News Article

North East based company, Omniread Group Ltd, is in the process of developing a unique, internet-based software solution with the ability to improve people’s reading when using electronic screens thanks to funding secured with assistance from the Enterprise Europe Network for North East England (EEN).

The EEN, housed at the Centre for Process Innovation since June 2008, assisted OmniRead in securing a £91,000 Grant for Research and Development from One North East, enabling the business to secure additional investment of £150,000 from the Three Pillars Fund.

Using the funding, OmniRead will develop a web-based solution to enable today’s digital generation to personalise the display properties on electronic devices to improve their reading ability and speed; on average the improvement in people’s reading speed after using the product is approx. 40%.

The software will enhance the user’s reading proficiency and comprehension in addition to reducing reading fatigue and visual stress. It also has the potential to make reading for those people living with conditions such as dyslexia, migraines, eye/neck aches and photophobia a more productive and pleasurable experience.

Mark Kelk, OmniRead’s CEO, commented: “White is not always the optimum background colour to maximise people’s reading performance. In developing this world-leading ‘objective’ capability, we are offering any computer user the opportunity to tune the background colour of their computer screens to their unique, individual characteristics and improve their reading capability.

“The OmniRead software solution will, in many cases, reduce fatigue, increase stamina and improve the user’s efficiency at reading from and working with electronic displays.”

Shak Gohir, Enterprise Europe Network Practice Director at CPI commented, “We are delighted to have been of assistance to OmniRead. OmniRead is developing a product with a clear world-wide need and one that will enable the company to grow by entering new markets in Europe and beyond.”

The Enterprise Europe Network for North East England was launched by the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) during June 2008 with the key objective to help regional businesses to secure grant finance for research and development and better exploit opportunities offered by Europe.

It works closely with businesses to help shape their R&D project ideas, to build the project consortium and to write compelling R&D grant applications with strong market-led business propositions. The team has successfully helped many companies to secure funds for their product development activities from European grant schemes such as Framework Programme Seven (FP7) and regional finance programmes such as the One North East Grant for R&D.

For more information visit: http://een-northeast.co.uk/