European event travel awards enable UK SMEs to expand their horizons
Since September 2023, Innovate UK has supported SMEs looking to expand into Europe by providing travel awards to enable innovators to attend events in several different countries and form new collaborative partnerships to help their business grow and simultaneously strengthen the UK economy.
Innovate UK has offered European event travel awards with up to £700 available for UK businesses to attend European events. This travel support has enabled participants to discuss collaborative Horizon Europe projects, learn about upcoming European R&D funding opportunities and form impactful global business partnerships.
Throughout the last year, support for businesses to attend events through Europe has been provided to bring new opportunities, enable companies to grow and boost the UK economy. So far, over 100 people have been awarded a Travel Award who attended 63 events throughout 13 European countries. Those who have received travel support have shared with us that the European event travel awards have enabled them to:
- Collaborated on Horizon Europe international projects and leart about collaborative European funding opportunities.
- Expanded their international network by joining research groups and forming consortiums with valuable business partners.
- Explored new opportunities to grow their business through develop and implement a new technology into the European and global marketplace.
Here are some testimonials from those who have participated in a Travel Award:
We have received practical, prompt and financial support from the helpful team. As an SME, this has enabled us to punch above our weight, to understand the European funding landscape, begin long term relationships with pan-European partners, build a consortium and submit our first Horizon proposal in 2024. – David Gale, Director of Stryker Design Ltd
The travel awards from Innovate UK Business Connect are an excellent way to promote project ideas and collaborate in international R&D projects. Due to the award of a travel grant to Berlin, we have had several projects labelled within the Eureka Cluster on Software Innovation (ITEA4) and are working with our partners on other related ideas within Horizon and other country specific calls. – Manzoor Ahmed, CEO of HIGOE
Previous European Event Travel Awards
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SMART PO Day & European Manufacturing Conference 2023 | San Sebastian, Spain | 23 November 2023
For this Travel Award, 13 companies headed to the SMART PO Proposers’ Day – 7th Call where the group explored forming an international advanced manufacturing consortium. The event focused on important areas including advanced European manufacturing processes, smart manufacturing systems and sustainable production technologies which all are critical aspects of the businesses that attended to ensure their companies succeed in the future.
The travel grant was essential for us to explore cross border R&D collaboration and a great motivation to establish business connections in San Sebastian. As an R&D focused startup, the travel grant brings us closer to the network of innovators to foster R&D collaborations. – Howard Low, CEO at Enverse
For every company, but more so for startups and SME’s, networking is an essential part of their journey into establishing new collaboration agreements and finding the right partner for European and local funding opportunities, and that is precisely what Innovate UK delivers through their Travel Awards programme. It is through this initiative that we were able to participate in the SMART PO Day & European Manufacturing Conference 2023 in San Sebastian, Spain, on the 23 November 2023, where we not only met new potential partners to target opportunities with, but also caught up with existing connections that would have been very difficult to do should funding have not been provided, together with extremely helpful support, assistance and introductions to local UK government representatives during our attendance. – Richard Gonzalez, Founder & Director of Sensor IT
Receiving the Innovate UK Business Connect Travel Award opened doors for our business at the SMART PO Day & European Manufacturing Conference. The event was a fantastic platform to share our approach to sustainable, modular furniture and to connect with partners who share our vision for a circular economy. It’s support like this that helps us push sustainable design forward. – Maanav Patel, Director at Snazyybird
P.A.K Engineering Ltd was delighted to participate in the SMART PO Day & European Manufacturing Conference 2023 in San Sebastián. This event provided an excellent platform to engage with industry leaders and establish valuable connections. As a result of this opportunity, we are now collaborating with two European companies on separate projects and actively working on a proposal for a SMART grant. The trip proved to be an exceptional opportunity to foster international partnerships, and we look forward to leveraging similar opportunities in the future. – Paul Kerby, Managing Director at P.A.K Engineering Ltd
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Transport Research Arena (TRA) | Dublin, Ireland | 15-18 April 2024
A delegation of 15 people travelled to Transport Research Arena (TRA) 2024 to discuss transport research and future transport policy including road, rail, aviation and maritime. Different types of businesses were brought together from small startups to large transport operators. As we transition to a future filled with more innovative transport technology, this event focused on ensuring we are adopting advanced sustainable transportation and inclusive mobility that is accessible to all.
