Innovation Funding and Support Conference- Discover Grants and Funded Business Support

You are invited to join us on Tuesday 5th March, at STEAMhouse for our Innovation Funding and Support Conference organised in partnership with WMG. You can join us for the whole day (8:30-4 pm) or just the morning for manufacturers or the afternoon for technology, digital and services companies.   

During the day, you will discover a wide range of grants, fully funded support, and plenty of new and exciting opportunities for your business. The conference is £75 for the day or £50 for the morning- some exemptions apply. The cost is waived for manufacturing, engineering and technology businesses based in the West Midlands as well as members of the Technology Supply Chain and the Black Country Chamber of Commerce. .

Manufacturing Morning 8:30 am- 12:30 pm

There are plenty of grants and fully funded support to help West Midlands manufacturers with:

·      Buying new machinery and equipment- everything from solar panels through machines to robotics

·      Energy Efficiency and Net Zero Grants- discover regional grants for up to £100,000 and national grants for over £100,000  

·      Automation- there is support available to help you increase productivity through automation

·      Pivot into new markets- discover support to help you supply into other markets

·      Developing new products, services, and processes

·      Innovation Accelerators- find out how the new Clean Tech, Clean Futures and Biochar Clean Tech Accelerators can help you to develop innovative solutions through grants and expert support  

You will hear about the local, regional and national grants and support available to help with capital expenditure and energy efficiency.

Speakers and panellists include:

·      Rowan Crozier MBE, the CEO of Birmingham manufacturer, Brandauer and Chair of the National Advisory Board for Make UK

·      Chris Greenough, Chief Commercial Officer of SDE Technology supporting innovation in the manufacturing sector for over 29 years

·      Paul Milne, Warwick Manufacturing Group

·      Grants, growth and innovation experts from Innovate UK

·      Melissa Snover from Birmingham-based, Nourished, a high-growth business innovating in the 3D printing of personalised vitamins 

·      Johnathan Dudley from Crowe UK has supported the rapid growth of various manufacturers in the West Midlands

·      Mike Owens, MD of Schumacher Packaging and Vice President of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

·      Kirsty Davies-Chinnock, MD of Professional Polishing Services in the Black Country and Founder of Women in Metal

Technology, Digital and Services 1-4 pm

There are grants, large and small, and plenty of free support for technology and digital businesses.

You will hear about:

·      The West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator- this major programme is supporting companies in or want to supply into the Health Tech and Med Tech sectors including funded support from a raft of established organisations including UoB, UHB, BCU, WMG, the MTC, Aston University, Medilink and others as well as grants for up to £150,000

·      Grants, funded support, and new opportunities- there are plenty of local, regional, and national grants available to technology, digital, and service companies for up to £100,000. There is also a ton of support. Join us to find out more.

·      DIATOMIC (Digital InnovAtion TransfOrMatIve Change) Accelerator- offering support and funding to digital innovators

·      Large grants- for those with game-changing ideas, there is a range of large grants, including Smart Grants for up to £2m. Find out how to apply. 

Speakers and Panellists include.

·      Keynote: Charlie Blakemore- MD at Intercity Technology Ltd, Non-Executive Director at the Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Innovation. 

·      Liam Grover, Director of Healthcare Technologies Institute and Lead for the West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator

·      Daniel Evans- CEO of Birmingham Enterprise Community and Director of the FORWARD Accelerator, a global support programme for high-growth start-ups and scaleups.

·      Naomi Nash- Head of Community and Collaboration at TechWM

·      Sian Dunning- Manager of the Medical Devices Testing and Evaluation Centre at University Hospitals Birmingham

·      Dr Pam Waddell OBE- Director of the Innovation Alliance for the West Midlands

·      Grants, growth and innovation experts from Innovate UK

Book your place today.

Note: the free entry option is available to manufacturing, engineering and technology businesses based in the West Midlands, Technology Supply Chain members and members of the Black Country Chambers of Commerce.

The Innovation and Support Conference is brought to you as a collaborative effort between partners of The West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator. The WMHTIA is focused on helping companies drive their technologies towards market success. Funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, in partnership with Innovate UK and West Midlands Combined Authority. The WMHTIA will help bolster the region’s R&D and Innovation capabilities.

Host or Publisher The Technology Supply Chain