BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDY
OPM CREATOR LIMITED
About INDEX
INDEX (Innovation Delivers Expansion) is a unique demand-led innovation voucher scheme led that invites Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to apply for a voucher to purchase academic support from one of the 13 Higher Education Institutions in the West Midlands. The project is funded by Advantage West Midlands (AWM), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Innovation Vouchers allow SMEs to purchase academic expertise knowledge to develop their innovation and enhance their business.
The Innovation Voucher scheme aims to build links between Universities and SMEs to create a demand led approach to innovation.ABOUT THE BUSINESS: OPM Creator Ltd
OPM Creator Ltd
Hallens Drive
Wednesbury
WS10 7DD
Telephone: 0870 760 5521
Email: info@opmcreator.com
Website: www.opmcreator.com
Main Contact: Mr Duncan Blakemore
OPM Creator is a worldwide provider of on-demand, online project management and collaboration solutions. They help thousands of users in companies large and small across the world to share projects and information online helping teams work together anywhere anytime.
OPM Creator is the result of over 10 years of rigorous development; originally created by a UK based manufacturing company to help manage large projects with its international clients and external partners the system has evolved entirely based on user feedback. The system became so useful that many of the company’s clients and partners started to request the software for their own organisations.
OPM Creator is a refined version of the original software, further developed to offer a web-based product that can be used by virtually any organisation or project team in any market sector. The system continues to evolve with new features added on a regular basis based entirely on user feedback.
INNOVATION
Innovation (5) Creative Industries/Digital Media/Software, Media and Communications
THE BUSINESS CHALLENGE
OPM sell online project management and collaboration systems that are designed to help small to medium sized businesses that manage projects and communicate online. The system is 100% web based and allows for disperses teams, home workers, clients and partners sharing project information via the Internet. When they launched their software, they realised that they needed help to further develop the system in line with the requirements of medium sized businesses. They were keen to keep their software simple but needed help to further develop the system to allow them to compete with the mainly US based competition.
WORK UNDERTAKEN
Functionality and Market Analysis
Competitor Analysis
Email Marketing and events
Market consultancy leading to a number of minor technical features
12 days work conducted at the HEI SiteABOUT THE HEI: Birmingham City University
Birmingham City University
Perry Barr
Birmingham
B42 2SU
ABOUT THE ACADEMIC
Dr Cham Athwal, Technology Innovation Centre
Cham Athwal is an experienced lecturer and researcher who has led numerous technology transfer projects. He has skills and knowledge in several areas of IT including Software Development, Web Technologies and Multimedia. Latterly his research has concentrated on the areas of image processing and digital video technologies, 3D modeling, animation and virtual reality.