21 Aug A Year of Innovation in Ealing and Hillingdon
In 2022, innovation grants totalling £3.5 million were distributed to 34 companies in Hillingdon and Ealing. Now a year on, we look at the significant contributions these grants have made to their respective local economies.
The grants have generated jobs, furthered research and innovation and fostered local engagement, whilst also initiating collaboration. Inspiring stories across multiple sectors continue to unfold including JSA Group scaling the use of wildflower seeding to enhance greenspace in Hillingdon, to Radiant Matter having developed bio sequins for circular textiles economy– a company that wouldn’t have survived let alone thrived without the grant. Read more about the innovation journeys of our grant winners here.
The positive impact monitored so far includes:
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an increase in local employment, with 78 new jobs created, including talent hires from West London universities like Brunel.
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attracting further funding in the form of both public grants and private investment. Almost half of the supported businesses secured further funding, totalling a further £3 million investment in the region. Florian Ritcher, founder and CEO of sustainable farm automation company, Muddy Machines, said, “The grant was very successful in securing seed funding last year that raised £1.3 million for the company. As a result, 5 additional jobs were created in the company”. Cryogenx, a medtech business developing devices to combat heat stroke, secured further funding from CPI’s Health Technology Regulatory and Innovation Projects. Founder, Matt Anderson, observed, “The Hillingdon grant enabled us to demonstrate our experience with grant funding and would have been looked upon favourably when our application was being assessed”.
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The businesses kept a keen on eye on sustainability with initiatives ranging from circular economy solutions, minimising and reusing waste to renewable energy innovations – and everything in between.
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The report also identified key challenges, including rising costs of rent and the disruption in the supply chains due to Brexit and the ongoing Russia/Ukraine conflict which has impacted growth in the past year
Notes: The Ealing Pioneers and Hillingdon Enterprise funds, sponsored by the respective partner councils and delivered and managed by London West Innovation Network as part of West London Businesses was distributed in March 2022 to boost local economic growth and employment.
The Innovation Grants distributed in March 2022 aimed to encourage and support local SMEs to innovate for local growth and employment. The individual grants ranged from £50,000 to £200,000 and were awarded to further innovation projects within the businesses. Industries spanned aviation/logistics, creative and media and retrofit/construction and circular economy innovations, encompassing a diverse spectrum.
The London West Innovation Network continues to support businesses in West London through its capacity building webinars, workshops, networking opportunities, partnership infrastructure and signposting efforts. Please reach out to us if you like to learn more about LWIN or become a member. Additionally, subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date about the different business opportunities in the geography.
Ealing grant winners at the Grant Winners’ Networking Event organised by LWIN at Plus X, one of LWIN’s delivery partners
Hillingdon Grant winners at the same event