Category: Innovation

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North East Local Enterprise Partnership appoints Innovation Director

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has appointed a highly-experienced Innovation Director.

Alan Welby will lead the LEP’s Innovation Programme, which aims to drive delivery of key programmes and stimulate investment in innovation and its ecosystem in the North East of England.

Alan joins the LEP from Liverpool John Moores University, where he was Director of Research, Innovation and Partnerships and was responsible for the delivery and management of a £25.7m annual programme of community, commercial and collaborative activity.

Alan said: “I am delighted to join the LEP as Innovation Director. I am very pleased to be working back in the North East and am looking forward to delivering results.

“I have always wanted to make a positive difference and this role will allow me to do so as innovation is so important when it comes to competing in a global economy.

“I am inheriting a lot of good work and the North East has a great track record in cutting-edge innovation.

“It is a very exciting time for innovation in the region and I am looking forward to getting started.”

Alan graduated from the University of Newcastle in 1994, with a BA (Hons) in Government and European Community Studies.

As Innovation Director, he will also play a pivotal role in helping to deliver the North East Strategic Economic Plan (SEP).

Helen Golightly, Executive Director, said: “We are determined to define the North East as an innovation hot spot in Europe – an exemplar in ‘smart specialisation’ and open innovation systems and practice.

“We are therefore thrilled to welcome someone of Alan’s calibre to the team. We are confident his skills and vast experience in the innovation field will help us achieve our goal.”

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Innovation Observatory workshop facilitator

The North East LEP is looking to appoint a facilitator to support the LEP and four universities to review the existing Innovation Observatory arrangements and consider opportunities as part of the next steps.

Further information can be found here. Anyone interested in applying should provide the information requested in the specification via email to James Davies by midday on the 4 April 2018. 

 

 

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Funding available for business incubator space

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is inviting Expressions of Interest from incubator projects which match the strategic aspirations set out in the Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) and the innovation programme with significant potential to make a demonstrable contribution to the incubator network within the region.

Projects must demonstrate clear links to the SEP and be able to provide a clear and coherent programme of business incubation support.

We anticipate that the North East LEP will be asked to fund around 50% of the capital costs of the (re)development incubator space (subject to State Aid). The maximum grant available through this fund will be £250,000 of capital.

Prospective applicants, who can be from public, private or voluntary sector, are encouraged in the first instance to read the Project Call Information document which can be found along with other supporting information on our funding page.

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In conversation: Estelle Blanks discusses the Innovation Project Development Fund

As Deputy Director of Innovation SuperNetwork, Estelle Blanks works with North East businesses to help them get the funding they need by connecting them with investors through events such as FinanceCamp.

Estelle discusses how businesses in the early stages of an innovation-based project can benefit from up to £200,000 worth of project development funding that’s available in the Innovation Project Development Fund.

Read on to find out if this is for you and what the next steps are.

Why is the Innovation Project Development Fund important?

The North East LEP, as part of the North East Strategic Economic Plan, is committed to creating more and better jobs in the region and help give a long-term productivity boost to the economy. Ensuring there is a strong pipeline of projects that encourage innovation-led growth is essential to deliver this vision. This is what the Innovation Project Development Fund is all about.

The Innovation SuperNetwork is a key pillar of the North East LEP’s innovation strategy, bringing together over 50 stakeholders and reaching out to over 5,000 SMEs in the North East region. We help promote the innovation profile and brand equity of the region and we bring together the regional innovation community across academic networks, catapults, industry and innovation hubs. As such we are keen to see more innovation projects develop and benefit from the new Innovation Project Development Fund.

What types of companies are eligible for the fund?

The Innovation Project Development Fund exists to help companies and projects that can make a real impact on the North East economy raise the capital they need to go and make their plans a reality. Prospective applicants can be from the public, private or voluntary sectors.

This is project development funding for strategic innovation projects (larger than £5m in total) which will enable the project to progress to achieve full funding routes.

If your company creates more jobs in the region, encourages collaboration, or contributes to the productivity and growth of the North East’s economy through innovation, this may be for you.

What types of projects are eligible for the fund?

