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Mid Wales Challenge Led Launch Pad Series
What is the Mid Wales Challenge-Led Launch Pad Series?
The Mid Wales Challenge Led Launch Pad Series is a new programme aimed at developing novel solutions to public sector and societal issues through research and innovation whilst offering new market opportunities for businesses and people in Mid Wales. Projects are 100% funded to participate in R&D, focused on specific identified needs and are open to all organisations that can demonstrate a route to market for their solution. Challenge Led Launch Pads aim to address core areas of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 to help renew our communities and build a more productive and prosperous economy in Mid Wales.
The programme will enable businesses to analyse and evaluate the potential of concepts and ideas for eventual deployment through collaboration with academia and regional leadership to encourage success and growth. Through a collaborative working model, it will deliver expertise and resources to accelerate the development of innovative businesses and accelerate growth through high impact innovation. The programme will include tailored support and the potential to utilise unique regional capital assets and technology to support businesses in the development of novel solutions. Challenge Led Launch Pads will provide excellent opportunities for businesses to develop and demonstrate technology to a range of stakeholders within the partnership acting as potential customers.
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The Mid Wales Challenge Led Launch Pad Series is delivered by AberInnovation and Innovation Strategy and supported by the following partnership.
THE PARTNERSHIP
SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT
MATCHMAKING CHALLENGES & IDEAS
Challenge Led Launch Pad Series will involve stakeholders from public, private, and academic sectors identifying and selecting the most pressing, regional societal issues requiring solutions and working together to support businesses in the development of solutions to the identified problem. To achieve this we have created the Mid Wales Challenge Led Launch Pad Series a structured programme to build new solutions to solve the greatest challenges affecting Mid Wales. Challenge Led Launch Pads aim to address core areas of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 to help renew our communities and build a more productive and prosperous economy in Mid Wales.
MENTORING & SUPPORT
Throughout challenges businesses will receive one to one mentoring and networking opportunities and they will take part in thematic workshops and masterclasses supporting them in the development of innovative solutions. Businesses will benefit from the expertise from programme partners, AberInnovation, Innovation Strategy and British Telecom and will receive opportunities to utilise unique facilities and technology during their projects. Public Sector partners will guide businesses in the development of solutions to ensure new solutions are fit for purpose and meet policy objectives throughout the region. The mentoring and support provided within the Challenge Led Launch Pad Series is fully funded and accessible to all participating businesses.
SUPPORTING SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
Challenge Led Launch Pads will also support individuals in the development of skills and knowledge throughout Mid Wales communities through an innovative work placement and match making scheme. Individuals will be offered opportunities to work alongside successful businesses to gain new skills and knowledge throughout the project. Businesses will provide tasks and offer shadowing opportunities to individuals to stimulate new ideas and increase confidence during the programme. Through this businesses will benefit from additional resource, improved skills and understanding of how to employ new staff. Individuals stand to benefit through the development of news skills supporting their careers, building relationships with potential long-term employers, and improving the chance of sustainable employment.
ROUND 2 Rural Health & Wellbeing
This challenge is a single-phase challenge intended to show the feasibility of the proposed concept. The development contracts awarded will be for the duration of 3 months with individual contracts valued up to £1,000 (inc. VAT) for early-stage/small-scale solutions at Technical Readiness Levels 1-2 AND £15,000 (inc. VAT) for further established solutions at Technical Readiness Levels 3-4.
To determine the Technical Readiness Level of your solution further information can be found on UKRI’s website here. Projects will be selected by an open competition process and organisations will retain the intellectual property generated from the project. Successful projects must start on the 8th January 2024 and conclude 29th March 2024.
Round 2: Rural Health and Wellbeing Challenge
Aim: Identify innovative solutions to improve rural health and wellbeing aligning to Ceredigion County Councils' Well-being and Improvement Objectives and Hywel Dda University Health Board's strategy "a Healthier Mid and West Wales."
This challenge offers opportunities for businesses to develop innovative solutions to promote rural health and wellbeing and contribute to the development of an innovation ecosystem which can support growth and economic benefits to the Mid Wales region. Innovation and technology change plays a key role in productivity gains and businesses will need to demonstrate how their innovative solution supports tangible business growth. Businesses will need to address one of the sub-themes highlighted below, further theme details are included in the competition documentation on Sell2Wales.
Ageing well and promoting wellness
Promoting a wellness system, involves every part of life that affects our health and well-being. This builds upon the concept of a 'social model for health' and shifts the emphasis from hospital-centered care to a more holistic approach centered around wellness and prevention. With fewer people aged 25-44 and more people aged 55-79 than any other place in Wales, there are unique needs to support our ageing population and future generations in the Hywel Dda UHB catchment.
This theme is seeking innovative approaches to support healthy ageing and promote wellness that have the capability to promote growth and deliver economic benefits to the region. Could innovative approaches encourage physical exercise in older people? Could improved food and nutrition promote wellness? Could technology address rural isolation and improve health?
Farming and primary production to promote yields
Agriculture is important for Ceredigion’s economy and for the health and wellbeing of residents. Agriculture can help reduce poverty, raise incomes and improve food security. However, there are increasing pressures from climate change and food losses in primary food production. The combined impacts of slow economic growth, the cost of living and the socio-economic effects of both Brexit and Covid-19, have also contributed to food insecurity and made it more difficult for people to access the foods they require to maintain good health. Can new technology help predict weather patterns to increase yields and prevent losses? Could novel approaches to cold-chain management and infrastructure prevent spoilage or degradation during storage? Can innovative sustainable farming practices increase yields locally?
Protecting our waterways and coastal areas
The environment has a direct impact on health and well-being and protecting our waterways and coastal areas plays an important role in maintaining health. Our waterways face multiple challenges, from polluted watercourses to flood events exacerbated by climate change. Phosphorus and nitrogen in our waterways can be harmful to ecosystems and human health, and costly to the economy. Could innovative approaches to precision agriculture prevent fertiliser loss and water pollution? Could sensors monitor nutrients in aquatic environments accurately and efficiently? Could early warning systems for extreme events such as storms reduce impact?
Applicants may want to refer to the following policies to understand the challenges and opportunities to contribute to improving the rural health and wellbeing of Ceredigion's population.
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Ceredigion County Councils’ Well-being and Improvement Objectives
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Hywel Dda University Health Board’s strategy "A Healthier Mid and West Wales"
HOW TO APPLY
Applicants must register at Sell2Wales to access the challenge documents and online application form. The deadline for applications is the 4th December 2023 at 17:00.
Documents must be downloaded from here: https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=NOV456439 and completed using the online form format.
HOW TO APPLY
We are currently developing another round of the Mid Wales Challenge-Led Launch Pad with Project Partners. We hope to launch a new competition in 2023. Further details about the funding opportunity will be published on Sell2Wales and will be promoted via our social media channels.
Further information about our previous competition is available via the following link (link). Details about the individual projects from the first round are available on the programme video (link)
For further information about the Mid Wales Challenge-Led Launch Pad, please email us at info@innovationstrategy.co.uk