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UCLans' Success with Innovation Vouchers

UCLan is punching above its weight with the NWDA’s Innovation Vouchers Scheme.

UCLan has been awarded 38 Vouchers in the last 2 rounds, making it one of the top university providers in the region.

This success has included winning £30k worth of Vouchers from a consortium of 10 BME (black and minority ethnic) businesses in the North West.

The Vouchers, awarded to businesses by the NWDA to solve a particular business issue, have been used to buy the University’s expertise in areas such as business masterclasses, web design and development, branding and new product testing.

Innovation Vouchers are designed to encourage business owners, entrepreneurs and social enterprises to proactively engage with the North West knowledge base, including colleges and universities, to develop innovation and enhance business.

Due to the success of the scheme it has been announced that an additional 50 £7k Vouchers will be released along with 250 £3k Vouchers in the August call, which runs from 3rd to 28th August.

Nick Lancaster, Deputy Director of Knowledge Transfer at UCLan said: “The Innovation Vouchers Scheme is a relatively simple process that allows us to engage with businesses that we may not normally have the opportunity to. This allows businesses to easily access a range of Knowledge Transfer services and capabilities that UCLan has to offer. It is also an excellent way for academic staff to be involved in Knowledge Transfer activity with industry; which has clear benefits to both the university and to the wider business community.”

The consortium of 10 BME businesses was referred to UCLan by the not-for-profit business support agency, Enterprise4All. Based in Lancashire, the company has been very pleased with the support provided, as Chief Executive, Ilyas Munshi explains: “Enterprise4All exists to help the region’s businesses, so it’s very important that we can direct companies to sources of expert assistance. The Innovation Voucher scheme has proved to be a very effective means of doing this and the companies that we have referred to UCLan have clearly valued and appreciated the excellent support they have received.”

For more information about Innovation Vouchers, and how you can get involved please contact:
- ABF: Mubarak Chati 0845 170 7274
- UCLan Ruth Slater 01772 895074

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