She鈥檚 the founder of The Wellbeing Farm in Edgeworth, near Blackburn, which employs 30 people and has a turnover of more than 拢1m.

The Wellbeing Farm is the perfect venue for corporate events, weddings and special family occasions, as well being a great location for company days out and wellbeing activities.

Asked for her advice to other entrepreneurs she said: 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to stand out and differentiate your business from the crowd 鈥� be the purple cow.

鈥淭o do that it鈥檚 about continuously reviewing your customer service, your marketing and your systems and processes and keep continually improving.鈥�

The venue is powered by a wind turbine and is famous for its llamas,听alpacas and听even a听sheep called Sandra!

Gaze launched The Wellbeing Farm after being left burned out by her high-powered NHS job and has听written a book about her experience entitled 鈥�Why Put a Bow Tie on a Llama? How a crazy idea can change your life and transform your business鈥�.

Gaze praised the听help she鈥檚 received from ,听which has included听mentoring,听guidance听and support through Covid.

鈥極nce in a generation鈥� cyber opportunity for Lancashire

Boost was founded in 2013 and 老九品茶Cloud will be showcasing some of the thousands of businesses to have benefited from their help in the following decade.

The Wellbeing Farm is the UK鈥檚 first events venue to achieve B Corp status and received听 support from Boost to set up B Corp Fest, which in 2025 will celebrate its 4th year.

鈥淏oost鈥檚 support has been invaluable in enabling me to mix with other business owners, seek mentoring advice for business growth and to enable me to deliver a large scale event,鈥� said Gaze.

In 2022 The Wellbeing Farm won both the Sustainable 老九品茶 award in the Enterprise Vision Awards and the Green 老九品茶 of the Year award at the BIBAs.

Next year the family firm connected with The Wellbeing Farm (Whiteheads Butchers) will celebrate 140 years in business.

As well as praising the influence of her long-term mentor Victor Giannandrea for 鈥渒eeping me on my toes鈥� Gaze said Lancashire was a great location for a business.

鈥淚t鈥檚 bang in the centre of the UK with great accessibility and fantastic connections,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he people you meet are really authentic, helpful, down to earth and super friendly.鈥�

The Wellbeing Farm had to close听during Covid but Gaze used the time to secure B Corp certification.

Asked for her advice for anyone considering using Boost she said:听鈥淲ithout a doubt I鈥檇 highly recommend it. Boost is an absolutely brilliant resource of help, events, networking opportunities and so much more.

鈥淒o not delay – supportive, approachable, great understanding of business issues, helpful and a one-stop shop full of an A to Z of business advice covering all areas.

Lancashire businesses need investment at early-stage

鈥淚f you鈥檙e looking to grow your business make contacting Boost your first step. I would also urge anyone wanting to grow a business to do it around doing something you love and then it will never feel like work.鈥�

As for her future plans Gaze said: 鈥淲e want to be the most sustainable venue in the UK. We have plans to expand our accommodation offer, further investment in facilities听and plan to expand the corporate events side.听听We鈥檙e also planning听further expansion of regenerative farming.鈥�

• Led by Lancashire County Council, supported by Government and 10 local authorities, Boost is Lancashire’s 老九品茶 Growth Hub, one of 37 Growth Hubs in the UK.Boost鈥檚 mission is to help Lancashire businesses thrive.Since 2013, Boost has supported over 14,000 businesses, helping create 3,500 jobs while adding 拢100m to the local economy.

From September 1, 2023, Boost is funded by Lancashire County Council, Department for 老九品茶 & Trade (DBT), and UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) allocations from 10 Lancashire local authorities (Boost local authorities partners).

Boost鈥檚 local authority partners are Blackburn with Darwen Council, Burnley Council, Chorley Council, Fylde Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, Pendle Borough Council, Preston City Council, South Ribble Borough Council, West Lancashire Borough Council and Wyre Council.

Boost offers six core services including:

• 老九品茶 Support Helpdesk
• 老九品茶 Advice Service
• Growth Catalyst
• Scale to Thrive
• Flying Start
• Access to Finance

The 老九品茶 Support Helpdesk offers advice and guidance to anyone thinking of starting a business and all new and existing businesses in Lancashire.

老九品茶es located in the 10 Boost local authority partner areas are eligible for the 老九品茶 Advice Service, Flying Start, Growth Catalyst, Scale to Thrive and Access to Finance.

