Welcome to the August LCR Digital, Creative & Tech round up
Here we share some of the fantastic businesses we are home to; all important funding and opportunities relevant to your business; and helpful events happening for you. Please contact our Digital & Creative Champion for details on any of the below at helen.cross@growthplatform.org
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Liverpool-based vTime shows a first glimpse at its metaverse-ready technology through a partnership with Sinobo Group, a Chinese conglomerate in sports, entertainment, commerce, and technology, with the unveiling of GTVerse – a metaverse platform centred around the new Beijing Workers’ Stadium and fans of Beijing Guoan Football Club (BJFC). Find out more here.
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Fast growing software developers Asset Handling Ltd have moved into Liverpool Science Park to capitalise on its dynamic business ecosystem and location within the Knowledge Quarter Liverpool innovation district. Being surrounded by other leading manufacturing and technology focused organisations will open up clear opportunities for synergies and new connections. Find out more here.
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21 Media, established by the Institute for Creative Enterprise at Edge Hill University, has won an award for its work to provide access to the film, television and media industry to young people from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds who traditionally face barriers to entry to the film industry. Find out more here.
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Liverpool-based tech firm Qbunk has announced its latest strategic partnership, with the company set to provide its seamless bar ordering experience, by delivering brand new Apple till systems and complete IT operations alongside Connectus, at the Reminisce Festival 2022. Find out more here.
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The £38m Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot has opened. The theatre is a major catalyst for regeneration in Prescot leading to the opening of new businesses in the market town. Find out more here.
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Mayor Steve Rotheram has unveiled a new £4.1m ‘tech accelerator’ to speed up the growth of small and medium sized enterprises in Liverpool City Region’s tech industries. Designed to create new high-quality jobs by providing intensive support, mentoring and investment for up to 60 start-up businesses over five years. Find out more here.
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£5M Digital skills funding
Netcom Training has secured government funding to deliver courses to hundreds of learners across Liverpool City Region. Over the next five years, Netcom will open a dedicated digital training facility and provide more than 350 fully-funded places on courses such as Web Design for Marketing Entrepreneurs, Infrastructure Technician and AWS re/Start (cloud computing) in collaboration with Amazon Web Services. Find out more here
Attracting talent in 2022/23
The University of Liverpool has created a handy employer's guide to attracting talent. Filled with useful information on the best time to engage, how companies can be included in the curriculum, the support for SMEs in graduate recruitment, and how to promote your jobs to students and graduates. Find out more here
Hiring Ukranian refugees
Can you offer good employment or support opportunities for Ukrainian refugees? Check out this important campaign co-created by some of the North’s leading organisations & companies unitedforukraine.org.uk
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Sector specific support programme
If you'd like to get more information on Gather, its programmes, events, and community head over to their website to find out more. Information about one2ones, Shift and Beyond can be found at www.gatherlcr.com or on LinkedIn.
Expansion to Help to Grow: Digital scheme
More businesses are now able to take part in this government funded scheme, to access discounts worth up to £5,000 on approved software, due to the reduction in minimum number of employees the business must have from 5 to 1. Alongside this, they have also launched an expanded offer, adding e-Commerce software to support businesses to sell online and reach new markets. This includes helping them to manage their inventory, take payments and gather data and insights on customers' needs. Find out more here.
NOW RECRUITING! – November 2022 Growth Catalyst programme
The University of Liverpool Management School has secured funding to deliver an Innovative business growth programme in the Liverpool City Region called Growth Catalyst. Developed by experts in the field of leadership and management, Growth Catalyst employs an integrated delivery model, aimed at improving the performance of the business and the personal development and confidence of the owner/manager. Deadline to apply 2nd September Find out more here.
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Funding & National Bodies
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Finance Hub there for you
You can book a 30-minute meeting with the Finance Hub to talk about your business funding needs and understand the options available to you and how to access various forms of funding. Find out more here.
Women in Innovation Awards 2022/23
Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, is offering up to 50 Women in Innovation Awards to women entrepreneurs across the UK. The winners will receive a £50,000 grant and a bespoke package of mentoring, coaching and business support. Women with exciting, innovative ideas who will inspire others can apply for an award from 22 August 2022 to the close on 19 October 2022. Find out more here.
Creative Enterprise Games programmes
These programmes, run by Creative UK and Ukie, exist to help ambitious businesses get the skills, knowledge, confidence and contacts that they need to succeed. 45 participants will benefit from access to one of three programme: Foundations for Games, Foundations for Games Tech and Services, and Games Scale Up. Deadline for applications is 10am on 15 August. Find out more here.
CGI’s second annual search for UK ecosystem partners
CGI is searching for SMEs with digital technology solutions that address biodiversity loss and help to achieve net-zero. If your organisation has technology proposition(s), including software and/or devices of Technology Readiness Level 4 or above that can help deliver sustainability outcomes for the sea earth and/or sky they would love to hear from you. Find out more here.
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Virtual Production: The State of the Art, 17 Aug, 5:30pm, LJMU Redmonds Building
At this event we’ll be hearing from leading people disrupting this space and ask what it means for content creators and production companies in the North West. Find out more here.
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Wirral Immersive Tech Collective, 19 Aug 4:30pm, Start Yard, Birkenhead
Calling digital, tech, creatives, artists, and other Wirral developers to a short meeting to discuss building an Immersive Tech Collective. Find out more here.
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GOB: Liverpool Creative Meetup, 19 Aug 7:00pm, Sub Rosa, Liverpool
A super laid-back evening where a bunch of like-minded creative folk can have a chat and enjoy a pint. Find out more here.
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How to raise seed investment, 8 Sept, 9:45am, online
Find out how to raise early-stage equity investment from angels, crowdfunders and venture capitalists from the Digital Tech Cluster at STFC Daresbury. Find out more here
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Pitching for Investment - what to pitch and how to pitch, 12 Sept, 9:45am, online
This workshop is for the leaders of digital tech companies and will be followed by opportunities to practice pitching later in the year. Find out more here.
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Fintech X Gamification, 13th Oct 3:00pm, Barclays Eagle Labs, Liverpool
Many technologies now considered revolutionary in FinTech (cryptos, integrated payments) have existed in more advanced forms for some time in the gaming world. Join this platform to share ideas around FinTech and Gaming. Find out more here
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Access previous Growth Platform events via our YouTube channel
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Liverpool City Region Digital & Creative Board
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The LCR Digital & Creative Board is the voice of the city region’s digital, creative and tech businesses. It is driving improvements for the sector through business growth initiatives, skills and talent retention and developing the space, place and infrastructure to help the sector flourish.
Four new recruits have been added to the board following a lot of interest from within the community. The new board members are: Peter Denby, Hyper Group; Enda Cary, The Studio School; Zoe Gill, CGI and; Victoria Rodgers, Universally Speaking.
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Enda Carey, Sector Skills Champion, Studio School Liverpool said: “I am really honoured and excited to join the Digital and Creative board for the city region. Working across the city for over 20 years within the games and technology industries I am still inspired by the amazing work going on here as well as the passion and openness of the community to collaborate and work together. Now working within the education sector I am focussed on helping the next generation of talent flourish and I am joining the board to make sure that those coming through are ready for the 21st century workforce in Liverpool and beyond.”
You can read about who is in on the LCR Digital & Creative Board here and we welcome your views and input via helen.cross@growthplatform.org.
The next meeting is the 20 September 2022.
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