KTP aims to improve outcomes for young people in residential care
The University of Strathclyde and the Solutions on Demand Group (SOD) are partners in a 24-month Management Knowledge Transfer Partnership, funded by Innovate UK and based in the Department of Work, Employment and Organisation at Strathclyde Business School.
The KTP focuses on scaling the commercialisation of Geco Connect, an AI-enabled wellbeing and outcome reporting platform for Scotland's residential care, secure care and education sectors.
Taranjot Singh Chopra (pictured second left) is the KTP Associate who leads the commercial development of Geco Connect and has helped expand the platform beyond its original scope.
He said, “As KTP Associate, working as Strategic Growth and Innovation Consultant, I lead the commercial side, covering pricing, market positioning, customer engagement and funding. I also identified the opportunity to develop AI-enabled reporting aligned to GIRFEC, SHANARRI and The Promise, alongside child protection and physical restraint reporting.”
Solutions on Demand won Innovation in Business and Best Performing Small-Medium Business at the Glasgow Business Awards this month (October), followed by the Digital Innovation Award at the Ayrshire Business Awards, with Geco Connect central to the innovation entries. Earlier this year, Geco Connect was named a Scottish EDGE winner and finished runner up in the Innovation category at the HSBC FSB Awards for Scotland and Northern Ireland. This builds on its ROCCO Innovation and Technology Award win in 2025.
Dr Joanna Butler, Principal Knowledge Exchange Fellow, said, “The real value of this KTP is its potential to improve the experiences and outcomes of children and young people in residential care. Staff working in these settings face significant demands on their time, and anything that reduces the administrative burden and allows them to spend more time engaging with and supporting young people has real value.
“One of the strengths of this partnership has been the opportunity to bring together colleagues with different areas of expertise from across the University: organisational psychology, social work and social innovation. From my perspective as an occupational psychologist, digital innovation isn't simply about introducing new systems; it's about understanding how people work, what they need and how technology can genuinely support them. Bringing these different perspectives together helps us ensure that the development and adoption of Geco Connect reflect the realities of the care environment, the needs of staff and the experiences of the young people they support.
“For me, this is also about demonstrating the wider impact of academic research and expertise beyond the University. Through the KTP, we have an opportunity to translate that knowledge into practical improvements in how organisations operate, while generating learning that can inform practice across the wider care sector. We're supporting an SME to grow and innovate, but the real measure of success will be whether that innovation makes a meaningful difference to staff and, ultimately, to the lives of the children and young people they work with.”
Published: 15 October 2026
