Author: Rhys Gregory

Leading researchers at Cardiff University have been awarded a major grant for research into a cardiovascular condition for which there is currently no known treatment, other than surgery. The award of more than £740,000 by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) will fund the continued research by Professors Valerie O’Donnell and Peter Collins into abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) for another three years. The BHF is the single biggest independent funder of cardiovascular research in the UK and currently funds around £3m of research at Swansea and Cardiff universities. Professor O’Donnell and her team has been provisionally awarded £1.2m over five years,…

The first winners of the Springboard Startup Fund for University of South Wales (USW) Graduate Startups 2020/21 have been unveiled. Designed to give support to graduate entrepreneurs, and specifically to provide seed funding to USW graduates to start a new business, the awards also demonstrate USW’s commitment to supporting the Class of 2020 graduates, who are facing the most severe economic downturn in a generation, with a new Entrepreneurship Pitching Fund. All those who entered the awards had to be 2020 USW graduates, to have completed one of three enterprise and entrepreneurship programmes provided by USW, or have completed one…

Brian Andrews, Managing Director (South) at BizSpace shares his insight into how in the wake of the ‘firebreak’ lockdown, hybrid working can help Welsh businesses to support teams to get back to work safely and productivity. Employee wellbeing has paid a heavy price during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health, in particular, has been hit hard by the long hours spent indoors remotely working – a trend likely only to be exacerbated by the long, dark winter months ahead. Further, more than 40% of employees are working longer hours remotely, with growing fears that burnout is on the rise. Although an…

New research by NYAS Cymru (National Youth Advocacy Service) and The Children’s Society reveals that every hour another child in Wales is reported missing. The report finds that care-experienced children and young people are more likely to be reported missing than their peers. Despite making up only 1% of the child population in Wales, Freedom of Information requests found that 39% of the total missing child incidents recorded by local councils last year involved a child in care. Alun Michael, Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales, has backed the report’s call for more to be done to support missing…

Welsh beef is on the menu for pupils across Denbighshire now a leading North Wales food distribution company has won the contract to supply over a million school meals a year for the county. Harlech Foodservice won the three-year contract from a US-owned multi-national and have pledged that wherever possible the county’s seven secondary and 48 primary schools will receive food sourced in North Wales. Harlech Commercial Director Mark Lawton said: “This is a hugely important contract for us to win against competition from one of the biggest wholesalers in the UK. “It shows we have the quality and the…

Welsh food and drink producers are encouraging the feeling of togetherness this Christmas by collaborating to create a unique range of gift boxes and hampers for festive shoppers. It is the first time these exciting product combinations have been brought together. Bursting with fine food and drink from Wales, the gift boxes and hampers cater for sweet and savoury-lovers alike – along with a few tipples and treats. Available in an assortment of sizes and prices, they are sure to suit all pockets and tastes. Ten Welsh food and drink producers are taking the lead on the collaboration by bringing…

Welsh eco pet product start-up Project Blu has secured a multi-million-pound deal with San Diego-based Metamorphosis, a venture capital firm dedicated to the incubation and acceleration of businesses in the pet industry. The multi-million, multi-year deal will see Metamorphosis take an equity stake in Project Blu, which was founded in 2019 by 35-year-old Geryn Evans. The first global pet brand to offer a full range of sustainable accessories, the company aims to reduce global ocean-bound plastic waste and the broader environmental impact of manufacturing pet products through harnessing innovative textiles and technologies. Project Blu, which recently scooped three Wales Start-Up…

Time is running out for anyone who sold a second home during 2019-20 to declare it on their Self Assessment tax return. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding customers that they have until 31 January 2021 to declare any profit made from selling a UK residential property, which was not their main home, during the 2019-20 financial year, and pay the Capital Gains Tax that is due. Since 6 April 2020 there have been changes to how customers declare and pay Capital Gains Tax. UK residents who dispose of a UK residential property that is not their main home…

A Cardiff-based fintech company has been recognised for its significant growth after expanding its services into international markets. Technology scale-up Delio was named International Business of the Year at the recent Cardiff Business Awards, having won high profile clients across Europe, Asia and the Middle East in the last 12 months. This recognition comes in the same week that Delio was named as one of Wales’ fastest-growing businesses for the first time. The Cardiff Business Awards celebrate the success of firms based in the Welsh capital, with nominated firms representing a diverse range of industries. The judges praised Delio’s international…

THE PENSIONS Dashboards Programme (PDP) has announced that the long-awaited pensions dashboard will be further delayed until 2023 – four years after its original target of 2019 – causing mixed reactions within the industry. The dashboard will allow individuals to access and manage all their private pension arrangements along with their State Pension in one place, enabling them to see their projected retirement income at their current saving levels, and a predicted amount if their contributions were increased. The initial phase of the project, including finalising the architecture of the actual dashboard, securing a supplier to complete this and agreeing…