Direct Access is an accessibility and inclusion consultancy dedicated to making transport facilities accessible and inclusive for disabled individuals. Attending the TRA conference allowed us to engage with cutting-edge transportation research and share our experiences in enhancing accessible transport across Ireland, the UK, and France. – Steve Dering, Strategic Partnerships Director at Direct Access Group
Attending the Transport Research Arena in Dublin was a game-changing opportunity for Alchera. The conference allowed us to showcase our cutting-edge AI technologies for highways infrastructure management while connecting with leading international experts in highways and transportation. Through the Innovate UK Travel Award, we expanded our global network, gained insights into state-of-the-art transport innovations, and positioned ourselves as leaders in using AI for productivity use cases for infrastructure. The poster sessions and technical tours were particularly valuable, offering us direct access to groundbreaking research and potential collaborative partnerships across different transport modes. – Anna Jordan, Co-Founder & CEO at Alchera Technologies
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Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) | Brussels, Belgium | 23 April 2024
10 companies were awarded Travel Awards to attend this CBE JU Info Day 2024. The event provided guidance and support for those interested in this Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking call for project proposals and enabled the potential applicants to network with each other. Those who attended gained a greater understanding of the proposal submission and evaluation process for this opportunity. By engaging with this community at this event, participants received excellent advice and invaluable tips for strengthening their application.
As a small SME working in a highly competitive market, we have to be really careful how we spend every pound, so it was so important for us to receive a travel grant from Innovate UK to attend the CBE JU networking event. I made some great connections at the event which led us to join the Biobased Industries Consortium as a member and led us to join a consortium applying for one of the 2024 CBE JU Calls for Proposals. – Zaid Moosa, Senior Grants Partnerships Manager at Notpla
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EUREKA Global Innovation Summit 2024 | Istanbul, Turkey | 13-14 June 2024
A delegation of 15 people travelled to Istanbul, Turkey for this EUREKA Global Innovation Summit 2024. Whilst there, the attendees networking with businesses from throughout Europe and discussed a variety of topics including the green economy and future digital technology.
Overall, the event was hugely beneficial for the attendees who learnt about using data innovatively, sustainable manufacturing technologies, building smart cities and creating a more circular economy.
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EUREKA-ITEA PO Day: Software Innovation | Antwerp, Germany | 10-12 September 2024
5 companies attended this ITEA PO Days 2024 to learn and discuss new project ideas, partner up with consortium members and find out more about the Call details before submitting their application to this opportunity.
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Smart City Expo World Congress | Barcelona, Spain | 5-7 Nov 2024
10 companies have received a Travel Award to attend the Smart City Expo World Congress. The delegation were joined at the event by Innovate UK, ACCIÓ and the Connected Places Catapult where they explorde how we can build better cities and create healthier, more fulfilling lives for all through urban innovation.Social spaces and sustainable practices are key to unlocking a bright future so the delegation massively benefitted from this event as they networked with those in the sector and explored opportunities for upgrading cities throughout Europe and internationally.
Representatives from the following organisations joined the UK delegation at this event:
Upcoming Travel Awards
If you would like to apply for a European event Travel Award, make sure to take a look at the travel support opportunities for UK businesses to attend European events which are currently open for applications. This Travel Awards webpage is updated regularly so we would recommend checking it every few weeks to stay up to date on the latest opportunities.
Contact us
To discuss all travel awards further, please contact Jane Watkins and Belen Rebollo-Garcia.
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