HEY Made Smarter Programme : ICT Providers Network / Briefing Event

Following our successful ICT Provider Event back in June 2023; where HEY Made Smarter Team sought to engage with ICT providers – whether ICT support system, cyber security, bespoke software solutions, Manufacturing IOT and other system integration solutions directly aimed at the manufacturing sectors / clients. The Made Smarter Team were pleased to be organising the next event on Thursday 21st November at 14:30

The core aim of the network is to promote the potential collaborations with the ICT business as possible pathways to the manufacturing clients. We sought to highlighting the two ways street of collaboration:

• Finding out about the services / products which you provided as ICT business and how the Digital Manufacturing Advisor with the Made Smarter team could introduce then to our manufacturing clients to address / solve the projects.
• Exploring whether your clients could access the Made Smarter funds to implement your solutions to your manufacturing clients.

We would also welcome this opportunity to promote this collaborative theme – as well as inviting additional ICT businesses into the network.

Please not this is not a sells pitch event – but where delegate could look for collaborations / synergies to work together. We hope that we have attracted business owners / senior business staff that can look / have the authority to strike up collaborations opportunities with the Made Smarter / Growing Places / UKJPF Business Support Team to provide introduction to their manufacturing clients – who can access support / grant to enable the ICT Providers to attract more work. A Win WIN situation. [Please note This event is not seeking to engage with those businesses providing website, digital marketing and /or social media activities as they are no fundable through Made Smarter – but possibly via UK Shared Prosperity Funds)

The event in November I would like to suggest the following agenda

1. Update from the Autumn Statement where we hope to provide an update and description of Made Smarter funding and types of projects (as well as other current funding streams) – but if possible what might be available in 2024/25 and beyond. This will hopefully revisit

• to identify types of ICT / Digital Projects which would be in project scope for the various support systems – using practical project which have already received support.
• To explore possible grants for their manufacturer clients, either revenue or capital grants
• To generate potential list of ICT / Software suppliers suitable to share with manufacturers clients who are looking for solutions or do not have preferred suppliers.

1. Share the experience of Digital / ICT businesses in the HEY patch who have been successful in winning Innovation UK Grant / Digital Catapult and other such national funding streams

• https://www.digicatapult.org.uk/programmes/
• https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/
• https://www.ebay.co.uk/sml/circular-fashion-innovation-fund-apply

I have invited 4 members of the ICT Provider Network group – who have been successful to share their experience with the group – where we could explore the opportunity to work together / collaborate and explore future call. Working with the University of Hull and Made Smarter we would like to support more HEY digital / ICT businesses apply and win more such funding / project opportiunities

1. Invited representative from University of Hull to explore how our ICT Network members might be able to work with / participate in funded research and development projects being conducted by colleagues at the University of Hull

[Please note this event is not seeking to engage on this occasion with those businesses that provide website, digital marketing and /or social media activities as they are no fundable through Made Smarter]

Host or Publisher HEYLEP Made Smarter Team