The High Value Manufacturing research group at the Department of Strategy & Organisation has teamed up with Weir Group, Centre for Engineering Education and Development (CeeD), Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS) and the Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC), as part of the UK's High Value Manufacturing Catapult to develop a series of Innovation Days targeting manufacturing supply chains and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SME Innovation Days aim to accelerate R&D and innovation and to promote an innovation ecosystem in Scotland.
The academic team at SBS - Dr Aylin Ates, Dr Steve Paton, Professor Harry Sminia and Dr Marisa Smith - will bring together different stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem i.e. SMEs, large companies (customers), technology providers (universities, RTOs) and government bodies to embed a culture of continuous innovation in Scotland.
The first SME Innovation Day will be hosted by the AFRC in their purpose-built facilities near Glasgow Airport on February 3. The team will be engaging with local SME companies on a number of innovation topics including; Fostering an Innovation Culture; How to make use of Funding Opportunities; and The Importance of Automation. This event will also provide SMEs with the opportunity to learn more about the applied innovation projects and activities at the AFRC, and to obtain some coaching on the availability of and application for collaborative research and development (R&D) funding within the UK and Europe.
The SME Innovation Days will identify the key aspects of applied innovation, and what it means to a manufacturing SME in order to increase number of Scottish SMEs interested in engaging innovation projects. In this way, the programme team aims to support the delivery of Scottish Government's strategy (March 2015) of creating an innovation culture in Scotland. One important aspect of the Scottish Government's strategy is to create opportunities for SMEs and to provide innovation support for their growth through investment into R&D projects, education and skills development. Thus, the programme outputs will also inform policy through gathering feedback from participants regarding innovation requirements in the SME manufacturing community.
For further information on the programme or attending the 'SME Innovation Day', please contact Dr Aylin Ates (E: aylin.ates@strath.ac.uk).