Inspiring Innovation (INSPIRE)
Five month programme - next cohort starting in November 2021.
This unique programme has been created using world leading innovation research, and has been informed by and developed with SMEs, enabling them to:
- Identify partners with the best strategic fit for innovation projects
- Develop knowledge of innovation business concepts, and skills in the management of open innovation
- Receive one-to-one coaching support to develop and deliver a bespoke innovation action plan
- Create, apply and track sustainable innovation practices within the business using unique tools
- Explore feasibility and prototyping stages of development of new technologies and products, in preparation for commercialisation
- Develop new, or significantly improved, processes and/or products (goods or services)
- Re-engage with innovation projects not yet complete, scaled back, or abandoned
- Explore new and significantly improved forms of organisation, business structures or practices, and marketing strategies and concepts.
Potential outcomes for business
- Identify partners with the best strategic fit for innovation projects
- Develop new skills and approaches to professionally manage innovation
- Create a tailored innovation action plan
- Increase revenue
- Reduce costs
- Introduce new or improved processes, products and services
- Generate new customers
- Explore new markets
- Use of innovation hub and access to facilities to bring employees, supply chain or business clients together.
The INSPIRE tool is fantastically useful and user-friendly.
Optimising Innovation (Profitnet)
12 month programme
Profitnet is a peer-to-peer programme, created by innovation expertise at the University of Brighton, designed to enable organisations to learn from each other through expertly facilitated confidential group sessions.
To date, over 1,300 businesses have taken part in Profitnet, helping businesses achieve a significant impact on their profit, turnover and employment.
Profitnet's strength comes from the group's ability to tap into the business expertise within it. Member led and expertly facilitated - every meeting focuses on real business challenges.
The programme consists of 12 monthly meetings which include:
- Development of company strategy
- Peer-to-peer action learning sets dealing with real day-to-day challenges
- Using Action Learning to problem solve business challenges
- Opportunity to reflect, plan and commit to an action plan - time to work on your business, not in it
- Support to enable business growth and development
- Access to university resources, including internships, student placements, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and training and development.
Profitnet is just like having your own board of non-executive directors. You can discuss whatever you want - over the years the input I’ve had has been absolutely vital as a sounding board for plans, ideas and challenges.
Potential outcomes for business
- Receive tailored support and expertise specific to businesses size
- Be part of a confidential and professionally facilitated network of SME business leaders focused on growth
- Benefit from a peer-to-peer learning environment with input from successful business leaders based in your region
- An impartial overview of your innovation challenges to benefit business growth and resilience
- Development of new, or significantly improved, processes or products (goods or services)
- Increase productivity growth
- Increase revenue
- Reduce costs
- Introduce new or improved processes, products and services
- Generate new customers
- Explore new markets
- Use of innovation hub and access to facilities to bring employees, supply chain or business clients together.
I have gained so much from attending Profitnet over the past two years and I’m now in a very different position with the business. I couldn’t have got here without all the support.
Masterclasses
Masterclass workshops
A series of masterclasses are run throughout the year covering a range of topics, designed to support SMEs in their innovation journey. Masterclasses are develop by the University of Brighton and Plus X Brighton, and all focus on innovation.
You'll get to learn from thought leaders in your field, ask experts your questions, and hear about real-life success stories from other businesses.
Potential outcomes for business
- Access to a range of innovation specialists
- Intensive, deep dive into innovation methods to help recovery
- Take away tools that you can implement straight away.
Access University Expertise
Variable, typically 3-6 month projects
Connect with our academic experts, to help you to develop bespoke innovative solutions for the specific challenges faced by your business.
Through a rolling programme of funding calls for one-to-one SME R&D projects we can help you:
- source leading academic expertise to support the development of an area in your business, with agreed outputs
- access additional R&D funding for longer more complex projects
- receive expert strategic advice to support a new or improved product or service in areas such as:
- brand development
- prototype development
- product/service testing and/or design
- strategy development
- market assessment.
Potential outcomes for business
- Introduction of new or improved processes, products and services
- Increased revenue
- Reduced costs.
Working with the university helped us to expand our original remit and shape a coherent project. Our collaboration has been characterised by academic rigour, a clear commitment to our commercial goals and good humour that has made the project tremendous fun!