Date/time

11/02/2016
10:30 am - 3:25 pm

Venue

OpTIC Centre
St Asaph LL17 0JD, Wales.

Event organiser

Welsh Optics Forum

Contact details

susan.sheridan@wof.org.uk

Regional Funding
North Wales Photonics Launchpad

For micro, small & medium sized companies
Initial Briefing event for potential applicants

Thursday 11th February 2016 at the OpTIC Centre, St Asaph

Innovate UK (IUK) is to invest up to £500,000 in innovative research and development projects centred on the emerging cluster of photonics, electro-optics, and opto-electronics businesses in North Wales.  The Welsh Opto-electronics Forum is the Cluster Champion supporting this event working with the KTN and Welsh Government.

The competition aims to stimulate this hotspot of photonics, electro-optics and opto-electronics businesses in North Wales by enabling companies to go further and/or faster towards commercial success. In collaboration with the Welsh Government and the Welsh Opto-Electronics Forum as Cluster Champion, we want to draw investment and people into the area, and to encourage networking and collaboration to strengthen the cluster. We are therefore looking for projects that may be too risky for companies to take forward without any support, or that may take them into new innovative areas, and where the majority of the project activities are carried out in North Wales.

IUK will fund industrial research projects, with estimated project sizes ranging between £50,000 and £90,000. Projects can last up to 12 months and must be led by a micro, small or medium-sized company that is likely to be in the early stages of its development and businesses can work alone or in collaboration. Micro and small businesses will receive up to 70% of eligible costs, medium-sized businesses 60%.

Agenda

10:30   Registration, Refreshments and Networking

11:00   Welcome, John Blomfield, Qioptiq, Chair of Welsh Optoelectronics Forum

11:10   Cluster Talk, Dave Rimmer

11:30   Introduction to Launchpad, Myrddin Jones, Innovate UK

12:15   Business Pitches

13:00   Lunch break and networking

14:00   Past successful Launchpad Recipient

14:25  2nd Successful Photonics Recipient

14:50   Funding Masterclass

15:25   Close & Thanks

An integral part of Launchpad is the offer of support to help applicants to raise additional new external finance that we expect will be needed to fully fund the project and its subsequent commercialisation. In addition to receiving project funding, successful applicants will participate in a programme of business support and growth activities that will run in parallel to projects.

A briefing for potential applicants will be held in the OpTIC Centre, St Asaph on 11 February 2016 to highlight the main features of the competition and explain the application process.  The competition opens for applicants on 22 February 2016. The deadline for video submissions is at noon on 6 April 2016.

Full Details  Online Registration

Organiser: Susan Sheridan, Welsh Optics Forum