NEWS

In this episode of Northern Spotlights, we explore how collaboration sparks innovation, drives progress and helps turn bold ideas into real impact. Bringing together three guests from very different sectors, this conversation looks at the role collaboration has played in shaping their journeys, strengthening their work and opening up new opportunities across technology, research and healthcare innovation.

Guests include:

 Pete Daykin, CEO, Wordnerds

Pete shares the story behind Wordnerds, a Newcastle-based company helping organisations turn customer feedback into meaningful action. From surveys and complaints to reviews and calls, Wordnerds uses AI-powered insight to help teams understand what customers are saying and make better decisions. The company began following a 2015 challenge from Nissan to identify key signals in thousands of tweets. By combining emerging AI with linguistic expertise, Pete and co-founder Steve Erdal transformed that opportunity into a business that continues to support organisations to act on customer insight.

Jane Scott, Newcastle University Academic Track (NUAcT) Fellow, Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment

Dr Jane Scott leads The Living Textiles Research Group within the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment. Her work brings together programmable materials, knitted fabric design, architecture and biology, positioning textiles as a critical biofabrication strategy in the transition towards more sustainable and circular construction. Through interdisciplinary collaboration with experts across design, science and industry, Jane’s research is helping drive innovation across scales and applications.

Sean Allan, Founder of VECTOR 76 & Chief Technology Officer, XR Therapeutics

Sean discusses XR Therapeutics and its Boundless platform, a therapist-led extended reality therapy solution built around immersive simulations of real-world environments. Developed in the North East, evaluated within NHS services and used across the UK, Boundless shows how collaboration between clinicians, technologists and service users can support more accessible and impactful therapeutic experiences.