NicheCom, one of the UK’s leading providers of estate agency marketing services, have recently reached the 18 month milestone in their Innovate UK-funded Knowledge Transfer Partnership with the University of Kent, which set out to embed artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology in the business to boost their efficiency.
Established in 1993, Nichecom pride themselves in being one of the few agencies that can produce a set of professional photographs, video, accurate floorplans and energy performance certificates from a single property visit, delivering top quality products with the shortest turnaround in the business.
With the advance of AI and ML technology, NicheCom saw an opportunity to improve how they process and enhance their images to reduce external dependencies, enhance profitability, and streamline the production process.
From idea to practice
When the company approached the University with their idea, Kent’s Business Development team encouraged them to consider a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP). KTP is the UK’s most successful and long-established knowledge transfer mechanism, enabling businesses to access up to 67% of the costs of working with a University on a strategic innovation project.
Peter Burnham, Managing Director of NicheCom, said:
“Whilst the funding is the obvious attraction to KTP, I have to say that the support from the University and Innovate UK has been equally as valuable to us.
“The whole KTP process from our initial enquiry, to the application, recruitment and now the live running of the project has been nothing short of fantastic. Whilst the application process does demand a bit of your time, we felt supported throughout the entire process. Our questions and queries were answered swiftly and nothing was too much trouble. I was particularly impressed with the support from the University of Kent on the Associate recruitment.”
Bridging the gap between academia and business
The Associate, hired by the University to deliver the project from within the company, is working closely with Kent academics to embed their expertise within the business. Dr Marek Grzes from the School of Computing, and Dr Alexandra Covaci from the School of Engineering, Mathematics and Physics, are both contributing to the project.
“From an academic perspective, this KTP has been an excellent example of how research in Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence can be applied to address real business challenges,” said Dr Marek Grzes, lead academic on the KTP. “Nichecom has been a fantastic partner throughout, bringing a strong commitment to innovation and a willingness to explore new approaches.
“Working with large and complex datasets has enabled us to apply cutting-edge techniques in a practical setting, delivering improvements in productivity, efficiency and the speed at which the business can serve its clients. By automating image-processing tasks that previously required several minutes of manual editing, the project has transformed workflows, reduced human intervention and enabled faster, more consistent outcomes.”
Embedding new knowledge, skills and ways of working within the business
With less than six months left, the long-term benefits of the KTP are already evident.
Mark Orme, Head of IT at Nichecom, said: “From my perspective, one of the biggest strengths of the KTP has been the opportunity to work closely with both the University of Kent and our KTP Associate to turn research and new ideas into practical improvements for the business. The regular collaboration has given us access to expertise that has helped shape the project and provided valuable challenge and guidance along the way.
“What I particularly like about the KTP model is that it isn’t just about delivering a successful project. It’s about embedding new knowledge, skills and ways of working within the business, ensuring the benefits continue long after the project has been completed. That long-term knowledge transfer is what makes the programme so valuable.”
Reflecting on their journey, Peter Burnham, Managing Director of NicheCom, said: “All in all, we couldn’t be happier with how things have gone and would (and do) recommend KTP to others.”
If you are interested in finding out more about the Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme and how your business can work with Kent academics, contact our KTP team at businessrelationships@kent.ac.uk.