Business Writers: Ideas for sharing 4 August 2024

Welcome to our latest round-up of business ideas for you. We're posting on LinkedIn, so you don't have to visit our website . Hope that makes it easier to read - and share.

Each week we highlight stories on topics such as digital creativity, sustainability and business enabling technologies, as well as renewable energy, agri-tech, and advanced manufacturing.

We also share news of networking events and funding competitions that might support the enterprise ecosystem in Norfolk and Suffolk thrive.

1) Innovate Local: East of England - 12 September 2024

Innovate UK East and Connected Innovation announce event at Norwich Research Park to drive business innovation and growth throughout the East of England. It is open to any business in any sector or industry, whether a small start-up or an established enterprise. Find out more and book tickets here: Innovate Local: East of England - Connected Innovation.

2) Tech Educators: Meetup and Graduation - Norwich - 15 August 2024

New graduation event celebrating coding and innovation in tech. Join the latest Tech Educators cohort of students as they showcase their course projects and new skills. More information and FREE tickets here: Tech Educators: Meetup and Graduation - Norwich Tickets, Thu, Aug 15, 2024 at 3:00 PM | Eventbrite.

3) Manufacturers of sustainable building materials invest in Suffolk

Gateway 14 has secured planning consent for two more buildings, totalling over 130,000 sq ft, to be occupied by manufacturers of eco-friendly construction materials. Assan Panel will invest ￡45m in an 86,565 sq ft manufacturing building, bringing 100 jobs to the area. And Bauder, which has manufacturing operations in Ipswich, will open a 44,000 sq ft distribution centre. More details here: Planning Thumbs Up For Manufacturers Of Sustainable Building Materials At Gateway 14, Stowmarket - Jaynic Property Group.

4) UK announces new offshore wind energy generation targets

The government, as part of the energy transition, has set a target of 50GW for offshore wind generating capacity by 2030. The Crown Estate is critical to the sector's growth, as it manages the seabed for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Crown Estate's MD for Marine, Gus Jaspert, talked to Civil Engineer magazine about the challenges and opportunities for growth: Action required to expand UK’s offshore wind capacity | New Civil Engineer.

5) Tech Nation announce Creo programme for disabled innovators

Creo is the UK’s first springboard programme for disabled founders and entrepreneurs innovating around disability. It aims to provide them with the knowledge, connections and tools to scale-up their startups. Apply now to join the September to December 2024 cohort: Creo | Tech Nation.

6) New event to encourage more women to become angel investors

Women founders often struggle to raise investment from angel investors to grow their businesses. At the same time, just 14% of angel investors are women - yet 20-25% of their portfolios are in female-founded companies. Anglia Capital Group is looking to change this by encouraging more women to become angels so that more female entrepreneurs can get funding and, in turn, gain the financial capacity to support other women. Find out more here: Female Angel Investor Series - Becoming an Angel Investor (epicentrehaverhill.co.uk) .

7) Manufacturing still matters - despite UK falling in global rankings

Make UK , the manufacturers' organisation, recently produced its latest ‘Manufacturing – The Facts’ report, with data up to 2022. This shows that UK manufacturing output is worth ￡217bn and supports 2.6m jobs, with average wages 10% higher than for the rest of the economy. You can read more analysis in this report by Matt Chilton: UK manufacturing overtaken in world rankings but not because of decline in UK industry | Zenoot.

8) Suffolk gets more than 60 new EV charging points

Suffolk County Council is installing fast charging facilities at 63 new sites, including community centres, village halls, scout huts and other community hubs. This doubles the number of sites taking part in the 'Plug in Suffolk' project (which has been running since 2019) to nearly 100. More details here: More community EV charging points for Suffolk - Suffolk County Council.

9) Moments 24 - Norwich & District Photographic Society exhibition

MOMENTS 24 is a new photographic print exhibition showcasing the work of local photographers, from beginners to professionals. It will run from Tuesday 6 to Sunday 11 August 2024 (daily) at the Anteros Art Foundation in Norwich, Norfolk. More details here: Exhibitions | Anteros Arts ( anterosfoundation.com ) .

PLUS Jobs

Our occasional round-up of interesting roles in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge:

• DEADLINE 11 August Policy & Public Affairs Manager (Maternity Cover – Part Time) | John Innes Centre
• DEADLINE 1 September BioFAIR Director | Earlham Institute
• [Your offer of a great career opportunity could go here.]

"Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." - Mary Oliver

We hope you find these updates interesting and useful.

Please share with your network and post your thoughts below.

Thank you for reading,

Huw

Chief Engagement Officer

Bonus content

To find innovation hubs and clusters across Norfolk and Suffolk, follow Connected Innovation .

For inward investment and business relocation advice, contact Norfolk and Suffolk Unlimited .

PS: Feel free to contact me on LinkedIn or at Business Writers Ltd Ltd .