Tag: Innovation

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In conversation with Simon Green, Executive Director Innovation SuperNetwork North East England

We’ve just about recovered from the excitement of this year’s VentureFest North East, which took place in Newcastle on 8 November.

Having started off with less than 300 people four years ago, this year’s VentureFest achieved over 1,000 registrations for the first time and 710 showed up on the day. These were mainly from North East businesses, investors and innovation experts.

An amazing £250k in deals were set up on the day and over 150 meetings took place between businesses and investors. 90% of delegates said they would come back next year, which is always reassuring!

Year-round innovation support

VentureFest is our annual celebration of all the innovation activity going on in the North East. It is though, just one day in the calendar and we’ve been working hard to ensure that the good stuff that goes on at VentureFest happens throughout the year.

This means that our work to connect ambitious local businesses with market opportunities, with the finance they need and with expertise continues unabated.

In particular, we want North East businesses to get involved in working with large national and international innovation projects. There are such innovation opportunities live now on our website that are open to all.

Onwards and upwards

We’re now starting to put together the details of next year’s events.

With the support of the North East LEP and 50 local and national partners, these events will continue the innovation and finance themes of 2016. Helping businesses to scale is one area where we’ll place even more emphasis.

There is an exciting start-up community developing in the region (see, for example NatWest’s Entrepreneurial Spark programme, with 80 businesses being incubated on Newcastle’s Quayside) and we have to ensure that some of these early stage businesses grow to the medium sized and large businesses of the future. We can help with this process by bringing in the expertise and finance ambitious businesses need.

Strength in numbers

I think these are exciting times for the North East and the SuperNetwork is just one example of the way people in this part of the world can come together to achieve more than they could on their own. Let’s all work together for an even more exciting tomorrow!

For a quick glimpse of what VentureFest was in case you missed it, here’s a link to a video giving a snapshot.

 

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In conversation with Dr Alan Lowdon, Chair, Innovation Board

I recently spent a week in and around Denver, Colorado – the fastest growing metropolitan area in the USA. People are flocking to Greater Denver; its population is projected to rise from 1.8m today to 3m by 2030. It has already risen from 1.2m to 1.8m in the last eight years.

So, why? The answer is simple: ‘more and better jobs’ coupled with a dominant culture of technology, research and innovation, all underpinned by superb academic establishments and National Laboratories.

The Colorado School of Mines chimes with the North East of England, as does the National Renewable Energy Laboratory which enjoyed a 10-year Collaborative Research and Development Agreement with Blyth-based National Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC), now part of the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult. The Rocky Mountain Institute and the start-up and licensing machine which is the University of Colorado (UoC), Boulder, complement the already buoyant IP commercialisation ecosystem.

For the record, UoC creates between 15 and 20 start-ups per year and enjoys c. $125m in licensing revenues. This places its Boulder-based Technology Transfer Office (TTO) at the helm of a significant strategic business unit and one which will increasingly contribute to the University’s bottom line; it is this realisation which is UoC’s secret. It treats its stable of IP as an asset to be maximised through the application of business processes, practices and networks which support each ‘inventor’ to achieve a commercial return.

In engaging with the TTO, the inventor knows what to expect, gains assurance that best practice is being applied and feels part of an innovation ecosystem which is the heartbeat of the local economy. Is there anything in this approach that the North East of England, in particular, can learn from? Of course there is! Here are three ‘starters for 10’ (in University Challenge parlance):

  1. We must view our university and ‘Catapult’ assets in the same way that Colorado views its population of universities and National Labs, i.e. as fountains of future IP, job and wealth creation. Unity is the name of the game in Denver, with greater value being created from the whole than from the individual components.
  2. We have huge potential to up our game on the creation of start-ups/spin-outs if we invest in the fundamental incubation and technology transfer infrastructure. Such strategic business units must be viewed thus and funded to suit. Their profile and kudos also needs to rise in-line with their role as the engines of economic growth.
  3. ‘Place’ is important. People are flocking to Denver because it provides a very attractive quality of life at an affordable cost, much in the same way that the North East does. However, it is the density of opportunity which is a huge, attractive force. People weigh things up; “…if it doesn’t work out with company X, companies Y and Z look attractive, so on that basis, I’ll give it a go!” Density of opportunity in the Smart Specialisation Areas can be achieved; we need to continue on the exciting journey to create our equivalent.

