The ncat consortium

Coventry University

Coventry University is a global, modern university with a mission of Creating Better Futures. We have greatly increased our research capacity and capability with a focus on impactful research, delivered for and with partners to address real-world challenges and support business and communities to grow. The depth and breadth of rapidly growing research portfolio was validated by the latest UK research assessment, which saw us jump 22 places in the research power rankings.

What matters to us is delivering transformational change for our students, collaborators, and communities around the world as we continue to evolve.

Connected Places Catapult

Connected Places Catapult provides impartial ‘innovation as a service’ for public bodies, businesses and infrastructure providers to catalyse step-change improvements in the way people live, work and travel.

We connect businesses and public sector leaders to cutting-edge research to spark innovation and grow new markets. We run technology demonstrators and SME accelerators to scale new solutions that drive growth, spread prosperity and eliminate carbon.

Connected Places is part of the Catapult Network of world-leading technology and innovation centres established by Innovate UK. As independent not-for-profit, these organisations deliver impact across the UK economy, enabling businesses to thrive in global markets.

Designability

Designability is a UK charity that enables disabled people to live with greater independence.

Designability follow a human-centred design approach to create products with and for disabled people to improve and enrich their lives. Our work focusses on the design, creation and provision of products that increase independence for disabled people. This is not just about products that people need, but products they want to use. Although there may be other options available, they are not always easy to use or products that people would choose to have. We deliver choice by involving disabled people across our organisation and throughout the design process to create innovative product solutions not available elsewhere.

Policy Connect

Policy Connect is a cross-party think tank. We specialise in supporting parliamentary groups, forums and commissions, delivering impactful policy research and event programmes and bringing together parliamentarians and government in collaboration with academia, business and civil society to help shape public policy in Westminster and Whitehall, so as to improve people’s lives.

Our work focusses on five key policy areas which are: Education & Skills; Industry, Technology & Innovation; Sustainability; Health; and Assistive & Accessible Technology.

We are a social enterprise and are funded by a combination of regular annual membership subscriptions and time-limited sponsorships. We are proud to be a Disability Confident and London Living Wage employer, and a member of Social Enterprise UK.

or products that people would choose to have. We deliver choice by involving disabled people across our organisation and throughout the design process to create innovative product solutions not available elsewhere.

Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RiDC)

RiDC is an independent, national research charity working towards an inclusive and accessible life for all.

A leading expert in inclusive research with disabled and older consumers, we support businesses, government and organisations to get the insight, knowledge and innovation they need to make their services and products accessible. We are run by and for disabled people and have a pan-disability consumer panel of over 3,500 people who shape and participate in all our research.

Our fifty years of experience span many sectors and a diverse range of topics. However obscure, complex or simple the issue, we welcome businesses wherever they are on their accessibility journey.

WSP

WSP is a leading engineering professional services consulting firm which supports significant projects in both the built and natural environments. We provide engineering and design services to public and private sector clients in the transportation and infrastructure, property and buildings, earth and environment, power and energy, resources, and industry sectors, as well as a strategic advisory offering.

Our team of around 9,000 technical specialists and strategic advisers in the UK is part of a talented family of over 60,000 global changemakers, transforming what’s possible to build a smarter, greener future for all.  Together, we deliver innovative solutions to solve complex problems for our clients and the communities we serve, meeting both the needs of today and addressing the challenges of tomorrow.

WSP takes pride in leading the way we collectively tackle the climate emergency and in October 2020 we announced our commitment to halve the carbon footprint of all designs and advice provided to clients by 2030, a first in the engineering consultancy sector. Having since aligned our carbon reduction targets with the SBTI’s science-based Net-Zero Standard, we will achieve carbon neutrality in our UK operations in 2025. Globally WSP has committed to achieving net zero emissions across its value chain by 2040.