The North East LEP is inviting bids from early stage innovation projects to come forward for development stage funding. Projects that are anticipated to be over £5m in scale by the end of the project are encouraged to come forward. You should apply for this funding if your project supports the strategic aspirations of the North East LEP’s Strategic Economic Plan and the Industrial Strategy.

The projects must be capital, represent a strategic step change and result in key outputs such as jobs growth, business start-up and growth and the development of new products, processes or services.

Projects will need to demonstrate engagement and partnership between businesses and research institutions.

The Innovation SuperNetwork may be able to introduce you to potential partners and a network of other organisations and businesses who may be seeking collaboration or a partnership or even help with a particular technical aspect of your project.

 

Next steps for Innovation Project Development Fund applicants

Interested in applying for this funding? Here are the next steps for applying to the Innovation Project Development Fund.

Get in touch

The North East LEP welcomes informal discussions and queries from interested parties, so if you have any questions at all or need help assessing the eligibility of your project, just get in touch with James Davies ([email protected] / 0191 561 5430).

Have a look online

There’s plenty of guidance around the funding and the application process on the North East LEP website, including a scoring matrix that will help you easily identify whether you qualify for the funding or not.

I would also recommend reading the Strategic Economic Plan and the Industrial Strategy, as they’ll reveal what the North East LEP is looking for from applications.

Get collaborating

The Innovation SuperNetwork can use its network to help businesses make connections and can provide support which will allow you to access new markets and opportunities which can help you get access to funding such as this.

How to apply

Make sure you read through all the guidance documents and check you are eligible for the Innovation Project Development funding.

If you’re interested in submitting an application, please contact either James Davies (details above) or Ben McLaughlin ([email protected]  0191 561 5430) and ask for the relevant application form and guidance.

The deadline for submissions is midnight on the 30 March 2018.

 

For more information on the Innovation Project Development Fund see here: https://www.nelep.co.uk/news/lep-funding-available-early-stage-innovation-projects/

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Project development grants to champion innovation

Innovative projects could be given help to achieve success with business development funding.

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is inviting bids for up to £200,000 worth of project development funding for strategic innovation projects.

The grants aim to support the preparation of a business plan, feasibility studies and funding applications for large-scale, strategic capital projects that improve the innovation infrastructure of the North East.

The North East LEP is looking for projects that are in the initial stages and need support with the preparation costs to produce a HM Treasury-compliant five-point business case for the Industrial Strategy Fund. The LEP is specifically looking for applications from projects that can demonstrate clear links to the goals set out in its Strategic Economic Plan (SEP), and which are anticipated to be of significant scale with at least a £5m capital build cost.

North East LEP programme manager, James Davies, said: “Our Strategic Economic Plan includes a focus on achieving innovation-led growth, as this is essential to our region’s long-term prosperity.

“This funding is part of our approach to supporting the development of a strong pipeline of capital projects and infrastructure to support the growth of our innovation ecosystem by providing capital project development grants within the North East LEP area.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for businesses. We are inviting applications for up to £200,000 worth of project development funding for strategic innovation projects. This will hopefully help the projects to progress to achieve full funding routes.”

Projects will be required to be seeking external funding from a public, private or other source with a project value of over £5m and to be deliverable within the next five years.

The closing date for applicants is 30 March 2018.

For further information can be found here.

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Healthcare expert joins North East LEP team

One of the country’s leading healthcare professionals has joined the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to drive forward the region’s innovative health and life sciences sector.

Dr Teresa Fortune, an experienced research manager from Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, has been appointed Health and Life Sciences Programme Lead at the North East LEP.

Tasked with aiding the economic development of the North East by supporting growth in the life sciences and healthcare sector, Teresa has a wealth of experience in the field having held senior positions at the National Institute for Health Research and One North East.

Teresa said: “Health and life sciences is identified as a key growth area for the North East because we already hold a diverse range of specialisms. Our region’s universities are world leading and our thriving pharmaceutical industry adds over £1 billion to the national economy, exporting over 85% of its output.”

“We want to build on our knowledge and reputation by investing in the sector to create more and better jobs here in the North East.

“It’s a very exciting time to be joining the North East LEP, particularly following the launch of our refreshed strategic economic plan for the region. The health and life sciences sector provides a huge opportunity in terms of economic growth and job creation, helping us to achieve our aim to create 100,000 more and better jobs for the North East economy by 2024.

