{"id":35862,"date":"2023-03-14T10:02:17","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T10:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsblogsnew.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=35862"},"modified":"2023-03-13T17:27:18","modified_gmt":"2023-03-13T17:27:18","slug":"liverpool-city-region-launchpad-projects-announced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=35862","title":{"rendered":"Liverpool City Region launchpad projects announced"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-23980\" src=\"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Liverpool-16-Feb-2014-No-30_D_Chetwin_600.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"302\" height=\"223\" \/>Twenty-three new projects ranging from eco-friendly concrete to floating solar arrays have been announced as part of Innovate UK\u2019s launchpad programme.<\/h3>\n<h6><em>image: for illustration &#8211; Dave Chetwyn<\/em><\/h6>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em><span style=\"color: #800080;\">\u2026 The 23 projects \u2026.have an emphasis on digital technology and tackling the climate emergency\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n<p>UK Research and innovation writes:<\/p>\n<p>The 23 projects funded through the Liverpool City Region launchpad pilot will share nearly \u00a35.5 million and have an emphasis on digital technology and tackling the climate emergency.<\/p>\n<h2>Globally connected innovation clusters<\/h2>\n<p>The aim of the launchpad programme is to ensure more places in the UK host world-leading and globally connected innovation clusters, creating more jobs, growth, and productivity in those areas.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the Liverpool City Region pilot, which focuses on developing innovations that transform its advanced manufacturing cluster, a second pilot is taking place in Tees Valley.<\/p>\n<h2>Collaborative projects<\/h2>\n<p>Of the projects announced in Liverpool City Region today, 9 collaborative research and development (R&amp;D) projects, involving businesses working with research and technology organisations, were awarded a total of just over \u00a34 million in the first round.<\/p>\n<p>Successful projects, receiving between \u00a3128,000 and \u00a3694,000, include schemes to manufacture:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>an eco-friendly concrete block to help protect coastal communities against climate change-related flooding. The project, run by Liverpool small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) Virtus Concrete Solutions Limited in conjunction with Liverpool John Moores University, will develop a new eco-friendly concrete \u2018Geoblock\u2019 which would completely replace cement for use in breakwaters and non-structural applications<\/li>\n<li>advanced fuel cell technology for use in hydrogen-powered cars, heavy goods vehicles and boats, delivered by Liverpool start-up Mersey Fair Air Limited<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Developing innovations for manufacturing<\/h2>\n<p>A further 14 projects shared a total of \u00a31.44 million, receiving up to \u00a3100,000 each. These projects are to develop innovations for manufacturing, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>pioneering micro-wind turbine and energy storage systems. Delivered by city region-based SME Enturi Solutions Ltd, the scheme could help drive an 11-fold increase in wind power<\/li>\n<li>floating solar arrays. Flogen Limited will research and test construction of low-carbon floating solar arrays using natural and recycled materials such as bamboo and polydrums<\/li>\n<li>energy-efficient ceramic filtration membranes used to produce ultra-clean water, delivered by Evove Limited<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A second round of competitive grant applications will open this month for advanced manufacturing projects in the Liverpool City Region.<\/p>\n<h2>Boosting business-led innovation<\/h2>\n<p>Indro Mukerjee, CEO of Innovate UK, said:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Innovate UK is building strong regional partnerships across the UK to support local innovation and commercialisation.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I am pleased to work with Mayor Steve Rotheram and support his vision for his region.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Innovate UK launchpad programme and our other partnership activities are strongly contributing to boost business-led innovation across the region.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Attracting more innovation funding<\/h2>\n<p>Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Liverpool City Region has the political will, research strengths and drive to succeed as a leader of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It was that ambition and our underlying status as a hotbed of innovation that led to Innovate UK making us 1 of only 2 launchpad pilots in the country.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is about attracting more innovation funding into our region and the wider north, helping us to create secure, well-paid jobs and training opportunities for local people who, for far too long, have been held back from fulfilling their potential not by a lack of talent, but a lack of opportunity. As Mayor, I\u2019m working to put that right.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is fantastic to see our launchpad status starting to bear fruit with this first \u00a35.5 million of funding coming into the region.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ukri.org\/news\/first-liverpool-launchpad-projects-announced\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read more&#8230;.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Twenty-three new projects ranging from eco-friendly concrete to floating solar arrays have been announced as part of Innovate UK\u2019s launchpad programme. image: for illustration &#8211; Dave Chetwyn<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sector-newsblog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35862"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35863,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35862\/revisions\/35863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}