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Coventry University helping turn great ideas into reality through Local Innovation Partnerships Fund
Professor Richard Dashwood from Coventry University (fifth right) at the launch event of the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund in Birmingham.
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Friday 10 July 2026
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Coventry University will help businesses across the West Midlands make the most of £50 million of funding to develop and grow innovative products and technology.
The regional support is part of the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF) - a £500m national programme established by UK Research and Innovation to support organisations of all sizes across the country - including startups, scale-ups, SMEs, large companies and research organisations – as they take the next steps on their journey which is hoped will create thousands of jobs in the future.
The fund is open to West Midlands businesses operating in the high-growth clusters of advanced manufacturing, creative technology and health and life sciences, with Coventry University’s experts and researchers among those helping firms to see and fulfil their potential.
The university will help in the three areas by:
- FORGE (Advanced Manufacturing): researchers from Coventry University’s Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME) helping firms identify a growth opportunity and then move through development, funding and commercialisation
- The West Midlands Clinical Commercial Catalyst (CCC): health and life sciences SMEs will work with the university’s health leaders to access clinical trials and NHS testing environments, recruit patients, gather credible clinical evidence and manufacture innovative products to improve their chances of securing investment or NHS adoption
- The CreaTech Innovation Scale-Up Lab (CISL): creative technology companies will work with Coventry University’s creative experts to move from promising innovation to commercially scalable products in areas such as gaming, immersive technologies, virtual and augmented reality, AI-enabled content or related creative technologies
Great ideas need the right support to become successful products, services and businesses. Coventry University is proud to be helping deliver that support through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund.
Our researchers and experts are working at the forefront of innovation in advanced manufacturing, health and life sciences, and creative technologies, and helping businesses apply that knowledge to achieve their ambitions is a key part of what we do. By connecting organisations with the expertise, facilities and networks they need to grow, we can help unlock investment, create jobs and drive economic growth across the West Midlands.
Professor Richard Dashwood, Vice Provost for Research and Enterprise at Coventry University
The LIPF clusters were officially launched at an event in Birmingham attended by guests including West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker and Lord Vallance, Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear.
Innovation is fundamental to achieving economic growth, which is why we want to support the development of new tech right across the country, including here in the West Midlands. These projects will help secure the region's status as an engine for growth in advanced manufacturing, health and life sciences, and creative technologies – with the local partnership expecting to deliver more than 2,300 skilled jobs and helping unlock more than £180 million in private investment.
The Local Innovation Partnerships Fund is ensuring the expertise we have right across the country is playing an active role in shaping the future of our economy and in cementing our position as a world leader in science and innovation.
Lord Patrick Vallance, Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear
