Launchpads 2023: 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 you wish to apply with a cluster management project for more than one Launchpad cluster you must submit a separate application for each. There must be no interdependencies or duplicated costs between projects.

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 April 2024
• end by 30 June 2026

Your cluster management project must develop and manage the emergent innovation cluster that you select:

• Launchpad: Coventry & Warwickshire, Cluster Management for the Immersive and creative industries cluster centred on Coventry and Warwickshire in the West Midlands
• Launchpad: Eastern England, Cluster Management for the Agri-tech and food technology in Eastern England, consisting of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership area, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Norfolk and Suffolk
• Launchpad: Great South West, Cluster Management for the Marine and maritime innovation cluster in the Great South West, consisting of Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, Devon, Somerset, and Dorset
• Launchpad: North East England, Cluster Management for the Digital technologies cluster in North East England, consisting of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham
• Launchpad: Northern Ireland, Cluster Management for the Life and health sciences cluster in Northern Ireland
• Launchpad: Scotland, Cluster Management for the Bio-based manufacturing innovation cluster in Scotland
• Launchpad: South West Wales, Cluster Management for the Net zero industrial cluster in South West Wales, consisting of Carmarthenshire, Neath-Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Swansea
• Launchpad: West Yorkshire, Cluster Management for the Health technology innovation cluster in West Yorkshire

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 selected emerging 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

Innovate UK will hold an online briefing event on Thursday 16 November at 11:30am: click here to register for a place.

If you would like help to find a project partner, contact Innovate UK KTN’s Place team.