An inspiring piece of product design has come out of Loughborough University – a new drinking water sterilisation device that uses UV light to eliminate bacteria. The design was dreamt up by Timothy Whitehead, and has won the UK heat of the Dyson Award.

The new product sterilises water in just 90 seconds, much quicker than the 30 minutes that traditional chlorine and iodine tablets take – and without leaving a nasty taste.

As Timothy says: ‘I began to experiment with using ultraviolet light to sterilise water quickly, without any distortion to taste.’

Attaining clean drinking water is a very big issue in the developing world and in disaster situations where clean drinking water is very hard to come by. The design will be going up against international heat finalists for the main award – who wins will be decided by Dyson engineers, international judges and James Dyson himself.

Presenter of Dragon’s Den Evan Davis has been awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Coventry University in Business Administration, for his work on Finance Journalism and Economics editorial. He has also been the presenter of BBC Radio 4′s Today programme, after having served six years as the BBC’s economics editor. His work and services to the financial world has been recognised and has made him a famous household name.

Before his career in broadcasting took off he worked as an economist for the Institute for Fiscal Studies and London Business School’s Centre for Business Strategy. His expertise has demonstrated his strong abilities to make difficult issues available and accessible to the public. Vice Chancellor of Coventry University, Professor Madeleine Atkins comments “His contribution to financial journalism and the way he continues to make the most complicated issues accessible has not only made him a household name but also a respected authority on his subject.”