Design and Delivery of Workshops on Cumbria Innovations Platform - AWARD

Cumbria Innovations Platform is an ERDF funded 4-year programme to help SMEs increase R&D and innovation activity through accessing knowledge and facilities of two universities. The programme aims to develop an innovation eco-system for the county where SMEs are supported with technical facilities and academic knowledge of both universities. The University of Cumbria will deliver a series of workshops across the timescale to help SME owners and teams with softer creativity skills and more technical product and process knowledge. The free to access workshops will help SMEs to consider and develop new products, processes and services. More intensive interventions include access to undergraduate, masters and PhD level support to complete research projects. Through research, innovation and the development of higher-level skills, it will enable businesses to grow capability in developing new products and markets thereby enhancing the growth of the wider Cumbrian economy and the ranking of the county in national innovation scales. The project is led by Lancaster University (LU) with University of Cumbria (UoC) as a partner. All events will take place within Cumbria and the majority will be at UoC sites. The programme has a full time project manager who will oversee UoC activity and act as the key point of contact for partner universities, beneficiary clients and the successful tenderer. Roles and responsibilities are set out in Section E of the ITT, including the requirements of the successful contractor.