The BIC is Out and About This Autumn
If you are looking to catch up with the Business Innovation Centre there’s good news as we are out and about quite a bit this autumn.
Come and see us at:
Stoke and Staffordshire LEP Conference – Friday 20 October
Contact julie.frost@staffordshire.gov.uk to attend
Burslem Open for Business – Tuesday 24 October
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/burslem-open-for-business-tickets-37799617674?utm_term=eventurl_text
Staffordshire Business Festival – Wednesday – 8 November 2017
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bic-funding-for-innovation-and-specifically-about-rd-tax-relief-and-the-patent-box-sbf-workshop-tickets-37909474258
Tamworth & Lichfield Business Show
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tamworth-and-lichfield-business-show-tickets-37836222159
YET ANOTHER UNIVERSITY PLACEMENT ENDS IN SUCCESS
Everyone at the Business Innovation Centre would like to wish Littash Jayan all the best with her future career. Littash came to the BIC on a placement from Keele University’s Research and Innovation Support Programme (KRISP) for ten weeks to help set up an on-line platform for the BIC’s workshops and events where resources relevant to each event can be stored and easily accessed by workshop delegates.
Littash worked with the BIC’s IT Manager Paul Longshaw and their Director of Innovation Sandra Butterworth to develop the platform and the on-line resource is now up and running and available to the relevant workshop delegates to access.
The KRISP programme provides dedicated human resource and academic expertise to help small and medium sized businesses to develop a new product, process or service.
Littash has a degree and a Masters in Information Technology and is looking for employment in IT and Business Management. We at the BIC would be happy to pass on her contact details to suitable potential employers
INVENTOR PRIZE – £50,000 LAUNCHED
CLOSING DATE 22nd October 2017
The Inventor Prize launched on 9 August 2017 by NESTA is open to products that relate to any issue as long as that product helps to make people’s lives better, thereby helping to tackle a social issue affecting the UK.
To be eligible entrants will have to have a working model and be able to show that their invention will help to tackle an important societal issue.
£50,000 will be awarded to the finalist that best demonstrates meeting the judging criteria. There will be two runner up prizes of £15,000 and £5,000.
The finalists will be supported to develop and test their products.
NEWS RELEASE
The Business Innovation Centre’s New Product Development Grant has now been increased to just under £10,000
This grant financed through the European Regional Development Fund will help Staffordshire based B2B companies pay for external expertise to help them research and develop a new product or service.
Since the European funded project was launched in April 2016 the BIC has awarded over £400,000 to local businesses to employ experts such as Product Designers; Market Researchers; Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys; Testing Facilities and E-commerce specialists to help them with their innovations.
Thirty Five new products or services have been supported to date including the following which have recently been launched to the market:
- A mobile phone adapter and technology to take photographs of endoscopic images by Endoscope-i from Lichfield company – www.endoscope-i.com
- An adjustable line of sight camera which captures what you see from your perspective. Aim Cam – a Staffordshire Moorlands company – www.aimcam.com
- Radiator fixing kit to allow radiators to be easily reclined without removal from the wall to allow painting or maintenance. Rotarad from Stoke on Trent www.rotarad.com
- A queue watching phone app to allow people to track queues typically at barbers, car parks, hospitals etc Queue Watch – a Stoke on Trent company – www.queuewatch.co.uk
The BIC’s Grant will represent 40% of the overall project expenditure and so will cover project values up to £25,000 whereby up to £10,000 could be paid back to the company on satisfactory completion of the outsourced work.
The next funding panel to consider applications for the £10,000 grant will be on
11 August 2017 and companies should express interest on the BIC’s website at: www.thebic.co.uk/research-collaboration-grants-and-support
Further information about the BIC and its activities can be found on their website www.thebic.co.uk
Business Boost 2017
CLOSING DATE 17th September 2017
CALLING NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME ORGANISATIONS
£1,500 is up for Grabs for winning a Business Boost Award. Entering and Winning Business Awards is a great confidence booster for businesses and worth a little time and effort in applying.
The BIC is sponsoring these awards for the first time this year as they introduce the Innovation Award
So go on have a go at entering and we at the BIC will be only too pleased to help you with your application
ECO WARRIORS WORKING AT THE BIC
With Innovation being the focus of the Business Innovation Centre in Staffordshire it is no surprise that two of its employees – have embraced innovation by investing in totally electric vehicles, in fact they have both invested in a Nissan Leaf.
It works quite well for the company as there are Electric Charging Points outside their office on the Staffordshire Technology Park in Stafford but unfortunately not as yet outside their Longton office at the Sutherland Institute.
There are a number of patents linked to the development and the running of the Nissan Leaf and a number of Trade Marks protecting the name and the logo and associated accessories. A fascinating world and if you would like to find out more about Patents and Trade Marks and other forms of Intellectual Property come and join the BIC at their next workshop on 6 July in Cannock – What IP do you Own? run by the Intellectual Property Office.
Competition for Growing Innovative Businesses – Innovation 50
Entries will open on 16 June for this first time competition to celebrate the most innovative businesses in the Midlands. Five industry sectors will be assessed –
Manufacturing, Engineering and Utilities
Creative and digital
Science, technology and healthcare
Retail, consumer and leisure
Financial Services
https://www.innovationfifty.com
We work with many successful innovative businesses who have developed fantastic new products and services – come on folks, have a go at Entering!
BUSINESS IDEA COMPETITION
EIT Raw Materials are seeking innovative ideas from individuals, research team, entrepreneurs and early startup for new products, process and services.
Deadline for submissions is 31 May 2017
UP to 12,000 Euros, free training and webinars and support along the way
Sentinel Business Awards Innovation Winner 2017
We would like to congratulate everybody who was shortlisted for the Sentinel Business Awards on Thursday 30 March 2017 and in particular to Johnson Tiles who won the Innovation Award sponsored by the BIC:
SENTINEL BUSINESS AWARDS EVENING APPROACHES – 30 MARCH 2017
Excitement is brewing at the BIC office as we start to plan for the Sentinel Business Awards Ceremony next Thursday.
Paperwork? Presentation? Promotional Material?
No – the important issues are What to Wear on the Night!!
Long Dress – Tick
Sparkly Shoes – Tick
Sparkly Jewellery – Tick
Posh Perfume – Tick
and that’s just the men ……
No seriously we are all looking forward to celebrating with the Shortlisted Companies and of course the Winners.
As sponsors of the Innovation Award we have also had the pleasure of judging the Awards and everyone has a wonderful night in store.
Celebrations started on Thursday 16 March with a Pre-Awards Drinks Evening with the shortlisted companies.
The BIC’s Chief Executive Geoff Riley and the BIC’s Director of Innovation are seen below talking to Sponors and Shortlisted Companies.
Good luck everyone!
