Tag: 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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Innovation, Skills, Funding and Growth Opportunities for North East businesses

Innovation, Skills, Funding and Growth Opportunities for North East businesses.

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is calling on the North East business community to come together in January to hear about opportunities to be involved with plans to create 100,000 more and better jobs for the region.

Members of the LEP’s senior management team will outline how businesses can get involved in the various programmes run by the LEP, covering areas such as funding, innovations, skills and business growth.

Helen Golightly, Executive Director at the North East LEP, explained: “This event is open to all businesses and intermediary organisations who want to find out more about our plans to grow the economy here in the North East.

“It’s a chance to ask questions and find out how you, your organisation and your clients could be a part of some of the exciting opportunities for businesses here in the region.”

The North East LEP manages over £500 million of public funding and plays an influencing role in the allocation of regional European funding and the event will include a briefing from the North East LEP Executive Director, Helen Golightly, on the funding landscape.

Innovation, and opportunities for businesses to get involved with innovation events and initiatives across the North East will also be discussed, including an outline of the innovation priorities which are set out in the region’s Strategic Economic Plan – the document which lays out a clear roadmap for creating more and better jobs.

There will also be opportunities for business leaders to find out how they can support the LEP’s work in the skills arena, including building on this year’s national pilot of careers benchmarks in North East schools, and the successful Enterprise Advisers programme, which pairs business leaders with schools’ senior management teams.
Attendees will also find out how they can make use of the North East Growth Hub, a free resource which brings together initiatives for growing businesses and scaleups.
Helen added: “We have one of the fastest growing regional economies outside London and as we enter 2018 we are working hard to continue this growth.

“We’re calling on the business community here in the North East to continue to support the delivery of the region’s Strategic Economic Plan and we also want to make sure that everyone who could benefit from our programmes is doing so.”

North East LEP Chair Andrew Hodgson will lead the event, which takes place on Friday 19 January, from 8.30am to 10.30am, at the Centre for Life in Newcastle.

The event is free to attend and is aimed at those in financial, professional and business services in the North East LEP area (Sunderland, Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Northumberland).

Register for a free place here.

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In conversation with Professor Alan Lowdon: Looking Out for Services Innovation

Innovation is a multi-faceted beast. It creeps up on you and takes you by surprise at times.

Take for example, ‘services innovation’, which is something I have started to look out for on my travels. Consuming a service is an interesting concept as it can be very intangible and very emotional at the same time, especially when it goes wrong. So, when someone or an organisation does something different to enhance the customer experience, it tends to stand out. This is especially the case in the biggest and most expensive service that I personally consume – air travel. I travel to the US very frequently and have stood by BA for all of my 25 years of business travelling, only occasionally taking in another carrier out of either necessity (if a route is not covered) or idle curiosity in the case of new entrants.

In the early 2000’s, BA was generally accepted as the world’s most innovative airline as it pioneered ‘flat-bed’ business class seats and introduced ‘premium economy’ to provide the affordable link between economy and business class travel. These physical manifestations of innovation were also met by an equivalent approach to customer service. Nothing lasts forever and from the late 2000’s to the mid 2010’s BA saw its ground gobbled up by Gulf-based and SE Asia-based airlines able to compete on price and, increasingly, service.

Coupled with restructuring issues driven by a merger, the airline dropped down the services league table. However, I stuck with it and it is small-scale, high-impact services innovation which is gradually turning things around and which is extremely gratifying to see. A couple of linked examples:

1. The daily 20:00 flight from Boston (BOS) to Heathrow (LHR) is a favourite of mine which used to be classed as a standard service but which has now been re-classified as a ‘sleeper service’ and which offers customers the opportunity of dining before boarding in order to maximise sleeping time on the 6-hour duration flight. Sleep, on a route this short with a 5-hour time difference, is important to customers.

2. The above is further reinforced by example two which is a card one completes to say what type of ‘awakening’ one wishes to experience – 1 hr 15 mins for the full breakfast service, 50 minutes for a cup of tea or coffee only or 40 minutes for nothing – the minimum – before landing. For many, the 35 minutes difference is worth sacrificing breakfast and a cuppa.

