designer and manufacturer Inspecs today insisted the group was seeing growth this year after unveiling annual results showing it had fallen into the red on lower revenues in 2020. Robin Totterman, pictured, the former bond trader who launched Inspecs in 1988, said it had performed well in the first...
Bath firms that have imported goods from countries in the EU this year are being urged to complete their full declarations or face a possible fine or prosecution as the final deadline approaches. Regional business group Business West, which is authorised by HMRC to process supplementary customs declarations, said companies needed to submit their...
The Institute of Directors (IoD) is recruiting a new chair to lead its South West region as the role’s current holder Muir Macdonald comes to the end of his three-year term this autumn. The successful candidate will act as the voice for regional directors, working alongside a dedicated team at the IoD to build on...
Work to bring better connectivity within the reach of almost every home and business in Bath has started – with CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre platform, breaking ground in the city. CityFibre is investing £25m in a network that it says will future-proof Bath’s digital needs for generations to come. Along with...
Investment by foreign businesses into the South West rose last year despite the pandemic in contrast to a fall for the UK as a whole. According to a new report by accountancy group EY, the South West achieved a 6.7% increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects in 2020 – up by two to...
West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris is calling on employers to help increase the number of apprenticeships in the region. With an estimated £4m to £8m of unused Apprenticeship Levy funds returned to the Treasury each year, Mayor Norris is calling for apprentice levy-paying employers to give their unused funds to a new scheme called Share to Support. Administered...
Two sewage and food waste-powered trucks bought by Bath-based utility group Wessex Water will hit the roads this summer, ushering in a transport revolution that could potentially slash greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality. The vehicles, pictured, which follow in the tyre tracks of Wessex Water’s pioneering ‘poo bus’, have been converted from...
Maths may not seem an obvious subject to turn to for businesses recovering from the impact of the pandemic but mathematicians from the University of Bath are using their expertise to do just that. The university’s Institute for Mathematical Innovation (IMI) is running a short series of free mini-workshops targeted at sectors that have been...
Small businesses in Bath and North East Somerset can access a free business support service to help them grow and reach their full potential. The BANES Business Support Service is designed to help firms through the Covid-19 crisis and beyond by providing the support they need to adapt, recover and adjust to a changing...
