On Tuesday 27 June, the University of Birmingham hosted a showcasing event to celebrate the impact of 13 collaborative projects with industry funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
The projects concentrated in key growth sector areas such as health technology, energy, advanced materials, and digital manufacturing, enabling 710 businesses to collaborate with research institutions. University of Birmingham academics worked closely with these businesses across the region to develop innovative products and services.
The showcase event brought together business, academics and the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership to celebrate the success of the ERDF projects. As a result of support provided, over 143 businesses introduced new-to-market products and over 335 introduced new-to-firm products. The projects themselves created 75 jobs in the region. From £33.8m ERDF funding, the project generated over £210m GVA and leveraged over £8.3m of additional funding.
The day explored the necessity of academia connecting with industry and the opportunities that ERDF presented in ensuring connection and opportunity to compound benefits and accelerate potential real-world impact of research. It also highlighted how strong industry links create value for students, informing teaching and learning activities.
Find out more about the projects and plans for further collaboration with business on the University of Birmingham website: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/partners/sme-support/business-support-programmes/index.aspx
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