Innovate UK – Global Business Innovation Programme – Collaboration Opportunities With Sweden
Innovate UK’s Global Business Innovation Programme focus on Sweden and Sustainable Aviation is now open for applications from ambitious companies developing sustainable aviation technologies. Please find more information below
The Global Business Innovation Programme – Deadline for applications extended to Wednesday 12th January 2022
Delivered by Innovate UK EDGE, selected delegates will benefit from a funded programme of support including a preparation phase, an innovation mission to Sweden, an exploitation workshop and follow on support from an innovation and growth specialist.
Benefits of the programme
- Understand the market and prepare for doing business in Sweden
- Gain a better understanding of current and future technology trends
- Create opportunities to build partnerships with Swedish partners
- Gain exclusive access to leading Swedish aerospace companies
- Create opportunities for innovation collaborations and build partnerships that exploit UK expertise
- Meet like-minded Swedish and UK innovators
- Develop your value proposition for international investors
Who should apply
Applications are invited from SMEs who are: actively developing sustainable aviation technologies; have a strong interest in international collaboration and developing innovation projects, and the desire and capability to develop relationships with Swedish partners.
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREAS
- Propulsion systems
- All electric and hybrid engines
- Structures and design
- Lightweighting
- Composites, coatings, alloys
KEY DATES AND LINKS:
Briefing Event 7 December 2021 – https://bit.ly/3nEtllF
Deadline for applications 12 January 2022 – https://bit.ly/3oQ20fF
Notification of selection by 19 January 2022
Pre Visit Workshop – Birmingham – 6 April 2022
Innovation Visit – 15-21 May 2022
Exploitation Workshop – 20 July 2022
WHY SWEDEN
The Swedish aerospace sector employs over 14,000 people and has a turnover of more than €2.6 billion per year with international sales accounting for 70% of all revenues.
Traditionally dominated by two large companies Saab AB and GKN Aerospace Sweden AB the Swedish government’s aviation strategy is placing greater emphasis on developing a strong SME aerospace community. Brought together by the Aerospace Cluster Sweden, Swedish government has established a wide range of funding mechanisms to strengthen and grow the sector.
Sweden has identified itself as an international role model of sustainability. In 2020, state owned Swedavia, which operates ten of Sweden’s airports, became the world’s first airport operator to achieve completely fossil-free operations.
Swedish Government has strengthened its 2015 commitment to a ‘Fossil-Free Sweden’ with its 2021 announcement to reduce greenhouse gases in aviation fuel, and will continue this strategy by aiming to make all domestic flights fossil-free by 2030 and all flights originating from Sweden fossil-free by 2045.
With a clear national research and innovation agenda set out in NRIA Flyg 2020, which prioritises the environment and international collaboration, and a background of successful bilateral funding collaborations run by ATI and Vinnova 2018 and 2020, this market offers significant opportunity for UK companies developing sustainable aviation solutions.
TO APPLY FOR THIS INITIATIVE YOU MUST BE:
A UK based innovation-led company with ambitions to grow and internationalise.
A company with fewer than 500 employees.
Able to attend and complete all activities.
THE COST
Innovate UK will fund and organise flights, accommodation, in-market travel, and conference fees for successful applicants. Innovate UK will also pay for any reasonable adjustments throughout the initiative. Only one representative from each company will be funded. On acceptance to the programme a commitment fee of £500 will be obtained from each delegate, which will be refunded on completion of the full activities and agreed action plan. Non-completion after formal acceptance may result in forfeiting some or all the commitment fee.
HOW TO APPLY
Apply here using the online application form. The Global Business Innovation Programme is a competitive process and successful applicants will be notified by 19 January 2022.
Innovate UK is committed to improving the diversity of who we support. We welcome applications from under-represented groups.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information or to discuss your application, please contact Programme Lead, Louise Hooker at louise.hooker@innovateukedge.ukri.org or call +44 (0)7850 300575
Help to Grow: Digital to be launched in December 2021 – register your interest
What is Help to Grow: Digital
Help to Grow: Digital is a UK-wide government-backed scheme that aims to help SMEs choose, buy, and adopt digital technologies that will help them grow their business. Help to Grow Digital will be launched in December 2021 and could help up to 100,000 businesses adopt new digital technologies over three years.