The visit to Colorado was my fifth in recent years. Chatting to Erin Kuhn of the British Consulate in Denver, links between the UK and Colorado are strengthening year-on-year. For my part, I hope to make some of the key linkages which can help realise my three ‘starters for 10’ to support the continued rise of the North East of England’s innovation ecosystem and I look forward to sharing my progress with you.

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The importance of persistence in innovation – Prof Alan Lowdon

In my board capacity with NOF Energy, I recently attended the company’s Energy Showcase event in Abu Dhabi. The focus of the week was a superbly attended networking event and a series of fantastic visits to UK businesses present in the country, as well as to Masdar City – the world’s first waste-free, carbon-neutral development. It was as a result of these visits that I began to reflect upon the importance of persistence as the close colleague of innovation.

During the meetings and presentations, the message about doing business in the UAE (Abu Dhabi, in particular) was time and time again reinforced – ‘no matter how good or innovative your product or service, you need to be seen here, and be seen regularly before a PO is issued!’ This made me think of the importance of time as an innovation parameter.

We all know about the importance of time in the sense of developing a product or service – it takes longer than you think at the outset – but time also features strongly as something which the ‘concept to commercialisation’ process and its key funders must absorb for more subtle reasons, and in the case of the UAE, for cultural and trust reasons.

Delving a bit deeper into this, it also means that the innovation funding process we know and love must recognise this and accommodate it as a ‘burn’ factor when looking at funding runways, etc. This is especially the case in pre-revenue businesses. Funders (be they grant, debt or equity) of innovation need to be increasingly attuned to the impact of ‘time’ post proof-of-concept and to challenge investment proposals on the basis of ‘has enough time been factored in, given the culture of your target markets?’

Plenty of food for thought. ‘Persistence’ is the watchword but being funded to be persistent remains the reality!

Prof. A. Lowdon
Chair of the Innovation Board

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VentureFest North East 2016 to be the biggest yet

The region’s innovation conference VentureFest North East has announced a series of new features aimed at making its 2016 event the largest and most successful yet at helping businesses to grow.

 
The annual autumn conference has grown to 700 people this year and its next gathering on 8 November at St James’ Park will comprise a programme packed with inspiring new content, as well as tried and tested highlights.

 

This year’s conference will see the introduction of Innovation Challenge North East , a project focusing on helping businesses explore how to turn the real-world challenges facing large corporates, the public sector and society at large into commercial opportunities for their organisations.

 
Delegates will be able to meet face-to-face with some of the large corporates, such as Northumbrian Water and ENGIE, to hear about the challenges facing their businesses and discuss whether they have the technology, services and talent to provide solutions.

 
Northumbrian Water will discuss the opportunity for businesses to help map its vast sewage network and how solutions could include technology able to determine the level of sewers, devices that offer streaming of data and even approaches based on citizen science or gamification.

 
Chris Jones, Research and Development Manager at Northumbrian Water: “Large organisations like ours face complex operational challenges and while we know there will be businesses in the region with the skills and expertise to provide solutions the issue has always been in reaching out to them.

 
“VentureFest provides us with an exciting opportunity to access a wide network of talent and find solutions faster. We will be on hand to meet delegates face-to-face and discuss how they might be able to turn our challenges into commercial opportunities for their businesses and I’m looking forward to a day of exploring innovation in the North East.”

 
Businesses will get the chance to see how an innovation sandpit works as an intense innovation process to generate fresh ideas and stimulate creative thinking, with Northumbria University students coming up with solutions to tackle a big issue over the course of the day.

 
Other new developments include the inclusion of FinanceCamp at VentureFest for the first time. FinanceCamp is a programme that prepares businesses for investment and then brings them together with potential investors and lenders in a succession of quick meetings.