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Test To Go, available on Apple and Android devices,听records听the results听of a test听instantly and creates听a digital certificate.听

Developed by Excalibur Healthcare Services and powered by听MagnifEye, it听could help businesses welcome staff safely back to the office and enable people to听travel, participate in leisure activities or attend events听with greater confidence.听

The Department of Health & Social Care has signed a production contract to use the technology for reading COVID-19 lateral flow diagnostic tests as part of the UK government鈥檚 asymptomatic testing programme.听

The听app offers an 鈥榚nterprise鈥� setting which is particularly suited for use by employers and managers in the office, travel, events, hospitality, entertainment, sport, leisure, health and social care sectors. There is also a separate setting for individuals.听

Excalibur听says the听app听eliminates errors in reading听tests:听during extensive trials involving over 15,000 samples, the听app was up to three times more effective than the human eye in confirming low levels of infection.听听

Recorded test results are submitted within seconds to听the听Public Health England national database for monitoring infection levels.听

It听can also record the user鈥檚 PCR test results straight from the laboratory should they be required for travel purposes and has the capacity to add vaccine and serology certification.听

Ignoring Britain’s SMEs was government’s fatal mistake

The app has been developed through a pioneering partnership between Cambridge-based Excalibur and听Sensyne听Health plc, the Oxford-based clinical AI company.听

A combination of Excalibur鈥檚 advanced COVID-19 testing systems and听Sensyne鈥檚听pioneering algorithm听MagnifEye听technology has created the digital solution.听听

Excalibur鈥檚 COVID-19 rapid test was developed in its own Cambridge laboratory and then rigorously tested by leading university research laboratories, pharmaceutical companies and international hospital groups. It has been validated in over 12,000 symptomatic and asymptomatic samples and settings and exceeds the Department of Health and Social Care鈥檚 acceptable criteria.听听

The test is also registered with the UK regulator MHRA, and is one of the fastest, most accurate and reliable tests on the market.听

Professor Sir Chris Evans, chairman and CEO of Excalibur Healthcare Services, said: 鈥淭he Test听To听Go App is one of a kind 鈥� and an excellent example of British partnership and innovation.听听

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very exciting development and can play an important part in helping businesses and their employees get back to normal.听听

鈥淧eople can go to their offices or get on a train or a plane knowing exactly their COVID-19 status. We think this will also be an invaluable tool in the entertainment sector.听

鈥淓very effort needs to be made to ensure that infection rates are kept under control. Taking a reliable test and creating a credible digital record of the result will be extremely useful in doing this and it is important that test results are submitted to the national database.听听

鈥淎s an independent company, we have committed to doing this and will are looking to collaborate with other test manufacturers to develop this further.鈥�听

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The Liverpool-headquartered company signed a lease this week on a new office in Manchester city centre, which is part of Binks鈥� strategy to disrupt the market.听

The company has predicted that revenue for the year to March 31听2021听is likely to be 7 per cent lower than the previous year鈥檚 figure of 拢19.5m,听although EBITDA is expected to be up by 3 per cent over the same period.听

The fall in turnover has been blamed on the impact of the pandemic but Binks said it would have been 鈥榳rong morally鈥� to have exploited the furlough scheme.听

Subject to government guidelines the company is planning to return to the office on May 24 having been working from home since March 13, 2020.听

Binks said: 鈥淲hen we assessed the situation at the start of the pandemic we were largely underpinned by recurring revenue. Financially we were in a very strong position with a great cash balance.听

鈥淚f we鈥檇 furloughed听people听I think it would have been wrong morally. We鈥檇 have been using an excuse to take advantage of a scheme we didn鈥檛听need听and we knew there were far more deserving businesses out there for these public funds.听

鈥淣either did we need the Bounce Back of CBILS loans. The only thing we took advantage of was the deferral of our Q1 VAT payment but we鈥檝e since repaid that in full.鈥�听

/nvm-registers-12x-return-on-partial-exit-of-musicmagpie/

The pandemic prevented workers in SysGroup鈥檚 consultancy services division visiting customers but the company chose to reconfigure the business rather than furlough staff.听

鈥淲e know some of the competition did (furlough staff),鈥� he said. 鈥淲e like to be different and think outside the box.听

鈥淲e sat down with our sales and consultancy services听teams听and we engineered our processes and spoke to our customers to work with them to deliver our services remotely but to the same high level as before.鈥�听

