D2N2 Innovation Consultation - Business Workshop Event held on the 30th April 2014 at Nottingham Trent University to discuss Business Innovation and the Innovation Ecosystem with Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. http://www.d2n2lep.org/Innovation

1. TIME TO INNOVATE
Consultation on D2N2 Innovation Plan
Business Workshop
30 April 2014

2. Purpose
• What support do businesses need to help them
to innovate?
• Test proposed actions in the plan

3. Programme
12.50 D2N2 Strategic Context
13.00 Session 1: Barriers to Innovation
13.30 Session 2: Business Support for Innovation
14.15 Break
14.25 Session 3: Innovation Ecosystem
15.00 Round-up and close

4. Definition
Innovation
“the commercial exploitation of new ideas in the
form of new products and processes, new
organisational techniques, new markets and new
sources of supply”

5. Priority Sectors
• Transport Equipment Manufacturing
• Life Sciences
• Low Carbon Goods & Services
• Food & Drink Manufacturing
• Construction
• Visitor Economy
• Creative Industries
• Transport & Logistics

6. Strategic Context

7. Session 1: Barriers to Innovation

8. Innovation Summit
• Main motivations for innovation are a desire to
introduce new and better goods and services, to enter
new markets, or to increase market share. 95% agree
• Most innovators engage in collaborative activity
outside their organisation. 95% agree
• The key sources of advice on innovation activity are
customers and suppliers. 40% agree
• Universities are less commonly used as sources of
advice on innovation, due to lack of awareness of the
support that they can provide. 90% agree

9. Innovation Summit - Barriers
Key barriers to innovation are:
•risk and the cost and availability of finance
80% agree
•lack of staff resource and time 75% agree
•Lack of access to appropriate skills 40% agree

10. Barriers
For businesses, which of these are the biggest
barriers to innovation?
•Risk/cost
•Time
•Leadership
•Skills
•Technology

11. Business Needs
What do businesses need to help them
overcome the barriers?
•Coaching and training
•Access to talent
•Access to technology and specialist facilities
•Access to specialist business networks
•Routes to market
•Awareness of support available

12. Overall Aim
• To support a step change in innovation levels
amongst D2N2 companies - particularly high-
growth SMEs in priority sectors - ensuring that
businesses can find out about and access
innovation support through their preferred route
• Building blocks:
• Support for businesses
• Investment in infrastructure
• Exploit the knowledge base

13. Session 2:
Business Support for Innovation

14. Business Support for Innovation
• Time to Innovate toolkit - components:
• Start-up
• Skills
• Technology
• Finance
• Place
• Network
• Easy access through D2N2 Growth Hub

15. Business Support for Innovation
• Cross-D2N2 financial support:
• Early-stage financing for innovation-led start-ups
• Innovation Voucher – buy from provider of choice
• Coaching for leaders of SMEs, levering in national
support
• Technology-based support, levering in national support
• Skills support:
• Graduate placements
• Knowledge economy skills scholarship
• Higher-level apprenticeships

16. Questions
• Does that look broadly on the right lines?
• Is there a need for:
• An easily-accessible innovation support toolkit to
help businesses find the best option for them?
• A ‘voucher’, enabling SMEs to buy in support from
the provider of their choice?
• A coaching programme to help leaders of SMEs to
introduce and deliver innovation in their business?
• Technology-based support, levering in national
funding from Technology Strategy Board etc?
• Support to develop skills in the workforce, e.g.
through higher-level apprenticeships

17. Session 3: Innovation Ecosystem

18. Infrastructure
• Maximise potential of flagship innovation parks –
inward investment and incubation
• Make better use of innovation centres as places
where businesses can access support
• Improve business access to technology testing
facilities
• Support development of successful sector-based
business networks
• Hold annual ‘Venturefest’ event
• Establish Innovation Observatory

19. Knowledge Base
• Continue to develop specialisms in local
business and knowledge base – sectors,
clusters, technologies
• Work across Local Enterprise Partnership
boundaries to develop specialisms
• Work in collaboration with large primes, such
as Rolls-Royce, to strengthen innovation
capabilities in local supply chains

20. Questions
• On the right lines?
• Is there a need to:
• Make better use of Innovation Centres as places
where businesses can access support?
• Improve business access to technology
prototyping, testing and proving facilities?
• Support the development of specialist (e.g. sector-
based) business networks?
• Do more to spread best practice and celebrate
success?

21. Questions
Is there a need to:
•Develop ‘specialisms’ in the areas, i.e. sectors,
clusters, technologies?
•Work in collaboration across Local Enterprise
Partnership boundaries?
•Strengthen innovation within supply chains?

22. Next Steps
• Will forward slides from today
• Leave your comments on-line by 30 May
• Final Plan by June - implementation
Many thanks for your contribution