WHAT WE DO AND WHY WE DO IT
The Innovation Alliance for the West Midlands is an alliance of organisations active or interested in science and technology based innovation across the West Midlands. We have two principle objectives:
- Build and maintain a thriving innovation ecosystem
- Stimulate and catalyse a pipeline of innovation activity
LATEST NEWS AND FEED
News
- 5 Mar: Applications now open for the new part-time front end Bootcamp
COVID won’t slow them down: School of Code launches a new part-time bootcamp that will transform lives and diversify Tech during the global pandemic School… Read More > - 5 Mar: Can you support impact challenge?
Transformation West Midlands, a partnership project between 3 West Midlands based universities: University of Birmingham, Newman University & University College Birmingham, focussed on supporting under-represented… Read More > - 3 Mar: SuperTech’s Kalifa Review response: UK’s global fintech leadership bolstered by new review
An independent review has set out a plan for the UK to retain its global leadership in fintech by helping the country’s financial technology firms… Read More > - 2 Mar: Job: West Midlands Health Technologies Cluster – Innovation and Communications Manager
Please see below the application information for the role of Innovation and Communications Manager with the West Midland Health Technologies Cluster. West Midlands Health Technologies… Read More > - 1 Mar: Digital innovation hub opens to help Walsall residents learn new skills
Walsall College is all set to show local school students, adults and businesses how to make their digital mark with the launch of a new… Read More >
@InnovationWM
- 23 hours ago: To help #innovators bidding into @innovateuk Smart Grants programme, the @EnergySysCat has packaged three of its most popular Living Lab test and demo trials to provide access to real domestic homes to test energy products or services. Read more here ➡️ bit.ly/2Oqre5E pic.twitter.com/BP6TyyZMXN
- 5 Mar: Coventry-based @Cytecom saved time and money getting their microbe detection unit to market by accessing testing equipment and expertise at @wmgwarwick, to enable CE certification. Thank you WMG for sharing this case study for our Innovation Tracker! ➡️ bit.ly/3riWdiU pic.twitter.com/meNBh3chzl
- 5 Mar: Register now for Medicines Manufacturing Challenge Community showcase event, an opportunity to learn more about the latest projects and developments that will accelerate the development and manufacture of vital advanced therapies, medicines and vaccines ➡️ bit.ly/3uWhp0f pic.twitter.com/n0XYvJmPVB
- 5 Mar: Impact Challenge is a week long employer led challenge held in June 2021 whereby groups of student/graduates solve real-life problems/challenges as posed by local organisations. Find out how you can get involved here ➡️ bit.ly/2PCt6ZV pic.twitter.com/N6HNLFgGjq
- 5 Mar: You can now apply for funding to support interdisciplinary research into interventions that will transform the UK food system. The deadline is 22nd April, read more here ➡️ bit.ly/3rkIHLD pic.twitter.com/QQv0N32pYP
- 5 Mar: 💡 @theSchoolOfCode will launch a new six month, part-time bootcamp in March that focuses on front end technologies to allow individuals to upskill in their spare time, transforming lives and diversify Tech during the global pandemic. Read more here ➡️ bit.ly/3eb5uWh pic.twitter.com/bzfsH6KOk0
- 4 Mar: Join @AstonETICC for this extraordinary workshop on 10th March dedicated to International Women’s Day to talk about women in #innovation, technology and entrepreneurship, what drives them, and the ideas they bring to life. Read more here ➡️ bit.ly/3bVXgPe pic.twitter.com/ITUszA2oKy
- 4 Mar: Have you registered for our next Innovative Low Carbon Working Group meeting? Join us on 16th March to hear from #SMEs @AceOn_Group & AirPot, as well as @midlandsenergy on the Midlands Low Carbon Environmental Goods & Services study. Register here ➡️ bit.ly/38b3Y2H pic.twitter.com/hYlqEjGGzj
- 4 Mar: Check out this recent £8 million government boost for manufacturers across England to go digital. There is now funding available for #SMEs to help them modernise, go digital and create new jobs ➡️ bit.ly/3beV71R pic.twitter.com/cbcSTjJzu8
- 4 Mar: A new training centre to give local people the specialist skills needed to work on electric vehicles has opened at City of Wolverhampton College, thanks to funding from the @WestMids_CA. Read more here ➡️ bit.ly/2PtDNxH pic.twitter.com/FTCOl7e8H8
The Innovation Alliance for the West Midlands has played a pivotal role in the development and continued success of the annual Venturefest West Midlands events. Now in its 6th year, the Alliance continues to drive all of the event logistics and secures the programme and speakers for VenturefestWM. The last of these draws heavily on the very essence of the Alliance, its network of associates that are actively willing to support and promote the Innovation Agenda in the West Midlands. To be honest without IAWM there would not be a West Midlands Venturefest offer.
Dr David Hardman MBE, MD Bruntwood SciTech – Birmingham (formerly Innovation Birmingham)Having attended the Innovation Alliance Speed Mapping event in December for the first time, I was interested to find there was such a wide scope of innovation activity currently taking place across the Region. It was a great opportunity to be able to engage with a wide range of colleagues from organisations such as WMCA, Medi-Link and Birmingham Enterprise Community, who are all driving innovation activity in interesting ways.
Charmaine Stint, Birmingham City UniversityIt is very easy to continue to work in isolation without any awareness of what others are doing but to maximise opportunities and to add richness to our research projects the Innovation Alliance facilitates us to look outside our organisations.
Carine Lewis, Warwick Manufacturing GroupThe Innovative Low Carbon Working Group is superbly organised by the Innovation Alliance for the West Midlands, supported by Sustainability West Midlands, providing all members with a regular email update highlighting various low carbon funding opportunities (from sources such as Innovate UK, Central Government and the private sector), promoting events and making connections. In these busy times and with invitations to so many events, I find it one of the most useful and enjoyable networks that I belong to and would really encourage businesses operating in the low carbon energy, transport and construction sectors to join!
Mike Woollacott, Greenwatt TechnologyThe Innovation Alliance has proven to be a key partner towards the development of the LIS Construction Sector Action Plan. The workshops it has convened for the sector in the past 18 months have helped to shape the Plan as they have enabled the identification of the specific challenges and opportunities that require focus. It means we can better tailor interventions to the areas that will generate the greatest economic impact.
Charlie Hopkirk, Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership