Apply to join The Innovation Challenge

TBAT Innovation have launched The Innovation Challenge, bringing together key partners to support SMEs to innovate!

The Innovation Challenge has been designed by TBAT’s expert team to stimulate and support innovation in SMEs by leveraging the expertise of their unique partner network.

Powered by TBAT, The Innovation Challenge will see partners come together to deliver four free to attend, vibrant, and informative workshops on the topics of:

• Finance – All you need to know to fund your business growth
• People & Recruitment – Why recruit the best people you can?
• Product Design & Protection – How to design and protect your innovation
• Business Strategy & Marketing – The importance of external help

These topics are barriers that many innovative businesses face and can cause delays to R&D projects or taking innovative products to market. By discussing these problematic areas openly, the challenge aims to highlight opportunities to reduce the effects of these barriers. The workshops will be held throughout Spring 2022.

In May 2022, following the workshops, applications will open for businesses to submit a full business plan and be eligible to win the exciting prize package – a £5,000 cash prize and tailored support packages from a selection of the partners:

• AnchoredIn – Investment
• EMBS – Technical Recruitment
• The FD & CFO Centre – FD & CFO Recruitment
• Forresters – Intellectual Property
• Alt Design – Website Design & Branding
• Bulb Studios – Digital Design (UX, UI, UR)
• Hallam Internet – Marketing & Digital Advertising
• Red Marlin – Public Relations
• Oxford Product Design – Product Design
• Freeths – Legal
• British Business Bank – Business Support

Additional presenters within the workshops include:

• Marine Power Systems
• Spica

Two runners up will also receive a support package from partners involved in The Innovation Challenge. In June 2022, a showcase for the top 10 finalists will be held where the winners will be announced. Finalists will have the opportunity to present their business in a 10-minute pitch in front of key investors.

Matt Symonds, Managing Director of TBAT Innovation Ltd, says “We’re really excited to launch the Innovation Challenge and to be working with a great set of partners to support and stimulate businesses to innovate and develop. For many years we’ve been lucky to work with brilliant partners and clients and this challenge enables us to pull that network, knowledge, and experience together, to deliver some real benefit across all areas of a business so that it can thrive.”

The Innovation Challenge is free to register and take part, open to any UK SME looking to innovate and grow. To be eligible to apply for the prize package, applicant businesses must be a SME based in the UK, have a sustainable business strategy and be working on a disruptive hardware or software project.

To attend the workshops and join The Innovation Challenge, companies must register through the application form here. The closing date for registrations is 25^th February 2022.