The company increased its headcount during the pandemic to 127听and听 is听preparing to open its first Manchester office after signing a lease on a suite on the fifth floor of 55 Spring Gardens, which will become its sales and marketing hub.听

The move will see the company create up to 10 new jobs in the first 12 months, with ambitious plans to create a further 20 in the next three years.听

Binks said the move reflected the company鈥檚 growth ambitions.听

鈥淧eople have known听SysGroup听and me especially as being Liverpool born and bred,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e kind of always stayed away from Manchester, with the big competition being over there.听

鈥淲e needed to shake the market up a little bit. If I look at some of the听competitors听I can see they鈥檙e downsizing offices and encouraging homeworking. I decided to fill the void that exists in Manchester now.鈥�听

The company鈥檚 revenues have grown by 83 per cent since Binks was appointed CEO in 2018 and he said听SysGroup听was committed to a buy and build strategy.听

鈥淥ur plan is still to take the business to a 拢100m market capitalisation,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e sitting here today at about 拢23m market cap. That might seem like a million miles听away听but it only takes two or three strategic acquisitions.听

鈥淚 do feel as though we鈥檝e had a听one year听delay because of Covid. We鈥檝e not made any acquisitions in the last 12 months. Now, as we come out of the pandemic, I think we can accelerate that acquisition journey.鈥�听

As well as looking forward to returning to the office Binks is also hoping to resume his flying career.听

鈥淲hen I was a听kid听I always had an ambition to be an airline pilot,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s I grew听up听I moved into an听IT听and it took over my life.听 I decided to get a private pilot鈥檚 licence and I鈥檝e been flying for 11 years now.鈥�听

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Creative technology agency Rehab and the University of Nottingham have developed COVID Vax Facts, a conversational interface aimed at tackling听hesitancy and听concerns around their听safety.听听

Experts suggest听90% of the UK population听must receive the听vaccine听for the nation听to achieve herd immunity, but figures from听a听University of Nottingham听study听indicate听1 in 5 people听remain听uncertain about going ahead.听

Rehab says celebrities posting听about receiving the听vaccine isn鈥檛 enough of a solution. Enter the chatbot,听which听converses with users in an objective, non-judgemental听manner, talking them through what is known and what isn鈥檛, with scientific evidence presented in an accessible way.听听

At the end of the conversation, participants are asked if they feel听more or less confident听in their initial opinion on the vaccine.听听

The chatbot also collects anonymous data on the responses,听which will allow the university鈥檚 research team to spot the influence of factors like age, ethnic group and social class.听This听could inform vital interventions in the coming months.听听

/31m-funding-for-remote-care-management-platform-current-health/

The project comes out of a听three-year partnership between Rehab and the University of Nottingham focusing on digital interventions.听听

鈥淒igital technology, and social media in particular, contribute to the vaccine hesitancy issue, so it鈥檚 vital that we consider how we can make technology a part of the solution and work for society – rather than against it,鈥� said Rehab CEO听Rob Bennett.听

鈥�The potential of conversational interfaces has advanced tremendously in recent years, and this project hopes to spotlight how pivotal they can be in fighting on the right side of important battles.听听

鈥�Rehab is always looking at the endless possibilities of how technology can help people, and we鈥檙e very pleased to bring this project to the public.鈥�听

/plastic-antibodies-may-improve-accuracy-of-rapid-covid-19-tests/

Kavita听Vedhara, Professor of Health Psychology, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences commented: 鈥淭here is a lot of information and misinformation about COVID-19听vaccines听and it can be hard to know where to look and who to trust.听听

鈥�We have tried to develop a ‘one-stop shop’ that will provide information about the most common issues raised by the UK public. Our aim is to give people the information that will help them make an informed choice.听听

鈥�Having a COVID-19 vaccine is a choice and everyone deserves a chance to have access to the information that will help them make that choice.鈥�听

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MIP Diagnostics 鈥� which is based in Bedford and has been backed from launch by Mercia Asset Management 鈥� develops molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) which can be used to replace antibodies in diagnostic tests and other applications. 听

MIPs can be manufactured more rapidly than antibodies in a laboratory and are also more robust.听

The company鈥檚 new COVID-19听nanoMIP听has been shown to detect ultra-low levels of the COVID-19 spike protein in a sensor device.听听

