Enterprise innovation project secures £1.8m funding boost
A PROJECT set up to help businesses to access academic expertise from Sheffield’s two universities has secured a further £1.8m in funding.
The Sheffield Innovation Programme launched in 2016 and since then more than 200 academics have worked with in excess of 300 companies from across the region in need of specialist support.
Professor Dave Petley, the vice-president for research and innovation at the University of Sheffield, said: “This scheme is a fantastic way for regional businesses to access our world-leading facilities and academic expertise. It’s about helping them to find the solutions to the challenges they face.
“It is completely free to businesses and as part of the programme we run workshops designed to support innovation as well as providing student interns.
“This scheme is a fantastic way for businesses to access expertise.”
“Contributing to the growth and regeneration of our region is a key part of our founding mission, and this is an excellent example of how we work together with partners in our region to drive future success.”
The programme is jointly funded by Sheffield Hallam University, the University of Sheffield, the
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF).
The new phase of the project also includes the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, which has contributed £200,000 in match funding, and the investment will allow the project to continue for a further three years until 2022.
Catal International is one of the firms which has already benefitted from the scheme. The Sheffield-based company, which operates across the chemical, pharmaceutical and automotive industries, used university laboratories to develop a new product which it soon hopes to be able to take to market.
Andrew Holt, owner and CEO, said: “Without the assistance and the facilities of the Sheffield Innovation Programme, we would not have been able to develop the product to the current position.”