The DronePrep team is excited to announce that Keith Osborne has joined us as Land Partnership Manager. Keith will be working with landowners to communicate drone policies through our platform. Find out more about his role here.

Fitness fanatic Keith Osborne has just joined the DronePrep team. Keith boasts an extensive career in business development and is excited to turn his hand to a new industry.

From his early days as a professional squash player, Keith climbed the ranks of commercial health and fitness, finding his feet in B2B contract management and learning the ropes of a competitive market.

Keith has worked with large organisations on the provision of corporate leisure facilities, covering everything from operations to marketing to sales over his 35-year career so far.

He decided to go solo in 1998, founding a successful business which was then sold to a well-known healthcare charity, where he worked as Operations Director for several years.

His entrepreneurial exploits also include the creation of a fitness app to cater to the growing home exercise market during UK lockdowns.

Outside of the office, Keith is still a big fitness fan and is passionate about his involvement in triathlons. As Race Director of a Triathlon club, he has relied on drones to capture the best footage during their events.

Despite his health addiction, he is still partial to a slice of cake – a self-prescribed foodie hailing Italian cuisine as his “food heaven”.

“I’m really looking forward to learning about this whole industry. It’s great being at the front of a start-up and living the “cutting edge”, rather than the mundane. My experience with drones has always been very positive and being a part of an industry in its infancy is exciting. I’m keen to see how the DronePrep platform grows. And I’m really keen to find new opportunities to help everybody across the sector.”

 

– Keith Osborne, Land Partnership Manager, DronePrep

The DronePrep team is excited to announce that Karina Nasretdinova has joined DronePrep as Innovation Lead.

With a background in aviation and innovation, Karina brings a wealth of expertise in the international autonomous vehicle market. She has a deep understanding of the challenges facing the UAV sector.

Starting her career in commercial aviation, Karina found a passion for emerging technologies within the sector. In 2016, she became a co-founder of WATTS Future Technologies. The start-up is aiming to revolutionise wireless charging in both consumer electronics and the autonomous vehicle sector. The goal of the project is to equip all infrastructure with wireless charging stations: from ground transportation to new types of aircraft. This will contribute significantly to the overall development of the electric transport ecosystem.

Karina has worked with a leading British eVTOL company. In 2019 she completed an in-depth analysis of the urban air mobility market.

Outside of the “day job”, Karina is an avid videographer. She is also a keen storyteller with a passion for documentary filmmaking. She hopes to document the progress of world-changing technologies in aviation and to tell the stories behind the projects.

Karina will support co-founder Gareth Whatmore in the Innovation team.

“I’m really excited to join DronePrep. It’s a company which is not just focused on commercial gain, but rather on the growth of the entire sector. I’m looking forward to being part of the innovation team and providing great opportunities to drone companies and eVTOLs across the world.”

 

– Karina Nasretdinova, Innovation Lead, DronePrep

Finding suitable sites for drone operations can be a challenging task. With £65M in investment now available through the Future Flight Phase 3 competition, companies submitting applications should consider Bradford Estates in the West Midlands. The estate has just opened to applications for drone flight through its Drone Access Policy. The site offers an ideal location for carrying out drone research and testing.

Bradford Estates has recently signed up to a Drone Access Policy for three unique areas of their site. The estate is located on the border of Shropshire and Staffordshire.

Just over 3,000 acres – one-quarter of the 12,000-acre site – will be available for drone R&D projects. Bradford Estates has adopted a progressive approach to encourage innovation in the region.

The sites feature majority arable land, with access to secure storage, power, and both outdoor and indoor facilities.

Located away from major airports, the quiet airspace could provide the perfect solution for anyone looking for outdoor testing sites.

The site is located just 30 miles northwest of Birmingham and is easily accessible from the M54 and M6.

As a forward thinking business, we welcome the advancement of technology. We are therefore keen to entertain proposals to use Bradford Estates land to assist in the development of drones and robots. We are happy to provide a bespoke package tailored to the needs of the individual project and look forward to welcoming you to Bradford Estates!

–  Rob Paul, Estates Director

Bradford Estates is open to R&D opportunities, click the link below to see their full Access Policy.

For further details of this and other available sites contact DronePrep: [email protected]

Bradford Estates R&D Drone Access Policy

DronePrep is delighted to represent the UK at the World of Drones & Robotics Congress 2021. This is our second year, with Co-Founder & CTO Claire Owen also asked to speak at the event on 18-19 August.

This year’s congress will be held both online and in-person at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Australia. DronePrep was approached by the Department for International Trade (DIT) and asked to represent the UK. We will be joining their virtual pavilion.

The World of Drones Congress and Robotics Congress is the largest drone event in the Asia-Pacific region. Visitors can to see the latest industry developments, applications and policies. Bringing together the experts in drones, robotics and autonomous systems, the congress provides a great opportunity to collaborate.

Following successful trials in Cornwall and Scotland, Claire will be discussing DronePrep’s consortia work with Royal Mail. We will also be showcasing drone delivery for medical purposes and discussing the hurdles to overcome. DronePrep is excited to attend this year’s World of Drones & Robotics Congress.

Interested in attending? Use discount code D25PC for 25% off tickets when registering. For more information, check out: https://www.worldofdrones.com.au/
Planning to be there? Get in touch, come see us on the virtual stand.

We are excited to announce that DronePrep’s Claire Owen has been selected as a finalist for the Midlands Women in Tech Awards 2021.

Claire has been nominated for the Innovator Award, which is “…awarded to a woman designing, developing, researching, implementing or being exceptionally creative with technology in an unconventional and innovative way.” 

Every vote counts in the race to first place – please head over to the website and vote for Claire:

https://www.womenintechawards.co.uk

Last week we had the unique opportunity to take part in the G7 Summit Technology Showcase. The event was a chance to demonstrate the best of innovation, technology and talent from Cornwall and across the UK.

As part of the G7 Summit which took place last week in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, DronePrep were invited to the G7 Technology Showcase, a 4-day event highlighting the latest tech developments emerging in the region.

The event offered a chance for Cornwall-made innovation projects to shine. Exhibitors included organisations from a wide variety of industries: from lithium mining, to agriculture, to space exploration.

DronePrep joined fellow drone industry pioneers Skyports and Flylogix in showcasing drone technology.

The DronePrep team the chance to talk about our UKRI-funded projects with Royal Mail and the NHS to carry out drone deliveries in the Isles of Scilly, and to discuss the future of autonomous deliveries. There was also the opportunity to demonstrate the DronePrep platform to operators and industry representatives.

“It was a fantastic opportunity to find out what’s going on both within and outside our field. We’re really on the cusp of this massive revolution in technology, and it was great to see first-hand how these businesses are putting Cornwall, and Great Britain, on the map.”

– Gareth Whatmore

Special thanks to Gail Eastaugh, James Fairbairn, and Sam Healy of The Cornwall Development Company for hosting.