 
The North East LEP is also bringing its North East Growth Hub to the event to help answer questions of businesses relating to their growth. Usually a digital resource, Growth Hub Live will bring the information, knowledge, advice and support of the region’s business community to VentureFest so experts can discuss issues in person.

 
Estelle Blanks, Deputy Director of Innovation SuperNetwork which delivers VentureFest North East, said: “The purpose of VentureFest North East is to provide a unique day in the business calendar that is dedicated to bringing people together to explore new opportunities and overcome challenges standing in the way of their business growth.
“We are dedicated to constantly evolving the event, working closely with the region’s business community to ensure it reflects the needs of our delegates and highlights the latest innovation trends. This year’s programme is packed with content to inspire and inform businesses of all sizes and sectors and we look forward to opening the doors in November to our largest gathering of innovators to date.”

 
Registrations are now open for VentureFest at venturefestnortheast.com and attendance is free to all businesses.
VentureFest North East is part of the wider Innovation SuperNetwork programme, developed with around 50 partner organisations to support innovation in the North East. Led by the VentureFest North East team, the SuperNetwork is supported by Innovate UK, the North East LEP and North East BIC, with part-funding from the European Regional Development Fund.

 
• For more information and to apply for VentureFest North East visit www.VentureFestnortheast.com
Notes to editor

 
For information please contact Innovation SuperNetwork Communications Manager Laura White on email: laura@supernetwork.org.uk or telephone 07739 126152.

European Regional Development Fund

The project is receiving up to £522,000 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.

Home / Innovation / Page 9

Horizon 2020: European fund seeks innovative business projects

Horizon 2020: Businesses can apply for funding for a range of business projects in areas from food security to smart cities and green vehicles.

A European funding programme is to invest more than €550 millon across 6 initiatives launched this month.

Business support is available for projects in a range of fields including sustainable food security, rural innovation and business, marine projects, the bioeconomy, smart cities and green vehicles.

The funding is part of the EU’s Horizon 2020 fund for researchers and business, which aims to ensure Europe produces world-class science and that barriers to innovation are removed.

Find out more about Horizon 2020.

Government underwrites European funding

The UK Government recently said that businesses and universities should continue to bid for EU funding while the UK remained a member of the EU and that it would underwrite payment of awards even when projects continued beyond UK membership.

Find out more about the UK Government’s guarantee on funding for participants in EU projects.

The funding opportunities

Six new Horizon 2020 funding calls are now open.

Sustainable food security: €280.5 million is available across a variety of topic areas in crop and livestock production and aquaculture. Closing date 14 February 2017. Find out more

Rural renaissance: €61 million is available across a variety of topic areas including land management, rural business models and speeding up innovation in rural areas. Closing date 14 February 2017. Find out more

Blue growth: €48.4 million is available across a variety of topic areas including specialised vessels for coastal and offshore activities, clean coasts and seas, improving seafood and monitoring of fish stocks. Closing date 14 February 2017. Find out more

Bio-based innovation for sustainable goods and services: €26.4 million is available across a variety of topic areas including forest production, strategies for improving the bioeconomy and a plant molecular factory. Closing date 14 February 2017. Find out more

Smart cities and communities: funding is available to demonstrate innovative integrated infrastructures. Closing date 14 February 2017. Find out more

Green vehicles: €133 million is available for nine topics including integration of electric vehicles with the grid, aerodynamics, and powertrain development. Closing date 1 February 2017. Find out more

Competition information

•all competitions are open
•Horizon 2020 funding opportunities are open to everyone in an EU member state
•projects must be a consortium of at least 3 organisations and each member must have a legal standing such as registered business, partnership or charity
•there are national contact points who can help you to apply for Horizon 2020 funding and to find consortium partners

Find a national contact point.

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The If We Can You Can Challenge, 2016: co-production, community, collaboration and celebration!

The If We Can You Can Challenge is now open to all 0-3-year-old businesses in the North East of England.

Organised and delivered by Caroline Theobald and Charlotte Windebank of FIRST Face to Face Ltd backed up by Jake Gebhard and with comprehensive support from the Entrepreneurs Forum members, the Challenge’s main aim is to identify ambitious businesses within the region and help them grow.

