Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF)

About the project

The Clinical Commercial Catalyst for Health and Life Sciences is a unified regional programme of support for high-potential local and global businesses to trial, enhance and scale their innovations through cutting- edge clinical, commercial and academic R&D infrastructure, underpinned by demand-led flexible funding to drive regional impact.

Benefits to businesses

Supported businesses will receive access to a range of support from industry experts, led by the University of Birmingham in partnership with Aston University, Birmingham City University, Coventry University, University of Warwick and University of Wolverhampton, as well as NHS teams, innovative business support organisations such as RESILIENCE Ltd, the Primary Care Accelerator and Medilink Midlands, delivering:

• Access to flexible funding and academic and clinical partners.

• Skills training, investment readiness training, scale-up support and peer-to-peer mentoring.

• Increased regional, national and international profile and market access.

• Easier access to clinical trials and NHS testing environments.

• Access to health data, patient populations, samples and diagnostics infrastructure.

• Access to specialist clean-room and near-patient biomanufacturing facilities.

• Support developing regulatory-ready evidence.

About the project

CISL unifies the West Midlands CreaTech ecosystem, integrating screen and games innovation through R&D platforms, adoption labs and a scaling fund to accelerate SME growth, drive cross-sector spillovers, boost investment readiness and strengthen a nationally significant creative technology sector.

Benefits to businesses

Supported businesses will receive highly tailored support from industry and innovation experts, public sector, and academia. Led by the University of Warwick, working in partnership with Aston University, Birmingham City University, University of Birmingham, Coventry University and University of Wolverhampton, and supported by Digital Catapult and specialist regional and national agencies, WM CISL will deliver:

• Access to funding, investment readiness support, internationalisation support, and cutting-edge R&D facilities.

• Opportunities for direct collaboration with major industry anchors such as BBC, Banijay, Sony, and Cisco.

• Tailored commercialisation and IP support, including specialist help with product development and market readiness.

• User-testing, access to shared facilities, virtual production, immersive tech, and cross-sector market access.

• Cross-sector spillover opportunities, such as routes into Advanced Manufacturing and Health & Life Sciences markets.

• Networking & brokerage, including rapid introductions, cluster events, and ecosystem integration.

About the project

FORGE is designed to help ambitious manufacturing businesses in the West Midlands accelerate growth through near-to-market R&D in future mobility and manufacturing for the clean energy transition. Through the programme, businesses may access funding, specialist advanced manufacturing expertise, support to shape and de-risk a growth project, and connections to investment and scale-up opportunities.

FORGE is intended to be practical/applied and business-led. The starting point will be the company’s own growth opportunity, with the programme helping to identify the right support, partners and funding pathway to make that opportunity more achievable.

FORGE delivery and partner team:

Lead: WMG, University of Warwick. Academic and Catapult Centre Partners: WMG, University of Warwick, University of Birmingham, Coventry University, University of Wolverhampton and Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC). Industry partners: the Black Country Industrial Cluster (BCIC-WM), Midlands Aerospace Alliance (MAA) with support from WMCA and the WM Growth Company. Private Sector Anchors: JLR. Public Sector partners: West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC).

Benefits to businesses

All projects must be business-led, giving companies the opportunity to work with partners to determine the most valuable combination of funding and R&D support to accelerate growth. Delivered by WMG at the University of Warwick, the programme provides flexible support tailored to business needs, which may include grant funding, access to specialist resources, or a combination of both. Supported businesses can benefit from:

• Access to capital funding, with up to 50% of project investment funded and the remainder provided from the business’s own resources.

• Funding for high-growth, near-to-market R&D projects in future mobility, advanced manufacturing, and the clean energy transition, including support for businesses adapting supply chains to compete in cleaner global markets.

• Collaboration with world-leading advanced manufacturing and engineering expertise, facilities and innovation partners across the West Midlands ecosystem and, where appropriate, specialist academic facilities beyond the region.

• Tailored project planning and strategic roadmaps that align with commercial priorities and provide a clear, manageable pathway for growth.

• Expert support to identify and de-risk technical, manufacturing, supply-chain and commercial barriers, helping businesses accelerate innovation and investment readiness.

• Assistance in strengthening value propositions, business cases and growth strategies to support sustainable scaling and long-term success.

• Connections to investors, industry networks and supply-chain partners, creating opportunities for further investment, collaboration and market growth.

Research or technology organisations (RTOs) should generally be based in the WMCA area. By exception, companies can choose to work with RTOs in the wider UK. A strong business justification will be needed in the EOI and full application form.

WMCA (West Midlands Combined Authority) refers to the local authority areas of Coventry, Solihull, Birmingham, Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

• Clear travel-to-work linkages, i.e. a significant number of the company employees live within the core WMCA area, and/or

• significant procurement, supply chain activities, or skills initiatives
  and/or

• genuine commitment to relocating to the WMCA area during the lifetime of the project. 

You can apply if you are outside of the West Midlands region area but you must demonstrate commitment to relocating before the end of your project. The West Midlands Growth Company team will work with you to validate your interest and provide support to help you locate in the WMCA area.

• Evidence of innovation and differentiation (IP, new formats, tech, content innovation, process innovation);

• an understanding of their total achievable market and serviceable obtainable market not just the total market;

• an understanding of the preferred first market opportunity. The first market should be of sufficient size to support the commercialisation of their innovation and/or generate customer data / validate the technology;

• able to provide evidence to support any assumptions.