ASSIST

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In partnership with Midlands Aerospace Alliance we are pleased to announce successful completion of ‘ASSIST’

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Led by Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and Innovation, the pilot Innovation Accelerators programme invested £100m in 26 transformative R&D projects to accelerate the growth of three high-potential innovation clusters – Glasgow City Region, Greater Manchester and West Midlands. This is a new model of R&D decision making that empowers local leaders to harness innovation to drive regional economic growth, help attract private investment, and develop future technologies.

ASSIST’s aims were to improve the take-up of innovation funding by West Midlands-based Aerospace Supply Chain SMEs.

Midlands Aerospace Alliance talked to SMEs on both sides – those who have and those who haven’t participated in national innovation funding programmes. The information learned will be used to help funders engage more effectively with lower tier businesses.

They also developed a process to engage swiftly with Aerospace Supply Chain companies and match them to suitable funding sources, and this was piloted with 6 West Midlands companies.

The Challenge:

The UK aerospace industry needs to innovate for the future; it depends on future technologies to both resolve industry challenges (high on the list is sustainability through new aircraft and manufacturing technologies) and compete on differentiation not cost with emerging market aerospace industries. Yet a significant section of industry operates outside the national aerospace innovation ecosystem, this is the ecosystem gap.

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Main Objectives:

1. Piloting bringing more Group X companies in the aerospace supply chain into the national innovation ecosystem.

2.In this way unlocking the innovation potential of Group X companies to support aerospace technology needs of the future and grow economically — now.

3.Help Group X companies to strengthen innovation capabilities and be independent in their ability to take part in innovation programmes in future and advise on how to make national ecosystem more accessible to place-based companies – for the future.

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Main Outcomes:

1.A piloted development process for companies through which they can be assisted in understanding their aerospace innovation potential and be matched with national funding opportunities, R&D assets and big companies most relevant to them.

2.A better understanding of the national innovation ecosystem, how it can be accessed and how it can be improved for place-based companies.

3.More WM companies participate in national innovation ecosystem programmes, with R&D assets, and collaborate with large companies already inside the ecosystem.