Back to News >

The Tees Valley Innovation Accelerator (TIA), from delivery partners Teesside University and international research and technology organisation TWI Ltd, is a new scheme offering fully funded support to SMEs in the Tees Valley area who are looking to develop new products and services, and take them to market.

TIA is ideal for companies focused on innovation and new product development who would benefit from leveraging public funding to help them maximise their potential for exploiting new technology concepts.

Participating companies will receive support from TWI’s Technology Innovation Management team who can: help turn the innovative idea into a new product or solution with the potential to attract collaborative public grant funding; bring together a consortium of experts from TWI’s Industrial Membership base and innovation networks to work with the company to develop the concept and take it to market; provide advice and guidance on writing proposals for funding bids, and manage the complete process through proposal development to final submitted bid.

In conjunction with experts from Teesside University, companies on the scheme can also benefit from product prototyping support including: key enabling technologies in electronics, mechanics, photonics,

Internet of Things (IoT), manufacturing simulation, chemistry and biology to realise proof-of concept or prototype; development of smart products, bringing together physical components with sensing and actuating elements as well as computing devices and connectivity; and facilities for manufacturing including inkjet 3D printing and micro-milling.

A webinar to launch the TIA scheme will take place on 10 June 2020, 2pm BST.

Keynote speaker Ben Houchen, Mayor of the Tees Valley, will be joined by a panel of technology experts who together combine many years’ experience in all aspects of innovation management:

• Gareth Fletcher, Technology Manager, Tees Valley Combined Authority
• Pete Stirling, CEO, STL Tech Ltd
• Jamil Kanfoud, Head of Brunel Innovation Centre, Brunel University London
• Laurence Robinson, Technology Innovation Manager, TWI

Completing the speaker line up will be Dr Abbas Mohimi, Head of Public Funding, TWI (Chair), Dr Tat-Hean Gan, Director of Innovation and Skills, TWI and Dr Zulfiqur Ali, Innovation Partnership Director, Teesside University.

Companies wishing to attend the webinar should register here.

Tat-Hean Gan, TWI’s Director of Innovation and Skills said:

“This new scheme offers a great opportunity for SMEs in the Tees Valley region to gain valuable knowledge on how to turn a technology concept into a tangible project, with the potential to secure public funding to create a new market ready product or solution.

“I would urge all interested companies to sign up for the webinar on 10 June so that they can find out more about the benefits of TIA, including a taster of what to expect if successfully qualifying for the scheme” he added.