Hub Happenings April 2024: ??Hub Ranks 9th in Leading Startup Hubs in Europe??

Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub ranked 9th 'Leading Startup Hub' in Europe?

?? The Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub has been officially ranked 9th 'Leading Startup Hub' in Europe for 2024 by The Financial Times and Statista. This inaugural list showcases 125 startup hubs from 19 countries across Europe. The initial 2000 entries were rigorously assessed by Statista and scored on alumni satisfaction, experts recommendations, and the most successful startups supported by the hubs. At the Enterprise Hub, we are proud to be recognised as a leader in innovation support in Europe. We are also honoured to know that our Hub Member community has rated our support so positively.

See the full ranking at The Financial Times here >>

Read the Academy's full comment here >>

With the largest tech sector in Europe, valued at over $1tn, there are investment opportunities across all regions of the UK. At the Enterprise Hub, our mission is to strengthen local engineering innovation ecosystems across the UK with support for entrepreneurs and detailed insight. To understand the UK engineering economy at a granular level, we published the 'Engineering, Economy & Place' report and dashboard.

In it, we detail the 27 local authorities with 'high-flying innovators' and examine patterns and indicators relating to unicorns.?For more resources for investors see here >>

From our Hubs across the UK

Northern Ireland

The new Academy Enterprise Hub space opened in the West Wing of the Ormeau Baths, stop by to say hello.

The Regional Talent Engines Cohort 4 was inducted in Belfast, with the first Ignite training sessions following. Many of the eleven-strong cohort had had the opportunity to attend Founders’ Day in Ormeau Baths on 27th February.

Scotland

Glasgow Tech Week is from 13-18 May

As the first tech week in Scotland, this series of events are a must-attend for the technology digital and business community for Glasgow.

There is something for everyone, with events in investment, pitching, intellectual property, digital cultural and diversity already announced with some incredible companies across Glasgow. Find out more >>

?? IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: We are pleased to confirm that the launch of our Scotland Hub is scheduled for May. Please contact Emma for any further enquiries. ??

Innovation Late with Lady MacRobert at Edinburgh Science Festival.

It was great to have regional hub members showcasing at Innovation Late. Providing fantastic interactive opportunities for the public. This included Metacarpal, Kenoteq, Crover, Rezon, Mr Helix and MacRobert Awards winners Danfoss Items & Quanta.

Regional Talent Engines induction?

Last month the Regional Talent Engines brought together its newest cohorts from North East England , North West England ,??Northern Ireland,??and Yorkshire & Humber. The inaugural Welsh Regional Talent Engine cohort began on 8 March in Tramshed Tech, Cardiff delivered by St Johns and BIC innovation. In total, we now have another 38 innovators joining the Enterprise Hub community across northern England, Northern Ireland and Wales from diverse sectors of engineering.

Hub Members in the news ??

Funding and deals ??

• ?? Hub Member company Wootzano have secured a ￡161m supply deal with Canadian company Xcela Inc which will see the firms working together over five years.
• ?? Hub Member company Breathe Battery Technologies have partnered with Volvo Cars to supply adaptive charging software for Volvo's new generation of fully electric cars, marking a significant investment from the Volvo Cars Tech Fund.
• ?? Congratulations to Hub Member company Unmanned Life who have announced a strategic partnership with Nearby Computing to lead the future of autonomous systems integration.
• ?? HubMember companyPorotech and General Interface Solution (GIS) have announced their partnership for mass producing the MicroLED and optical / touch module solutions for AR products.
• ???HubMember company Switchee have announced a new partnership with Pay Point that will allow residents to use their cash and energy credit vouchers to top up their energy credit in PayPoint stores.

Awards ??

• ?? Big congratulations to Hub Member company Bactobio who have received two awards from the Engineering Biology Collaborative R&D program, thanks to UK Research and Innovation and Innovate UK.
• ???Congratulations to Hub Member company Hexarad for being nominated for a HSJ Partnership Award, along with North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust in the category 'Diagnostics Project of the Year'.
• ??♀? Hub Member company Swytch Bike announced their second consecutive win of the Red Dot Design Award 2024 This is a major accomplishment in the design world.
• ?? Hub Member company Morro are finalists for the Green Business Awards. Their nomination recognises Xampla's collaboration with ELEMIS to develop fully biodegradable sample sachets from leftover plant waste.
• ?? Huge congratulations to HubMember companies Switchee and Unmanned Life who have both been featured on the Sifted 100: UK & Ireland Leaderboard, a showcase of the top 100 fastest-growing startups.

External opportunities???

• ?? Innovate UK launched a new digital platform called No Limits to help better support innovative talent across the UK by connecting innovators and businesses to talent and skills opportunities. Find out more>>

Now open?

Shott Scale Up Accelerator

A twelve-month programme that develops, nurtures and strengthens the leadership capabilities of senior decision-makers in high-growth engineering and tech SMEs to scale their business to the next level. Application close 28 May. Apply now>>