Regional Innovation Programmes Expand into Essex to Boost East of England’s Innovation Ecosystem

Two of the East of England’s flagship innovation programmes are expanding their reach beyond Norfolk and Suffolk into Essex — marking a major step forward in strengthening collaboration, innovation and securing investment across the region.

Connected Innovation and Innovation Grant Mentoring – both currently funded by Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils – have now received funding from Essex County Council to expand delivery across all three counties, providing new opportunities for entrepreneurs, spinouts, start-ups and scale-ups to access tailored support and collaborative partnerships.

For start-ups and scale-ups looking to secure national and EU innovation funding, the Innovation Grant Mentoring service is now available across all three counties. This has been a valuable programme for innovative SMEs, which to date has supported businesses in the region to secure £3.1m of innovation funding and inspired many more founders to consider working towards innovation funding to support their innovative research and development projects.

It is a free-to-access service with a pool of experienced innovation mentors and bid coaches that companies will be linked to based upon their areas of expertise and background.

Meanwhile, Connected Innovation will now bring together the innovation ecosystem across all three counties. This will simplify the innovation support landscape for entrepreneurs and founders, whilst also linking together innovation hubs, incubators, universities, research parks, Freeports, key cluster network partners and the finance and investment community.

So far, the programme has helped secure around £10 million in innovation funding for the region. Its expansion aims to strengthen regional collaboration, open up opportunities for cross-sector partnerships, and position the East of England as a national leader in innovation.

There is already a strong record of collaboration between Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, particularly across key growth sectors including clean energy, advanced manufacturing, agri-tech, health, space, and the creative industries.

Connected Innovation Programme Manager, James Allen said:

“This is a really exciting opportunity to join up Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex’ innovation ecosystem covering half of the East of England. We are excited to see how this collaboration can support businesses across our key and emerging clusters and future regional bids for funding.

“Furthermore, expanding the Innovation Grant Mentoring service is great news for the region opening up this free service to a wider pool of innovators looking to secure innovation funding from Innovate UK, Horizon Europe and other sources.

We are delighted to officially deliver our activities into Essex from 22^nd October, where this will be announced at Innovate UK’s Innovate Local: East of England conference which is delivered in partnership with Connected Innovation.”

Cllr Fabian Eagle, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth at Norfolk County Council:

“These valuable schemes have made a real difference to innovative SMEs in our region, and I’m delighted that this vital support is being expanded. Connected Innovation’s ability to bring together the innovation ecosystem across all three counties will meanwhile make it much easier for business owners and entrepreneurs to access support and forge productive collaborations.”

Cllr Richard Smith MVO, Suffolk County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Economic Development and Skills, said:

“For entrepreneurs, being in the right environment can be the difference between an idea that stalls and one that succeeds. These programmes have helped Suffolk and Norfolk businesses access funding, advice and meaningful local connections. Their expansion into Essex means more entrepreneurs will be able to access that support and join a wider network driving innovation across the East of England.”

Cllr Louise McKinlay, Essex County Council’s Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Communities, Economic Growth and Prosperity

“We are delighted to partner with Norfolk and Suffolk to provide businesses and entrepreneurs in Essex with access to expert mentoring and new funding opportunities. Small businesses are the backbone of the Essex economy and I’m excited to see this partnership benefit them by helping attract investment and drive innovation.”

For further information, please contact:

info@connectedinnovation.co.uk and info@innovationmentoring.co.uk