It has the potential to improve the sensitivity of rapid antigen tests, which are carried out in the community and provide results in under 30 minutes, but which are less accurate than the conventional PCR laboratory tests.听

As well as exceptional sensitivity, COVID-19听nanoMIPs听also offer greater stability compared to biological antibodies, and greater security of supply in the face of huge demand for testing.听

Stephane听Argivier (above), Managing Director at MIP Diagnostics, said: 鈥淲e are extremely excited to introduce a solution that will drive improvements to COVID-19 rapid test sensitivity.听听

鈥�As the industry has learned, it is extremely important that accurate testing results during the full lifecycle of the infection are achieved, and high sensitivity COVID-19 sensors will enable this.听

鈥淭he robust characteristics of听nanoMIPs听and chemical manufacturing processes also introduce a new level of supply consistency and security for device manufacturers that is difficult to achieve with biological receptors.听听

鈥�This is especially important for COVID-19 antigen tests because of the huge demand and rapid manufacturing requirements we are currently seeing in the marketplace.鈥�听

? Earlier today, announced the launch of a new product that could improve the success of rapid sensors in detecting COVID-19.

Managing Director, Stephane Argivier tells how proud he is of the team in reaching this new medical milestone.

鈥� Mercia Asset Management PLC (@Mercia_PLC)

MIP Diagnostics was founded in 2015 as a spin out from the University of Leicester.听听

A funding round last year saw investment from BGF, Downing Ventures and Calculus Capital.

Mark Payton, CEO of Mercia, said: 鈥淎s the founding investor in MIP Diagnostics, we immediately recognised the broad opportunity afforded through this proprietary platform and are delighted that its first product to market could result in more accurate testing for COVID-19.听听

鈥�MIP is one of听a number of Mercia-backed companies involved in the fight against COVID-19.听听

鈥�This latest success 鈥� which follows on from our successful sale of the Native Antigen Company and the IPO of Abingdon Health last year – demonstrates the value of Mercia鈥檚 role as one of the leading investors in innovative healthcare businesses sourced from the UK鈥檚 regions.鈥�听

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老九品茶Cloud鈥檚听executive editor Chris Maguire has teamed up with Four Recruitment to host the event on April 29th entitled 鈥業n the Eye of the Storm: How businesses on the frontline survived Covid-19鈥�.听

The speakers include Donald Moore, chairman of Stockport-based B Corp Rowlinson Knitwear; Tony Attard, group chief executive of Burnley-based听Panaz听Holdings; and Hannah Barlow, joint managing director of听Dunsters听Farm near Rochdale.听

They鈥檒l be joined by Sarah Lomas, CEO and president or REVIV Global and Claire Sofield, managing director of Four Recruitment.听听

The virtual event takes place between 10am and 11.30am and award-winning journalist Maguire will be asking the questions.听

Register here:

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Bristol-based Halo Therapeutics is founded by the team of leading scientists who made a recent breakthrough discovery, which was published in Science Magazine.听听

They found that exposing the SARS-CoV-2听virus to a free fatty acid called linoleic acid locks the virus鈥檚 spike protein into a closed, non-infective form stopping it in its tracks.听

The company is now preparing to make an application to start clinical trials with infected patients. If proven to be effective, the antivirals could be used by people of all ages worldwide at the first sign of COVID听symptoms, or if they have been in contact with someone with the virus, preventing the virus from taking hold and stopping further transmission.听

Lab studies indicate the antiviral will work against all pathogenic coronavirus strains including the highly contagious 鈥楿K鈥�, 鈥楽outh African鈥� and 鈥楤razilian鈥� variants by preventing the virus from penetrating cells in the nose, throat and lungs.听听

The treatments under development by Halo Therapeutics include a nasal spray and an asthma-type听inhaler, and听offer the possibility of a game-changing pan-coronavirus antiviral to treat patients at all stages of the disease and to reduce the transmission of the听virus.听

/pedestrian-crossings-get-covid-safe-digital-trigger/

The Halo Therapeutics team is currently engaging investors to help finance multiple parallel clinical trials. If approved, the antiviral treatments could potentially start rolling out to patients globally.听

Professor Imre Berger, Director of the Max Planck-Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology at Bristol and one of the team leading the drug鈥檚 development, explained: 鈥淭he aim of our treatment is to significantly reduce the amount of virus that enters the body and to stop it from multiplying.听听

