School students having a discussion with their teacherSchool students having a discussion with their teacher

Research, Innovation & Universities

School students having a discussion with their teacher
Northampton Waterside CampusNorthampton Waterside Campus

Research, Innovation & Universities

Northampton Waterside Campus
People talking in a building under constructionPeople talking in a building under construction

Research, Innovation & Universities

People talking in a building under construction
East Northamptonshire Enterprise CentreEast Northamptonshire Enterprise Centre

Research, Innovation & Universities

East Northamptonshire Enterprise Centre
Northampton College Advanced Engineering CentreNorthampton College Advanced Engineering Centre

Research, Innovation & Universities

Northampton College Advanced Engineering Centre
A Starship Robot driving down a streetA Starship Robot driving down a street

Research, Innovation & Universities

A Starship Robot driving down a street

Research, Innovation & Universities

Our area has a high concentration of innovation assets – including innovation centres, science parks, enterprise zones, technology clusters, universities and colleges. This has contributed to the South East Midlands; becoming recognised as the most innovative LEP area, measured by the % of firms engaged in product or service innovation.

There are strong links between our universities and large companies. Higher Education Institutions in the South East Midlands receive 79% of income from contract research (2.5 times the England average). Cranfield University is among the top five universities for commercial income. We want to develop better links and opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses.

Government wants businesses, the public sector and universities working together more to put the UK at the forefront of the opportunities created by a technological revolution that will ‘disrupt nearly every sector, creating new opportunities and challenges for people, places and businesses.’ The Industrial Strategy sets out four areas where Britain can lead the global technological revolution. These four Grand Challenges are artificial intelligence and big data; clean growth; the future of mobility; and meeting the needs of an ageing society.

One of the mechanisms in place to help achieve this is the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

The Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund brings together world-class UK research with business investment to develop the technologies and industries of the future and ensure that the UK captures the value of these innovations Read more about the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. You can also contact Jon Rawcliffe, Business Development Manager at SEMLEP.

The Industrial Strategy also details a new competitive £115m Strength in Places Fund. This aims to fund projects that develop science and innovation strengths and local business networks and clusters, building on regional economic impact of universities, research institutes, Innovation and Knowledge Centres and Catapults and will link to Local Industrial Strategies.

We have a large number of innovation centres, incubators and accelerators located in the South East Midlands. Some of these focus on specific sectors.

Contact Jon Rawcliffe, Business Development Manager at SEMLEP for more information or contact SEMLEP’s Growth Hub where a business adviser can discuss your needs and signpost you to the most appropriate support.

Innovate UK:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/innovate-uk

Knowledge Transfer partnerships:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/knowledge-transfer-partnerships-what-they-are-and-how-to-apply

Our team is regularly scanning for new funding opportunities. Follow our LinkedIn and Twitter channels as we post these opportunities on there. 

Latest News

View all news arrow

Latest Tweets

Latest Events

See more events arrow
View more events

Your login details have been used by another user or machine. Login details can only be used once at any one time so you have therefore automatically been logged out. Please contact your sites administrator if you believe this other user or machine has unauthorised access.