These changes may seem simple but they are ones which have met with significant approval from customers who recognise that BA has identified the fact that a trans-Atlantic flight of 6 hours is far from ideal sleep-wise, and has re-orientated its service model to suit. The company has identified a ‘pain’ point and done something to alleviate it. This is clearly small-scale innovation with maximum impact, enhancing customer service in the process. Maybe BA is starting to rise up the ranks of services innovation again? I hope so as it is a great company. Maybe the title of, ‘the world’s favourite airline’ is just around the corner? Again, I hope so.

I’ve ticked my 50 minutes box and I’m closing down for the night – as short as it is – on tonight’s BA 202 ‘pond hopper’ from BOS to LHR then onwards to NCL! Good night and I hope my bag makes it!

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Growing the contribution of the North East pharmaceuticals sector

In conversation with Martin Inskip of First for Pharma

As the UK Government is framing its new Industrial Strategy and is working through the issues involved in leaving the European Union, First for Pharma (FFP) and the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), supported by the North East LEP, have worked together on a new report which aims to profile the North East pharmaceutical sector and identify how its economic contribution can be enhanced in the region.

The North East sector was identified as one of the key opportunity areas in the refreshed North East SEP published in March 2017 and was profiled in Sir John Bell’s report to Government in preparation for the planned sector deal.

The new report on the North East’s pharmaceutical sector is based on both analysis of published data and a series of interviews with 12 of the main manufacturing companies in the region, who employ 3500 people between them.

The findings demonstrate the economic importance of the sector nationally and regionally. The report highlights:

• A well-established and diverse sector with different business models, technology ranges and scales of production with an international reputation for business resilience and regulatory reliability.

• A unique profile in UK terms including a number of contract development and contract manufacturers, key supply chain companies and large multinational drug developers. Together, the region’s manufacturers have full capability to develop drug manufacturing processes for clinical development and commercial supply of tableted medicines.

• International ownership including investments from the United States, Japan and India, as well as from the UK.

• A GVA contribution to the UK estimated to be between £0.73 billion and £1.28 billion annually, with an average of 86% of their products being exported with 64% of exports going to the United States.

• For the region, the sector employs between 4,300 and 5,300 people and contributes £450-£790 million to the region’s Gross Value Added (GVA). Including indirect and induced effects, the North East pharmaceutical manufacturing industry supports between 18,800 and 23,500 jobs across the UK and adds £0.73-£1.28 billion to the UK economy.

• Almost 2000 jobs are in high value research or manufacturing roles with the largest cohort aged between 31 and 50 (49%). The quality and stability of the employees in the local labour force is one of the North East’s competitive advantages and the size and sector stability means there are opportunities to build careers in the region. The sector is growing and expecting to recruit additional jobs to its current manufacturing and research workforce this financial year (2017-2018).

The research highlights a number of opportunities and challenges, including strengthening the profile, performance and contribution of the sector through innovation investment and skills, and stimulating more employment in the region through investment and through the supply chain and logistics. It also highlights the importance of a good outcome to the Brexit discussions, where the regulatory regime is seen as crucial and regulatory disruption seen as a significant threat.

The report identifies the following recommendations:

• Supply chain strategy: Development of a supply chain and logistics strategy: work should be undertaken to understand opportunities to strengthen the supply chain in the region and identify opportunities for improving the logistics support, including taking advantage of the North East’s growing digital capabilities.

• Innovation: work to foster the following innovation capabilities in the North East should include ultra-high potency manufacturing; the application of continuous manufacturing for drug manufacturers and smart pharmaceutical delivery including packaging, sensing and new formulations as well as process developments including application of digital, robotic and low carbon technologies.

• Skills: the sector should work with the North East LEP to develop a clearer analysis of the current skills gaps, potential future needs and inform the content of these initiatives.

• Regulatory Environment: The continuing importance of the regulatory environment should be promoted and concerns about the impact of the vote to leave the European Union should be communicated during the current period of consultation on the negotiations.

• Co-ordination: Co-ordination within the sector and with other parts of North East industry should be enhanced to take these recommendations forward regionally and nationally.

Download or read a copy of the full report 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.”

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