University News Last updated 24 March 2023
Birmingham City University’s School of Computing and Digital Technology has been awarded funding to support major new tech projects in the region, to be delivered as part of the West Midlands Innovation Accelerator.
Designed to bolster the region’s research and development capability – sparking innovation, growth and investment - Innovation Accelerator will receive a share of a new £100m fund, co-ordinated by Innovate UK.
This fund, first announced in the Government’s 2022 Levelling up White Paper, will be divided across three regional Innovation Accelerators across the UK over the next two years, with the West Midlands Innovation Board investing in five projects aimed at driving innovation and growth – both regionally and across the wider economy.
The expertise and academic excellence of BCU’s School of Computing and Digital Technology will be harnessed, playing a key role in two of the funded projects: the West Midlands 6D Innovation Accelerator and DIATOMIC.
The West Midlands 6D Innovation Accelerator project, coordinated by the University of Birmingham, brings together key stakeholders including universities, hospitals, industry and government-funded ‘Catapults’ for manufacturing innovation, to supercharge the region’s ability to accelerate new health and medical technologies.
DIATOMIC - a project led by Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, as well as a range of local partners - will accelerate place-based innovation, digital twinning and optimise the use of data in the West Midlands. Building on the region's existing international relationships and through a series of targeted initiatives, it will focus on growing the region's clean tech, health tech and medical tech markets.
Professor Julian Beer, Deputy Vice Chancellor, (Research, Innovation and Enterprise) at Birmingham City University said: “I am delighted to see Birmingham City University play such a significant role in the West Midlands Innovation Accelerator.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, and chair of the WMCA, said: “I’m delighted to see the Innovation Accelerator fund finally land in our region which will unlock a further £150m of private sector co-investment. The funding will inject momentum into the delivery of the West Midlands Plan for Growth which sets out how we will unlock hundreds of thousands of new jobs and be home to major global companies in this decade.
“One of my key mayoral missions is to restore our status as the fastest growing region outside of London - just as we were pre-pandemic. Innovation is central to achieving that mission.”
Dr Umar Daraz, Director of Innovation at Birmingham City University, said: “We are incredibly proud to be working closely with our partners across the West Midlands on such exciting research and innovation projects.