The Corporate Connections programme has given McLaren an unexpected opportunity to work with a totally unrelated business. It shows that in the right circumstances the most interesting innovations can come from unlikely collaborations.Chris Crockford , Business Development Director Mclaren
Corporate Connections brought together diverse companies, all members of the H-I Network, to spark innovative new ideas that could be translated into profitable businesses. A series of collaborative workshops were organised involving: AXA; BASF; BUPA; Carbon Trust; Eon; GSK; ITCM; Kidde; McLaren; National Grid; NATS; Ordnance Survey; Philips; PPP; Premier Foods; Procter & Gamble; QinetiQ; RBS; SEEDA; and Virgin Atlantic. These workshops focused on sharing technologies to develop new applications and a second approach of collaborating on a common issue, such as the sustainable use of resources, to mutual advantage.
Opportunities that emerged from the workshops were assessed and analysed. The best ideas were followed up for further development and seed funding from participating enterprises. NESTA, 100%Open and H-I Network worked together to ensure the most innovative ideas were developed into profitable business concepts.
Two of the companies taking part in Corporate Connections – McLaren and NATs – have begun a major new business collaboration as a result of the programme. NATS, the UK market leader in air traffic control services, has adapted race control computing developed by McLaren to aid the management of aircraft on the ground. This venture into Airports-Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) software could significantly enhance air-traffic efficiency and be marketed on a global scale.