The Help to Grow Digital scheme will offer businesses:
- Free, impartial advice and guidance about what digital technology is best suited to their business and how it can boost their business’ performance
- Targeted financial support for eligible businesses, worth up to £5,000, towards the costs of buying approved digital technologies for the first year.
Businesses can register their interest at https://register-help-to-grow-scheme.service.gov.uk/.
Case Studies
Help to Grow Digital is looking for SMEs that are using Accounting, CRM or Ecommerce software and are willing to share their digital adoption journey and experiences in case studies to feature on the Help to Grow Digital platform. Interested SMEs should contact evelyne.doh@beis.gov.uk.
User Research
Help to Grow Digital User Research colleagues are keen to talk to SMEs about the introduction of new software or technologies to support their business growth. Researchers are looking for participants to take part in user research to help to inform the design of the scheme launching in December. The research session will take approx. 30 – 40 mins and will be conducted via video conference (Teams or similar). Sessions are being throughout November and beyond. SMEs should register their interest with becky.dempsey@beis.gov.uk.
Boeing & UK Government Industry Briefing, 16 Nov 15:00-17:00
Dear Aerospace, Defence & Space Partner,
The Boeing Office of UK Industrial Capability and Her Majesty’s Government, with support from ADS, are pleased to announce a Boeing Virtual Briefing for UK Industry.
Topics will include a Boeing Commercial Aircraft market recovery update, information about new supplier cyber security requirements, and the supply base digitization strategy. You will also hear from key Ministry of Defence leaders and representatives of the UK Space Agency outlining the new National Space Strategy.
Join us for this event 16 November 2021 1500-1700 GMT by registering here https://events.boeing.com/profile/web/42124. Please note that you must use Chrome or Firefox to register.
Your registration will be reviewed and you will receive an invitation to join the live webinar with full joining instructions and further details on the agenda.
If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact Chris Gane (chris.gane@dcpm.co.uk) or Bill Peterson (bill.peterson@mobile.trade.gov.uk)
Five exciting technologies showcased at NATEP’s latest event
NATEP July 2021 Showcase – delivering social value through innovation.
Five exciting new aerospace technologies were showcased at NATEP’s July event.
NATEP showcases are an excellent way for beneficiaries to demonstrate their capabilities and raise awareness of the benefits of their technologies to the supply chain. It’s part of the support offered through the NATEP Programme – Harriet Wollerton NATEP – Programme Director.
The July 2021 showcase was the first of a quarterly series and was themed around delivering social value; how SMEs can exploit the competitive advantage when new and innovative solutions help deliver wider social value benefits to the supply chain.
An interesting session was anticipated with Alan Peaford – FINN’s Editor-in-Chief moderating the event and asking some probing questions of the guests who included Denzil J. Lawrence, Boeing Globalisation & Supplier Development and Dr Cristina Garcia Duffy – ATI’s Head of Technology, Strategy & Integration.
They were joined by five NATEP beneficiaries for an interesting and varied discussion.
The five NATEP beneficiaries presented were:
- Cabot Design – High strength aluminium alloy failure modelling – watch video
- Helitune – Project: Enhanced Safety for small to medium sized helicopters – watch video
- Sensor Coating Systems – Project: Enhanced thermal mapping for higher efficiencies – TIPTOE temperature indicating paints for aero engines – watch video
- Technical Composite Systems – Project: Composite base plates for aerospace antennas – watch video
- Tower DMS – Project: Smart Cal – watch video
Eco-smart research wins award for Cecence co-founder
Innovative research into sustainable materials and processes has placed NATEP beneficiary Samantha Bunyan among an exclusive cohort of the UK’s leading female entrepreneurs, and Cecence – the company she co-founded – on course for further commercial success.
Samantha is one of 40 visionary women awarded grants of £50,000 in the 2020-21 Women in Innovation Awards programme to take their innovative ideas to market.
