Mid and North Wales Launchpad: Cluster Management

To lead a project or work alone your organisation must:

• be a UK registered business of any size, academic institution, a research and technology organisation (RTO), charity, not for profit or public sector organisation
• demonstrate detailed knowledge of the needs of innovative businesses in the innovation cluster

To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered:

• business of any size
• academic institution
• charity
• not for profit
• public sector organisation
• research and technology organisation (RTO)

The contribution of project partners must add to the innovation led growth of the cluster.

Your organisation can only lead on one application with a cluster management project for each individual Launchpad cluster but can be included as a collaborator in any number of applications. If your organisation is not leading an application, it can collaborate in any number of applications.

Your funded project must:

• have a total grant funding request up to £150,000
• last up to 24 months
• carry out all of its project work in the UK, and have its impact in the innovation cluster you select
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• start at the earliest on 1 December 2024
• end by 31 March 2027

The aim of this competition is to support a cluster management project for the agri-tech and food technology Launchpad in Mid and North Wales. Your proposal must describe how you will develop and manage this emergent innovation cluster.

Your project must be inclusive and develop the maturity of the innovation cluster to benefit related organisations locally and UK wide.

You must explain how your project will complement and support the innovation cluster more widely, engaging where appropriate with other grant aided innovation projects.

You must include plans to:

• share non-commercially sensitive results and good practice
• encourage further innovation activities and investment to benefit the innovation cluster

Your proposal must demonstrate how it will develop:

• activities that meet relevant industry needs and generate innovation led economic growth
• an innovation cluster with greater innovation intensity, innovation maturity, and levels of collaboration, commercialisation, and investment
• a locally led narrative that provides a clear external profile
• an integrated community that can sustain beyond the grant funded period

Your project must:

• use expertise relevant to the cluster’s location, specialisms, assets, organisations, and maturity stage
• gain the support of relevant organisations who will contribute to developing the innovation cluster
• demonstrate how you will use operational investment from your own means to continue developing the innovation cluster beyond the funded project

Your project can focus on one or more of the following:

• knowledge transfer to encourage the development of innovation and to speed its spread throughout the cluster and supply chains
• strengthening local institutions and aligning around priority innovation programmes
• enable cohort meetings with relevant organisations in your cluster and other regional innovation clusters
• helping to secure private finance for businesses in the innovation cluster, including leverage for public investments
• supply chain development, including the capacity to absorb knowledge and innovation, and equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)
• producing case studies and promotional campaigns
• integrating the activities of other relevant organisations
• attracting people, businesses and investment into the innovation cluster

This list is not exhaustive. Where you can show your proposal fits within the scope of this competition you can focus on other themes.

An online briefing event will be held on Thursday 20 June at 2pm: register to attend. Briefing slides will be available to download from supporting information after the event.

If you would like help to find a collaboration partner, contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Place team or our agrifood team.