The competition is looking for all pre-start business ideas or start-ups established in the North East within the last 3 years regardless of the business leader’s age, ethnicity or experience. Working with the 5 universities, enterprise agencies and businesses within the five fastest growing sectors in the region, the FIRST Face to Face team are aiming to create a co-produced, inclusive challenge that will ensure that start-up businesses can access the help and suitable support they need to thrive.

This year all start-ups who make it to the second round will receive relevant and constructive feedback from leading business experts to help them ‘stay and grow’ their business in the region. Applicants will be given introductions to industry contacts, mentors and finance-providers and will receive publicity through various media platforms. With a 300-word maximum ‘Sell your business to us’ application, the opportunity to be involved is just a couple of clicks away.

Confirmed sponsors and supporters include: Entrepreneurs Forum, PNE, TEDCO, North East Finance, Evolution LLP, the five regional universities, Federation of Small Businesses, the North East LEP Growth Hub, Campus North, Toffee Factory, Newcastle Enterprise Centres, Digital City and BQ as our media partner.

Deadline for entries is 16th of October, 2016 and the shortlisted companies and the business idea winner will be showcasing their start-ups at BALTIC: Centre for Contemporary Art on 16th November, 2016 in the middle of Global Entrepreneurship Week. The exhibition will be followed by a celebratory dinner where attendees will crown the IWCYC winner and celebrate new talent, innovation and achievement.

Caroline Theobald CBE said: “Feedback from the entrants last year prompted us to think carefully about how to offer them maximum support. By working closely with the 5 regional universities, enterprise agencies and regional businesses and involving them in the Challenge process we will give the region’s start-ups the best possible growth prospects whilst banging the drum for collaboration across the enterprise ecosystem.”

Charlotte Windebank, MD of FIRST Face to Face said: “The aim of the Challenge is to signpost start-ups and those with business ideas to the relevant and exciting opportunities the region has to offer. Last year’s winners highlighted the creativity and innovation that’s happening in the North East and if we all work together the Campaign this year can really help those just starting out and show the rest of the world the quality of start-ups that are coming from our region!”

For information on how to apply, the competition and its benefits please visit www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk

For any questions or if you’re interested in becoming a partner, please email: Charlotte on charlotte@firstfacetoface.co.uk

Home / Innovation / Page 9

Free opportunity for businesses to showcase their talents!

Are you an innovative North East business? How would you like the opportunity to showcase your talents to a large business audience free of charge?

 

 

Each year VentureFest North East works with innovation experts at the North East BIC to uncover the latest products, services and other big ideas of the region’s most cutting-edge businesses. This year is no different.

The search is on for 15 businesses who are daring to do things differently.

Those selected will get the opportunity to showcase their ideas to an audience of 700 businesspeople and investors during VentureFest North East.

Entry is open to all businesses – regardless of size or stage of development – in the North East of England. From everyone from one-man bands to big corporates – if you’re working on something innovative share it with the showcase!

Last year’s event showcased everything from a seaweed farm to fingerprint biometric readers and from wheelchair adaptations to 3D scanning booths.

To apply complete the short application form here http://venturefestnortheast.com/what-is-innovation-showcase/ before October 7.

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In conversation with Estelle Blanks, Deputy Director, Innovation SuperNetwork North East England

Innovation in the North East of England, really? Yes, really!

As an ‘outsider’ to the region, I am well aware that innovation is not the first thing that comes to mind when Newcastle or the North East of England is mentioned and unfortunately this perception is hard to shift.

Despite 20 years of living in this region and a career focused on economic development through innovation and regeneration, I still get the same intrigued and slightly cynical look as the one I got from colleagues in Sophia Antipolis, France, back in 2001 when we started discussions with the then largest European Science and Technology park about how their networks could help to support high-tech businesses from the North East.

The traditional statistical data don’t help either. In 2008, the OECD found that the North East was ‘below average’ against most key metrics (R&D expenditure or patent applications sought) and this is still the trend.