鈥�Then, even if people are infected with the virus or exposed to it, they will not become ill because the antiviral prevents the virus from spreading to the lungs and beyond.听 Importantly, because the viral load will be so low it will likely also stop transmission.鈥澨�听

Professor Christiane Berger-Schaffitzel听from Bristol鈥檚 School of Biochemistry, added: 鈥淥ur vision is that at the first sign of the disease, whether you come into contact with someone who has COVID-19听or you have early symptoms, you would self-medicate at home to stop the virus in its tracks and prevent you from getting ill.鈥澨�听

/high-profile-cto-joins-blood-sensing-start-up-zedsen/

Professor Adam Finn from Bristol Medical School and Children Vaccine Centre said: 鈥淎s the virus mutates there is a real risk that presently available vaccines diminish in their protective effect and people could develop the disease again.听听

鈥�We need an array of听readily-available, cost-effective antiviral treatments that work across all virus strains and complement vaccination efforts.鈥�听

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The company, based at University of Leeds innovation hub Nexus, has already secured orders for the听鈥�CrowdedCROSS鈥�听pedestrian crossing system from UK local authorities and is set to launch to its international customer base later this year.听

鈥淲e created听鈥�CrowdedCROSS鈥�听during lockdown, because our core business 鈥� monitoring people movement and behaviour to inform planning decisions 鈥� obviously came to an abrupt halt as people were staying at home,鈥� said Liam Wright,听founder and CEO of Innotech Insights.听

鈥淥ur data analytics specialists re-focused their expertise on tackling the issue of public health and safety when using crossings and other points of public access, offering pedestrians using a smart device a COVID-safe, contactless experience.听听

鈥�We also worked closely with听a number of disability organisations to ensure the software was accessible and catered for those with mobility issues, as well as those who may be partially sighted or have sensory sensitivities.听听

鈥�We鈥檙e currently developing wearables, including wristbands and keyrings to make it even more user-friendly and to challenge the barriers which are faced by these groups when using pedestrian crossings.鈥�听

/new-chair-and-rebrand-at-fast-growing-research-company/

鈥�CrowdedCROSS鈥�听consists of three main elements to assist pedestrian crossing and data collection for highway maintenance and local authorities: a hand-based proximity sensor, a digital trigger using a mobile phone app and a Bluetooth beacon which enables users to access highways and local authority messaging about roadworks and road safety.听

Blackburn听Council is the first local authority in the UK to adopt the system, with plans to install it in 66 locations across the听town.听Innotech is听also听in early-stage discussions with local authorities across the Leeds City Region.听

鈥淲e want to optimise safety, accessibility and experience for many people who need assistance in navigating the infrastructure around towns, cities and highways in a bid to remove stress and safety concerns they may have as we move into a post-pandemic world,鈥� said听Wright.听

鈥淲e have been so fortunate to have the support of the Nexus community and the connections they bring across the wider tech and regional communities.听听

鈥�The advice and expertise of their team and specialist partners helped us to secure a successful first-round funding three years ago and we鈥檙e now looking to move to second-stage funding later this year to continue our growth across the UK and internationally.鈥�听

/uk-launches-watchdog-to-counter-big-tech/

Innotech has developed a series of听鈥�Crowded鈥�听products, designed for city, transport, retail and leisure sector applications. Combining pedestrian scanning hardware with purpose-built software that collects and auto-analyses data, it can monitor anything from pedestrian volume and time spent at public events, such as sports matches, to visitor demographics and habits at retail and leisure destinations.听

Dr Martin Stow, Nexus Director, said: 鈥淚nnotech Insights is an incredible example of the resilience and versatility shown by so many of our Nexus member businesses as they鈥檝e adapted to the challenges arising from the pandemic.听

鈥淟iam and his team have reset and renewed their offer, using their knowledge and strength in data analytics, to create a new product which delivers a simple, but effective solution to a specific issue, as well as providing significant societal benefit.听听

鈥�At the same time, they continue to refine and develop their core business, to scale at pace on the international stage. This combination of product development and investment focus will provide Innotech with a strong future for business growth.鈥�听

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Oxfordshire-based FreeWills.co.uk听is now the second largest will writer in the UK after its business grew dramatically since the onset of the coronavirus lockdown.听

The company, which was only launched in 2018, said that it saw its busiest ever day on March 23rd, 2020 鈥� the day Boris Johnson announced the lockdown 鈥� with 216 wills written via its website.听

