Scaling innovation in Scotland's care sector: a Strathclyde KTP
By Audrey Chisholm - Posted on 21 October 2026
Taranjot Singh Chopra is a KTP Associate with Solutions on Demand Group helping to scale the commercialisation of Geco Connect, an AI-enabled wellbeing and reporting platform for residential care in Scotland. Here, he outlines the progress so far – and shares how the technology has helped win business recognition.
In July 2025, I joined a Knowledge Transfer Partnership between the University of Strathclyde and the Solutions on Demand Group as KTP Associate. With an MBA from Strathclyde Business School, Chartered Manager status and a background in commercial strategy across SaaS, health tech and government technology, my task was to help scale the commercialisation of Geco Connect.
Geco Connect is an AI-enabled wellbeing and outcome reporting platform for Scotland's residential care, secure care and education sectors. Staff in these settings spend a significant part of their day on case notes, incident logs and reports spread across different systems, which makes it hard to evidence the difference they make for children and young people. Geco Connect brings that recording together and turns it into meaningful outcome reporting.
Building the commercial foundations
As Strategic Growth and Innovation Consultant, I built Geco Connect's commercial function, covering pricing, market positioning, customer engagement and funding. Working within a new sector meant grounding every decision in what practitioners and organisations actually need.
That understanding also shaped the product. I identified the opportunity to develop AI-enabled reporting aligned to GIRFEC, SHANARRI and The Promise, alongside child protection and physical restraint reporting. Neither was part of the original plan and both are now defining features of the platform.
The role of Strathclyde
The KTP is based in the Department of Work, Employment and Organisation at Strathclyde Business School, with Dr Joanna Butler as academic lead, and extends over 24 months, funded by Innovate UK. The academic team also includes Dr Laura Steckley, Professor Ian Cunningham and Professor Stuart McIntyre, with former team member Manish Joshi contributing earlier in the project. The West of Scotland KTP Centre has supported the partnership throughout.
Alongside supporting the commercial development of Geco Connect, the academic partnership brings expertise in organisational change, user adoption and the complexities of residential care, helping to inform how the platform is developed, evaluated and implemented.
The University's facilities have also contributed directly. A Living Labs study at StrathLAB brought together practitioners from five organisations to test Geco Connect in real working scenarios.
Progress so far
The KTP has helped turn Geco Connect into a business in its own right. Geco Connect is now used by four organisations, reaching 460+ staff and 130+ young people. Geco Connect Ltd was incorporated in January 2026, and the project has received support from Glasgow City Innovation District and Scottish Enterprise.
The work has also been recognised externally. After winning the ROCCO Innovation and Technology Award in 2025, Geco Connect was named a Scottish EDGE winner this year and finished runner up in the Innovation category at the HSBC FSB Awards for Scotland and Northern Ireland. In October, SOD won three awards in two nights: Innovation in Business and Best Performing Small-Medium Business at the Glasgow Business Awards, followed by the Digital Innovation Award at the Ayrshire Business Awards.
Geco Connect, further developed and commercialised through the KTP, was central to the innovation entries.
Looking ahead
The ambition is for Geco Connect to become the platform of choice for wellbeing and outcome reporting across Scotland, giving staff time back and giving children and young people a clearer record of their progress. The KTP has shown what is possible when academic expertise and business capability work together on a shared challenge.
