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ATI’s 2018 Progress Report

12 December 2018

The Acceleration Through Innovation (ATI) programme celebrated its first birthday in September and, now that the project has been running for over 12 months, we thought Christmas is the ideal opportunity to look back at 2018 and share our achievements thus far.

We’re delighted to announce that ATI has awarded grants from £2,500 to £25,000 covering proof of market to intellectual property support to software development to businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

In addition to the ‘Innovation Fund’ offered, ATI have been hard at work having provided over 1,750 hours of direct business support. This assistance can be wrapped up in a number of forms, from one-to-one business innovation advice, through to expertise via the University of Plymouth and the research capabilities offered by our Innovation Champion, Jenny Naldrett.

In addition to the Innovation Expertise offered by our four Business Innovation Advisors, the ATI project now facilitates access to more specialised areas of innovation, such as the following Consultancy services:

  • 3D CAD renderings for solid objects and other items, such as clothing.
  • ‘Design for manufacture’ specialists
  • ‘Design for assembly’ specialists
  • Process mapping specialists
  • Prototype market testing & feedback specialists
  • B2C consumer testing specialisms
  • Innovative packaging solutions
  • Product ergonomics
  • Monetisation strategies for app developers
  • Cost optimisation (subject to specifications and performance)
  • Managing an Innovation Project
  • Impartial intellectual property advice
  • Research and Development Tax Credits
  • Market research for innovation projects, proof of market and feasibility

 

In total, ATI has engaged with over 350 innovative businesses, from a variety of sectors. From companies offering unique camping experiences to a health-tech business (as you will see from our new video case studies). Our client portfolio continues to grow and the diversity of our clients is reflective of our flexible approach to innovation support.

This leads us nicely onto our latest Pop-up Innovation Centre Launch in Newquay, which took place on the 20th of November at Mor Workspace. Newquay is the fifth of a total of nine locations that the project is targeting and, so far, is the most popular location with over 50 businesses visiting the Pop-up Innovation Centre on our very first day of opening. This fantastic turnout bodes well for the four months ahead as we begin embedding ATI’s services within the Newquay business community.

In events news, 2018 saw in excess of 404 guests attending one of the 24 innovation events ran by our marketing and events team, who have delivered workshops, masterclasses and networking opportunities across the length and breadth of the county. Next year, not only will we continue to produce our usual repertoire (Funding Masterclass, Project Management Workshop, Innovation Masterclass, Intellectual Property Workshop and the Cornwall Innovation Club), but we will also curate the largest ATI innovation event. This headline event, named ‘Innovation for Business…Making Change for Tomorrow’, will feature the latest in research and innovation and will take place during Cornwall Business Week.  Only 120 tickets will be available for this exclusive event and pre-release will be offered to Cornwall Innovation Club members before publicly advertised in the spring.

As we look forward into the New Year, ATI will continue to work collaboratively with a number of other projects and partner organisations with the aim of encouraging, inspiring and supporting a culture of business innovation throughout the county.  Most notably, the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce continues to be involved with our Cornwall Innovation Club which will now be held on a bi-monthly basis throughout 2019. ATI has also sponsored a number of events which were held in collaboration with Cornish Partnerships and the Samphire Club – we look forward to continue working together with any, and all, organisations that would like to help us spread the word about innovation and its importance within the workplace.

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Invitation to quote: consultancy/workshop delivery services