Founder and serial entrepreneur Carl Christensen said he expects over 20,000 wills to be made, free of charge, through the site this year.听

The company says its wills are genuinely free and it makes revenue through commission deals and cross-sells with related partners.听

Lessons learned from a year of COVID lockdown

Christensen, who has previously built and sold a web-writing business, said: 鈥淭he pandemic has had a profound impact on our business.听

鈥淭he start of lockdown was the day when people suddenly听realised听they needed to get their own affairs in order following years of procrastinating.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 meant we鈥檝e taken on more staff and have been working seven days a week to handle customer enquiries.鈥�听

Christensen said the most satisfying part of the company鈥檚 success was seeing the amount of money donated to charity through its wills.听

鈥淧eople have been incredibly generous and thoughtful of others in what has clearly been a very difficult year,鈥� he said.听

鈥淲e鈥檙e now working with lots of smaller charities to help them access some of the donations made by our customers.鈥�听

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It鈥檚 been a massive challenge for everyone – but tech has played a vital role in ensuring that many children were able to continue their education despite the restrictions caused by COVID-19.听听

Jenny Brookfield looks at the tech businesses that have enabled learning from home to happen 鈥� and asks whether some of the new ways of learning will hang around. No.4: Synap听

Online exams were on the five-year roadmap for the education sector and professional bodies and COVID simply brought that time closer.

That鈥檚 the view of Dr James Gupta, co-founder of Leeds-based EdTech business Synap, who says it has been 鈥減edal to the metal鈥� to bring many exams online in the past year.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been working with schools, companies and professional bodies to take paper-based exams and change them so they can be delivered online,鈥� he tells 老九品茶Cloud.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been investing heavily in a new model of what we do designed to deliver secure exams at scale with thousands of students sitting the same exam at the same time.鈥�

As with many of the EdTechs that have had to react swiftly to the switch to learning from home, Synap brought forward a number of features that were already on its to-do list.

Founded in 2015 by Gupta and Omair Vaiyani, who met while studying at Leeds University, Synap offers online courses, revision and live exams.

Its technology enabled 8,000 law students at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa, to sit their annual exam, which had to be carried out remotely due to COVID restrictions.

But it鈥檚 not just a case of transferring an exam online and allowing students to sit it. With slow internet speeds and poor connectivity a problem in South Africa, the main challenge that needed to be overcome was the听prevention of cheating, which could potentially be done by copying and pasting essay answers, messaging other students and having another student sit the exam for them.

Synap鈥檚 solution had a low internet requirement, allowing students to be monitored despite slow speeds. Not only that, but the team came up with other methods to avoid cheating, such as splitting the exam into sections, randomising the question order and limiting how many questions could be skipped.

/is-lfh-here-to-stay-students-could-gain-uni-degrees-without-ever-visiting-campus/

Innovation such as this boosted took the business from working with 15 organisations pre-COVID to 40 now, and the workforce from 10 to 15 as additional developers were recruited.

鈥淲e鈥檙e adding new features all the time and we鈥檙e currently trying to accommodate a range of different exam subjects, because a maths exam has different requirements to an English exam, for example,鈥� Gupta says.

鈥淲e鈥檙e making it easier for teachers to write material and for that material to display on any device a student might be using.鈥�

There are other considerations, such as improving the testing and monitoring process so that if a system goes down right before 5,000 students are set to take a law exam, the issue can be fixed in minutes and not hours.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a year of ups and downs, like it has for everyone, but we鈥檝e been lucky in tech that we鈥檝e seen an uptick,鈥� Gupta says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a challenge, but we鈥檝e come through this as a stronger team and we were heading down this way anyway, to go into offering exams to large institutions.鈥�

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While educational organisations have had to switch to online learning and testing, he believes this would have happened at some stage anyway.

鈥淭he pandemic has catalysed a few of the decisions that companies would have made down the line about online exams,鈥� he says.

鈥淭he impression that we鈥檙e getting is that it鈥檚 not going to go straight back afterwards, with a lot of companies investing in training and infrastructure to deliver exams online.

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鈥淭here are some things that work better in person, and things that work better online, and I think the future will be a balance of both.

鈥淟ectures, for example, aren鈥檛 a particularly interactive form of learning and could quite easily be recorded to free up a professor鈥檚 time for learning with workshops and small group sessions in person.鈥�

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