EnterprisePlus welcomes 200th member

A water treatment company that began in the founder’s garage has become the 200th member of our EnterprisePlus scheme. Arvia Technology, based in Cheshire, is a spin-out from Manchester University and has been working to take its patented technology to market.

Unlike most water treatment processes which are filter systems, and act like sponges that eventually fill up and must be replaced, our system removes the contaminant and then continually regenerates the system, says Dr Mikael Khan, Director of Technology at Arvia.

We remove the organics in the water and then electrochemically destroy them, and the substance we use is then regenerated.

Arvia is working to deploy its technology in a number of sectors, including nuclear, and has successfully trialled a small unit at the Fukushima plant in Japan – as possibly the only SME to be involved in decontamination there.

Mikael says Arvia is looking forward to the benefits of EnterprisePlus as the company continues its commercial development.

A number of aspects will be effective for us – certainly the networking possibilities - and I find it very interesting that we can get access to staff development and training, internships and assistance with recruitment. We are very interested in attending events to meet others and improve the exposure of Arvia from a marketing perspective.

Employees at the company also have strong ties to the Royal Society of Chemistry.

We have staff who have been members for quite some time and always speak highly of the society. In fact, our very first employee, Dr Andrew Campen, told me he found career preparation and guidance advice from the Royal Society of Chemistry very useful, says Mikael.

EnterprisePlus is our dedicated service for R&D focused small businesses in the UK. Clare Wilson, Small Companies Programme Manager, said: We are delighted to be able to support so many small companies in the UK. It shows both that what we can offer is of interest to companies and the vibrancy of the chemical using industry.

Companies that sign up to EnterprisePlus benefit from cost-effective access to chemical science information, ways to raise their profiles, and support with recruitment and funding opportunities. Through our EnterprisePlus Industrial Placement Grants – which we operate in partnership with the Cogent Placements Service – we fund one-year placements for undergraduate students in small companies worth up to £20,000