News - Innovators Forum Highlights Ready Money
Combined Universities in Cornwall press release
The latest Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) Innovators' Forum has been heralded a success after one of the largest ever audiences of local businesses leaders and business support organisations attended the event last Thursday. The title of the evening was 'Ready Money' and delegates had the opportunity to discover more about the Research & Development grants which are available to Cornish businesses through the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA).
The subject was clearly a popular one, made more so by the challenges of the current economic climate, as CUC Co-ordinator, Nigel Hewitt, explains, "It is vital for businesses to know what options there are for funding growth and enabling innovation in these difficult times and CUC is glad to be able to provide a forum for this to happen. It's extremely encouraging to see that local entrepreneurs are focusing positively on the future and are willing to share their experiences."
Speakers from two local companies, Silvertree Engineering and Scientific Services, explained to the group how they had focused on research and development to secure their ongoing successes. They were followed by Ranber Maan, from SWRDA, who outlined details of the Grant for Research and Development. Delegates finally had the chance to quiz an expert panel with questions about R&D and the processes involved in funding applications, before settling down to informal discussions during dinner.
Delegate Robert Rush of PFA Research in Bodmin summed up his experience of the evening, saying, "Gaining an awareness of the application of funds to support innovative projects made it a rewarding event for me- it was a nicely balanced programme, having informative case studies and then networking over dinner."
Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Convergence Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: "Research and development is vital if businesses want to expand and stay ahead of the game. European Objective One and now Convergence investment encourages businesses to work with academia to make the most of the knowledge, equipment and facilities on offer and develop globally competitive products."