Double award win for UofG knowledge transfer partnership with Soapworks Ltd
Published: 31 October 2025
An innovative partnership which has brought the benefits of academic expertise to industry has scooped two prizes at a major national awards ceremony.
An innovative partnership which has brought the benefits of academic expertise to industry has scooped two prizes at a major national awards ceremony.
The knowledge transfer partnership between researchers from the University of Glasgow and Soapworks Ltd was recognised with the Technical Excellence Award and the Future Leader Award at the 50th Anniversary KTP Awards held in Manchester earlier this week.
The awards celebrate the exceptional achievements of graduates, universities, and businesses driving innovation across the UK.
The partnership with Soapworks Ltd, led by the James Watt School of Engineering’s Dr Manlio Tassieri and Professor Manosh Paul, has helped to optimise the production of synthetic soaps, which by their very nature present substantial differences from classical soap formulations.
These ‘syndet’ products are characterised by their lower pH levels and are ideal for hair, face, and body care, but are more technically challenging to produce than traditional soaps.
The partnership helped Soapworks Ltd overcome their limited research and development budget by tapping in to the University’s significant expertise in rheology, materials science, and computational fluid dynamics.
The team has developed an innovative methodology for measuring the rheological properties of solid soaps and other soft solids, enabling the company to gain new insight into the material behaviour of their products. This methodology is now being exploited by Soapworks in the form of a patent, underpinning the company’s commitment to science-driven innovation and sustainable product development.
The science-based methodologies developed during the collaboration helped Soapworks improve their data analysis capabilities and upskill their staff. The partnership also led to the founding of a dedicated R&D department at the company, and the development of a patent-pending intellectual property related to process optimisation.
The Technical Excellence Award recognises the significant challenges the KTP overcame to develop new systems, processes and skills. The Future Leader Award, presented to KTP Associate Dr Simeon Skopalik, PhD, CEng, recognises his role in developing and accelerating the success of the project.
Dr Tassieri said: “This partnership, previously graded Outstanding by Innovate UK, exemplifies how close collaboration between academia and industry can drive innovation and deliver real-world impact.
“Our double win reflects a genuinely collaborative effort, co-led with Professor Manosh Paul and supported by the West of Scotland KTP Centre and crucial early funding from the EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account.
“We’ve shown how rigorous engineering research can translate into industrial innovation with real commercial value and, importantly, the biggest impact is still ahead.”
First published: 31 October 2025