Businesses in the Cardiff Capital Region can now apply for a programme designed to drive growth through research and development innovation.
The Academic-Industry Partnerships programme will see participating businesses partnered with relevant academic expertise and knowledge in a bid to support business growth.
Delivered in partnership between University of South Wales, Cardiff University and Cardiff Metropolitan University, the scheme is now live for expression of interest and applications.
The programme is jointly funded by the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund and Cardiff Capital Region (CCR). It aims to bring together industry and academia to identify innovative solutions to enterprise challenges, particularly for SMEs.
Key outcomes of the programme will include enterprises adopting new or improved products or services, or new to firm technologies and processes. The projects will also look to encourage improved quality of operations, increased sales and access to new markets, and increased profitability.
The programme has capacity to support 25 businesses. Participating businesses will be supported by up to £14,000 funding, requiring 10% match funding from micro or small enterprises and 25% match funding from medium and large enterprises.
Business News Wales spoke to Julie Bellamy, Director of Engagement and Enterprise at USW and Acting Project Director for the Academic Industry Partnership Project Programme, to find out more about the programme and the types of academic expertise on offer.
Each application will be reviewed and assessed and competitively scored against set criteria, with funding aligned to successful projects on a first-come-first-served basis. To enquire about the suitability of a proposed project for the programme businesses can submit an ‘Expression of Interest’ form or contact one of the team at cdgp.aip@southwales.ac.uk.
