Pulsar secures grant worth £151,000 for hearing loss project

The North Yorkshire-based business specialises in the design, manufacture and supply of noise measurement equipment, mainly to the health and safety industry. It has been awarded a grant from the Government-backed Technology Strategy Board.

The award, made as part of the Technology Strategy Board’s Smart scheme, will be used to accelerate the development of “highly innovative hybrid devices to measure noise levels in the workplace together with supporting software”, said Pulsar Instruments. The project focuses on producing “simple to use” wireless noise measuring devices, compliant with prevailing regulatory requirements for noise exposure around the world.

Sarah Brack, managing director of Pulsar Instruments, said: “We are thrilled that Technology Strategy Board is funding this important project. The impact on the company will be significant in many ways. It will strengthen Pulsar’s competitive position in the UK and across the globe and will secure the future of its employees.”

She said that the funding was “massively significant” for the business and will help it attract distributors in new countries. “We already had a very rapid growth strategy in place. This will help propel us even further.”

American parent company Scientific Measurement Instruments brought Pulsar Instruments over to the UK in the early ’80s. SMI is still the holding company of the group, but Pulsar Instruments now operates independently.

Pulsar Instruments employs nine people and is expecting to turn over £550,000 in its current financial year, which closes at the end of November, up from £420,000 the previous year. It expects to make a profit for the first time in its near 45-year history.

The Smart scheme is designed to support innovation and stimulate the UK economy. The scheme offers funding to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to engage in research and development projects in the strategically important areas of science, engineering and technology and fund successful new products, processes and services.