“I’m looking forward to working with central government to ensure the region’s strengths in this sector are a core part of the UK’s wider industrial strategy.”

One of Teresa’s first roles as Health and Life Sciences Programme Lead was to Chair an event on Thursday 23 November with partners from across the region to look at two new reports from First for Pharma and BioCity detailing regional assets and opportunities within the sector. The meeting discussed the opportunities and challenges for the health and life sciences economy in the North East of England.

After graduating from the University of Glasgow with a PhD in Molecular Genetics, Teresa went on to work for a number of public and private organisations including Cels Ltd (now Bionow) and the North East England’s regional development agency, One North East.

In her role at One North East, Teresa championed a new approach to the healthcare pillar of the Regional Economic Strategy as well as being technical lead for healthcare.

Before joining the North East LEP, Teresa held a number of roles within the National Institute for Health Research Coordinating Centre. As Head of Commercial Business Development and Marketing, Teresa lead a team who worked with global companies to bring cutting edge clinical research into the NHS. In her position as Portfolio Lead she lead a broad range of activities specific to the national management and performance of clinical research delivery, working across all stakeholders, including the NHS, the academic and clinical community, funders of research, patients and their families.

Helen Golightly, Executive Director at the North East LEP said: “Teresa’s skills and experience make her the perfect person to lead our work around health and life sciences. She’s worked in the region for a number of years and has an excellent knowledge of the healthcare cluster in the North East. We’re delighted to welcome her to the team.”

-ENDS-

 

 

 

 

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Join the Innovation Board

Closing date extended until Friday 15 December.

We are looking for two passionate, well-connected business people from the Health and Life science and Digital and Data sectors in the region to join the Innovation Board.

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is committed to driving economic growth, delivering more and better jobs for the North East as set out in our Strategic Economic Plan (SEP). To do this, the business-led, partnership brings together the private sector, local authorities and university and college representatives to deliver against six strategic programmes: innovation, business growth, skills, employability and inclusion, economic assets and infrastructure and connectivity.

Our Innovation programme has two core principles:

  • Creating an open, collaborative and networked environment with a focus on supporting delivery
  • Maintaining a strategic focus on recognised areas of industrial specialism and of scientific leadership in the North East economy

To enable this, the Innovation Programme is comprised of three work streams:

  • Ecosystem development: Our ecosystem needs to provide access to finance, business support, expertise and knowledge and foster access to regional, national and international partnerships.
  • Innovation Infrastructure: Developing, demonstration and delivering new ideas required a physical infrastructure including research, test and demonstration facilities.  There is an opportunity to co-ordinate different North East assets to provide test bed sites which can interest international engagement and investment.
  • Smart Specialisation: As well as supporting innovation across the economy, we are focused on our four areas of smart specialisation and areas of knowledge strength.

Our Innovation Programme Delivery Board oversees, provides advice and actively supports programme implementation and delivery with thematic sector leads responsible for reflecting, galvanising and engaging with their respective sectors and supporting cross-sector initiatives. The sector leads also take the lead and chair the respective working-groups to provide links between the different sectors.

We are seeking to engage two sector leads with a commercial and business growth background who are willing to volunteer their time and input their specialist knowledge and expertise to represent and stimulate the Health and Life science and Digital and Data sectors to ensure delivery of the strategy and develop the next phase of delivery.

If you have the drive, passion, business insight, skills and experience at a senior management or board level in either of these sectors and significant awareness of the North East economy we would love to hear from you. To find out more or apply, click here..

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5G North East consortium appoints project director

5G North East, the consortium leading the development of the region’s plan to create a national 5G testbed has appointed a highly-experienced project director.

Xavier Priem will lead the drive to position the North East as a key focus for the UK’s 5G revolution.

Xavier has extensive experience working for multiple telecom suppliers, their customers and, network operators. He has established specialist 5G research and innovation centres and projects across Europe.

His appointment comes as the Government is looking to establish the UK as a global leader in 5G enabled communications and is seeking to establish a group of testbeds to trial the technology.

Xavier said: “This is a fantastic chance to establish a transformative ecosystem that will create new jobs and economic opportunities for the North East.

“I come from the North East of France which has in many ways followed a similar trajectory as the North East of England, reinventing itself and generating new economic opportunities in technology and innovation following the decline of traditional industries.

