INNOVATION is alive and well among a fresh generation of academic entrepreneurs in the UK. Designer Kate Evans has invented a new product called LightSleeper - described as "a godsend for people who have difficulty in getting off to sleep".

In fact, the product so impressed innovation and entrepreneurial company Quincom, that it is funding its development and marketing.

Moreover, they have also recruited Kate Evans as a design manager, her first task being to manage her own project, taking it from concept through to its commercial launch. LightSleeper should be on sale via the Internet and by leading UK retailers from September 2009.

Kate originally came up with the idea while she was studying and suffering from sleepless nights. The concept became part of her product design degree and won her first-class honours.

She said: "I understand how a lack of sleep can negatively affect your life and when I researched the market I was shocked to discover how many UK citizens suffer the same issue at some point or more frequently during their lifetime. Research reveals that 12 million people experience at least three nights of poor sleep in an average week.

"My final-year project presented the ideal opportunity for me to explore the subject in more depth to find a design solution. The LightSleeper offers an alternative to potentially addictive sleeping tablets because it is a soothing electro-mechanical device. Large numbers of people are averse to using tablets, so this provides another useful option," added Kate, a graduate of the University of Central Lancashire.

The sleek device she created not only provides a practical solution to a widespread problem but also looks appealing. It works by rotating a light onto the ceiling to relax the user into a state of drowsiness.

It is reported that 20 per cent of people in the UK suffer from insomnia and in December 2008 there were more than three million UK searches on Google for sleep-related problems. Worryingly, a lack of sleep can result in serious side-effects for some people, including cardio-vascular problems and weight gain.

Kate Evans acknowledged that her product has presented the biggest challenge of her life. She said: "This has been an amazing business opportunity for me and, just like ‘The Apprentice' TV programme, I have had to learn many new personal and business skills in the art of entrepreneurship - from commissioning the first working prototypes through to sourcing a UK manufacturer for the product. There have been plenty of hurdles to overcome."

LightSleeper has undergone extensive end-user testing. One triallist reported: "Within four days of use I had slept solidly for seven hours, the first time in years and, on the fifth day, I slept through to the 6.25 alarm - I can't remember the last time this happened".

Early results also indicate that LightSleeper helps to improve the quality of the user's sleep, the longer they use the unit. A Quincom spokesperson said: "Kate will also work on the design and project management aspects of a number of other innovative products which we wish to develop, in order to bring them to market."

Current Quincom projects include eGovToolkit and Pinpoint, software products designed to help users in their dealings with local government; and Mail Minder, a management tool that measures response times to emails and text messages received by public bodies, in order to help them improve their levels of service. The company is also funding an advanced genetics research project at a university.