Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF)
Grants West Midlands scale-ups £100k-£1m for near-to-market R&D projects.
LIPF actually funds through three separate sub-programmes, each with its own lead university and industry partners. The Clinical Commercial Catalyst, led by the University of Birmingham with five partner universities and NHS teams, opens doors to clinical trials, NHS testing settings, patient health data and specialist clean-room or near-patient biomanufacturing space, on top of help building regu…
LIPF funds high-growth West Midlands businesses developing, commercialising or scaling technology in one of three priority areas: health and life sciences (Clinical Commercial Catalyst), creative and immersive technologies (CISL), and advanced manufacturing (FORGE, focused on future mobility and the clean energy transition). Projects must be business-led, near-to-market R&D expected to have a transformational impact on the applicant's growth trajectory.
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