“Having the opportunity to contribute to establishing the North East as a technology- enabled innovation powerhouse within the UK and global community is a very exciting role to undertake.

“I am looking forward to helping to create 5G North East and delivering new economic value and improved services for people in the region. Success for 5G North East will see the generation of new jobs, the bringing of new industries to the region and the creation of new opportunities for local businesses to develop high value services on a 5G network that will provide operators with testing capabilities. It will ultimately lead to wider roll out and better mobile services to the general public.”

Xavier’s previous posts include three years as business development and portfolio manager at the French Institute of Research and Technology (IRT) B-COM.

Andrew Hodgson, Chair of the North East LEP, one of the consortium partners, said: “The North East partners are committed to producing a strong and long term programme that will showcase the region’s suitability as a testbed and lead to a sustainable 5G delivery system in the region.

“We are delighted to welcome Xavier to the team. We are confident his experience in research, project management and commercialisation strategy, and his vast technical, commercial and global network knowledge will help position and elevate the North East’s reputation in the 5G ecosystem.”

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VentureFest North East – what’s new for 2017?

As the region’s fifth annual innovation event approaches, we caught up with the Innovation SuperNetwork’s Deputy Director, Estelle Blanks, to find out how businesses can benefit from attending VentureFest North East, and what’s new for 2017.

Who is VentureFest North East aimed at?

VentureFest North East brings together more than 700 people who wouldn’t usually connect with each other to inspire new ideas, solutions, and collaborations.

As well as local businesses, we welcome investors, researchers, experts, and support professionals. The whole idea is to create an exciting environment where people from all different sectors and backgrounds can explore new opportunities and learn from each other. VentureFest is aimed at any size business. Start-ups, growing businesses, sole traders, SMEs, not-for-profits, larger companies operating internationally – it’s a valuable event for anyone looking to remain relevant and competitive.

What will people get from the event?

Investing a day at VentureFest North East will get you access to advice from leading innovation experts from a range of industries who can provide practical tools and techniques to apply directly to your business. There are obviously opportunities to make new contacts and networks, but also to access new market opportunities, and get inspiration from outside your usual business sector too.
As always, we will be hosting FinanceCamp at VentureFest North East, which is a programme of preparatory workshops that lead to a series of one-to-one meetings with investors. Whether you need a £1,000 start-up load or a multi-million pound equity funding round, FinanceCamp makes it easier and speedier for businesses to get hold of the money they need to grow.

What can you expect on the day?

You can expect lively debates on topical issues affecting your business, real-life stories of innovation, practical workshops, inspiring exhibitions, speakers, one-to-one meetings with investors, and expert advice sessions.
We’ll also be working with innovation experts at the North East BIC to put on our popular Innovation Showcase, which is a very special part of VentureFest North East, and is designed to shine a light on innovative North East companies. We can’t wait for everyone to see some of the products, services and other big ideas of the region’s most cutting-edge businesses.

Why is it important that businesses attend?

VentureFest is all about exploring innovation, and innovation is a vital toolkit for a business’s survival.
Successful companies not only respond to the current needs of their organisation and customer base, but they also anticipate future trends or demands and design processes, tools, products, and services to meet these.
VentureFest is their opportunity to identify what else is out there that could help their business grow, whether it’s a connection with another company, a new product on the market, or an upcoming trend.

What’s new for 2017?

As VentureFest 2017 enters its fifth year, we continue to evolve the event in response to what businesses tell us they want to learn. This year we have some new additions to the programme such as a People’s Choice theme, which has been shaped directly by the business community. The People’s Choice agenda will be focusing on emerging technologies, and we look forward to sharing more details of that soon.

A ‘Women in Innovation’ theme will also feature throughout the conference and we’ll be tackling some core issues facing the business world and society at large throughout the day.

Our Innovation Challenges will be running throughout the event, which will be looking at how smaller companies can help businesses overcome their challenges through innovation.

We’re really excited by the new features of VentureFest North East 2017, and think it’s going to be bigger and better than ever before. We hope you can join us!

VentureFest North East is being held at St James’ Park, Newcastle, on Tuesday 14th November. Register now for free here or visit venturefestnortheast.com for more information.