February 14, 2018, by Postgraduate Placements Nottingham

Postgraduate Placements: a win-win proposition

Following Rishov’s blog about his postgraduate placement we speak with his project host Neil Steniford of SOE Health Ltd.

Hi Neil, thank you for speaking with us. Firstly, what were the factors that led you to hosting a University of Nottingham postgraduate student on this project?

At SoeMac our strategy on staff is to sub-contract all activities as we are more interested in generating work activities for our network of experts and consultants than increasing permanent staff numbers. The reason for doing this specifically through Postgraduate Placements Nottingham (PPN) though was our previous positive experience of working with them. The advantage of working with PPN is twofold: they give a company like ours the opportunity to tap into a very specialist resource, at an affordable cost, that otherwise we would have no hope of accessing, and secondly, they are very supportive in working with us to carefully define the projects we offer, so that we are matched with postgraduates with relevant knowledge and experience.

Can you tells us a little more about the project itself and the outcomes you were looking for?

Our SoeMac device has been shown to be very beneficial to the health of respiratory sufferers, in particular those with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), and we are now in the process of applying for CE Medical Device Class I. Once we have this, we can run a Study with the NHS, and then a full Clinical Trial. Having robust research and data on the precise workings on the human body of the SoeMac will help us on this journey so Rishov’s project brief was to research the various health benefits of the device, with supporting literature, studies, and trial information.

What did Rishov personally bring to the project from your point of view?

Rishov’s background experience was obviously a real asset but it was as much his enthusiasm for the project which made for a great collaboration. He responded to challenges well and asked helpful, searching questions. I greatly appreciated and enjoyed seeing him stretching himself as he progressed.

It was a pleasure for me to get to know Rishov and work with him. As he progresses to the next stage of his life, a PhD somewhere, hopefully Nottingham, we will certainly stay in contact and continue to swap updates and ideas.

Outside of that, did the project itself meet your expectations?

Definitely. We’ve learnt a great deal from Rishov’s research. Amalgamating all the pieces of our study, we can conclude that SoeMac can be considered as a medical device under a relevant class, not a drug or a pharmaceutical product, considering the definitions of drugs and pharmaceuticals both as per the MHRA and FDA. Considering the available clinical data, we can also show that, without altering any physiological parameters, the SoeMac supports the body to replenish the lost normal conditions, by exciting natural air, without incurring any risk of potential toxicity.

I think it’s fair to say that the placement project was a classic win-win for both the company and the student. As with the previous placement we hosted, the flexible working arrangements worked really well, and I will certainly offer another postgraduate placement next year, if the opportunity arises.

Please read about SoeMac at www.soemac.com

If you are a business interested in offering a postgraduate placement please visit our webpage for more information.

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