The funds will help Cecence commercialise aircraft interior components resulting from several related streams of research, phases of which received backing from NATEP. The Salisbury-based SME plans to develop a range of furniture for economy and business class cabins, all made with sustainable composite materials, including recycled materials and natural fibres.
The funding will also enable the business to develop sustainable aerospace in-flight carry-on items, such as amenity kits, expanding its customer base for clean products beyond businesses to consumers
“The award will support the delivery of ‘ecocence’ as an independent in-house sustainable brand for Cecence,” said Samantha. Items will be made of natural and recycled fibres bonded by a bio-resin system.
Cecence has a history of working toward the decarbonisation of the aerospace industry with eco-friendly alternatives to the current interior products of aircraft.
From 2016, it developed an award-winning composite lightweight aircraft seat-back – currently in service on Airbus types – using woven carbon fibre and a phenolic resin bonding system. NATEP supported the development of the Q Ultra Slim seat-back which harnessed a bio-resin system, and discoveries made on the NATEP programme are being fed into the company’s new project.
The UK Women in Innovation award will help Samantha and her team take lightweighting technology and Cecence’s low-energy rapid processing know-how a step closer to the cabin of the future with next-generation aerospace components using sustainable materials.
“I am hugely proud of the team at Cecence and what we have already achieved in this area, and excited to see how we can make further advances in lightweight sustainable materials and components for aerospace interiors” .
“Innovate UK’s mentoring and outreach programme will provide opportunities to engage with a wide range of female innovators and provide a platform to promote an interdisciplinary STEAM approach to innovation and product development.
“Being selected as part of this cohort of extraordinary women is a huge honour and I am looking forward to connecting with and supporting one another on our independent and collective journeys over the course of this year.”
Invitation for new industry panel members
Update: 11/FEB/21 – We have had a great response to our call for applications therefore this is now closed.
Adding the industry perspective – contributing to the NATEP programme.
NATEP is looking for panel members to join our regional Project Review Panels (PRPs) to provide industry feedback to National Aerospace Technology Exploitation Programme (NATEP) applicants.
NATEP is aimed at supporting small and medium sized suppliers, with our unique programme of funding and mentoring, to develop their own innovative technologies to enhance their capabilities, strengthen the UK supply chain and increase their ability to win new business.
Industry representatives from across the aerospace supply chain meet on a quarterly basis under the NATEP banner to discuss and review the latest technology ideas being proposed – prior to the projects’ submissions for funding. The feedback from these meetings adds enormous value to the projects’ applications for the technology scope, understanding of the market and route to exploitation.
As NATEP’s popularity continues to grow, additional reviewers on our regional panels are needed to broaden the panels’ expertise to match the increasing diversity of the technologies being proposed.
These regional Project Review Panels (PRPs) are a great and informal way for representatives to network with colleagues from industry from across all regions of the UK and to be at the forefront of the technology innovations being developed within the civil aerospace supply chain.
NATEP has funded over 200 projects since 2013.
If you’d like to get involved and would like more information and a copy of the panels’ Terms of Reference please contact:
Nancy Jardine
NATEP Operations Manager
nancy.jardine@natep.org.uk
Tel: 020 7091 4543
M. 07860 853348
Machine learning makes light work of AM aerospace alloys
The University of Sheffield AMRC aims to develop a robust, end-to-end methodology for process parameter development. Intellegens’ AI-embedded platform Alchemite will be at the heart of it.
Government Spending Review: Priorities for the aerospace sector
Join ADS, AGP and our industry colleagues as we consider the future of the aerospace industry in light of the latest announcements on the Government’s Spending Review. Although the review is now only a one-year settlement, the priorities remain as important as ever in support of the sector
Funding boost explained in NATEP’s latest webinar
with the NATEP Spring 2021 call now open we outline the funding boost for SMEs and hear from Maher on how NATEP helped them with their funding application.
NATEP Call for Projects
The Spring 2021 call for projects is now open.
You have until 13 Nov 2020 to submit an application.