Lorna Howarth

As the Senior Knowledge Transfer Adviser for companies based in North Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. I am actively involved in developing Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) between local business and academia.

The Knowledge Transfer Partnerships support businesses to engage with expert academic teams on a project-based collaboration delivering sustainable innovation with positive economic impact and additional societal or environmental benefits. I work with cross disciplinary teams to scope out a project from initial ideation through to application build and final review. I also provide project management support throughout a KTP project lifecycle, and am a coach and mentor to early career professionals. 

Prior to joining Innovate UK Business Connect, I gained nearly eight years’ experience at The Industrial Innovation Centre, Sultanate of Oman, where I built and developed a large portfolio of successful innovative industrial R&D projects as part of the Omani Government’s ‘Industrial Innovation Assistance Program’. The initiative was designed to drive economic growth by providing technical and financial support to help boost the productivity of Omani SMEs.

Before travelling abroad, I was a Research Associate at Nottingham Trent University, where I worked on a water amelioration project run in collaboration with Severn Trent Water. I also spent several years in various roles at Defence Estates, Ministry of Defence.

I graduated from Bangor University with a BSc (Hons) in Biology, a MSc in Ecology and a PhD in Biogeochemistry.