Innovative businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly can continue to access expert support from the University of Plymouth after it secured a multimillion-pound funding boost.
Part-funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Acceleration Through Innovation 2 (ATI2) will run from now until the end of 2022 and support businesses who are looking to increase innovation, growth and productivity.
The project, led by the university’s research and innovation department, aims to help businesses across multiple sectors through one-to-one support, research, consultancy and grant funding.
Although the funding boost arrives at a time of uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic, ATI2 is committed to offering advice and guidance to those looking beyond the current economic landscape.
The latest award follows the success of Acceleration Through Innovation (ATI), a £3 million ERDF project which launched in 2017. ATI engaged over 580 businesses, awarded 48 innovation grants with a total value in excess of £1 million and enabled 61 businesses to bring new products, services and processes to the market or their business.
The second phase of funding totals £3.4 million and will make a further £500k of grants available for businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. It will focus on supporting those seeking to drive growth and productivity resulting in sustainable change and new jobs.
Programme manager Jo Hancock said: “This is an immensely challenging time for businesses and once we emerge from this situation, they are likely to need support more than ever. So, it is fantastic that we have secured additional funding, enabling us to continue our work with small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
“ATI2 will deliver high value, high impact interventions to SMEs with specific innovation needs that have the potential to lead to scalable and commercially viable new products, services or processes.”