And yet, over the years and during my time at Newcastle Science City and now with the North East Innovation SuperNetwork, I have seen some tremendous examples of innovation through highly creative SMEs, leading-edge research and larger corporate open innovation practices. Some highlights have been

• Helping Arnab Basu and the team at Kromek, then Durham Scientific Crystals, to prepare for one of their first pitches at the International Venture Capital Summit in 2003/4 in Sophia Antipolis. Innovative products, a talented team and desire to expand their exposure and networks has led to the success story that it is today.

• Supporting and promoting the work of Professor Paul Watson at Newcastle University that led to the creation of the £30m National Institute for Smart Data Innovation (NISDI). Leading-edge research combined with industry and public sector partnership made this possible.

• Reading, back in 2014, in the Guardian, the Financial Times and Computer Weekly how the North of England and Newcastle had become Tech-Hubs and serious contenders to London for start-ups and highly skilled tech graduates thanks to the work of Sunderland Software City, Ignite 100, Dynamo and many others involved in supporting the growth of the digital sector in the region.

• Taking part in consultations for the first Proof of Concept and Co-investment funds and even JEREMIE 1 when we had to make a case that there would be enough innovative and investable propositions in the North East to spend all this money. According to the European Investment Bank, the £142m JEREMIE 1 funds also known as Finance for Business North East is one of the most successful in Europe! Through the return on investment from successful businesses, it has created a legacy that can now be re-invested in JEREMIE 2.

So, somehow, we are getting quite a few things right in the region when it comes to innovation. We have some real strengths and we have to work hard to leverage those assets.

From my experience, long-term vision and planning, partnership working, effective national and international networks and good communication and PR channels which promote existing innovative businesses, risk taking, novel practices and good role models will help us grow our innovation assets and our presence on the innovation map.

We have to be realistic – there is still some way to go. A couple of weeks ago I heard stories from colleagues at Generator which indicate that even our local market place does not source existing innovative solutions in the region… because they don’t know it’s there.

We need to be more visible and promote all kinds of innovation to ensure North East companies benefit from local, national and international opportunities.

This is what we are aiming to do through VentureFest North East 2016 and the Innovation Showcase.

We want to give companies the opportunity to demonstrate what they can do and expose the great innovation that is taking place here and now. Large corporate organisations, small start-ups and anything in between are welcome to take part. You don’t need to give away trade secrets and we can help you promote what you do efficiently.

Last year we showcased everything from a seaweed farm to fingerprint biometric readers and wheelchair adaptations to 3D scanning booths.

If you’ve something to share please find out more and apply here by Friday, October 7.

By Estelle Blanks, Deputy Director, Innovation SuperNetwork North East England

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Forestry Innovation Fund

DEFRA’s Forestry Innovation Fund is a nationwide £1 million fund to support schemes that will promote the growth of the forest industry in their region. The Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG) is financed by this fund.

Woodland Creation Planning Grant (WCPG)

Applications for the WCPG are now open. Please note WCPG is not part of Countryside Stewardship which provides other funding opportunities for creating and managing woodland.

What is the Forestry Innovation Fund?

WCPG contributes towards the costs of gathering and analysing the information land managers need to consider to ensure their proposals for productive multi-purpose woodland take account of any impacts on: biodiversity, landscape, water, the historic environment and local stakeholders.

WCPG ultimately requires production of a UK Forestry Standard compliant plan for creating the woodland that shows how any constraints and opportunities have been taken in to account.

What is eligible?

Proposals need to meet some basic criteria, being at least 30 hectares in area and showing potential to benefit the forestry sector in the long-term through the provision of timber or other wood products. We will accept applications that span multiple land holdings, though the grant is only available on land in England.

Existing native, semi-natural habitats are likely to have a high value for biodiversity, and for landscape and visual interest. This will need to be compared with the value of new woodland. Moreover there is a specific presumption against the conversion of priority habitats, such as deep peat or active raised bogs. Where the proposed planting is on semi-natural habitat the presumption is that the planting will be restricted to native broadleaved species or it will be retained as open ground adding to the forest mosaic.

Find out more.