Greater Manchester Creative and Digital Launchpad

The Technology Strategy Board is to invest up to £1m in innovative research and development projects centred on the emerging cluster of creative and digital businesses in Greater Manchester.

The competition aims to stimulate this hotspot of digital and creative industries by enabling companies to go further and/or faster towards commercial success. In partnership with the Business Growth Hub, they want to draw investment and people into the area, and to encourage networking and collaboration to strengthen the cluster.

They are therefore looking for projects that may be too risky for companies to take forward without any support, or that may take them into new innovative areas, and where the majority of the project activities are carried out in Greater Manchester.

They will fund up to 60% of eligible costs for industrial research projects, with estimated project sizes ranging between £100k and £120k. Projects can last up to 12 months and should be led by micro, small or medium-sized companies that they anticipate are likely to be in the early stages of their development.

This is a three-stage competition. Applicants make an initial video submission. Invited applicants submit a written proposal. The top-ranking projects will then be asked to pitch their proposals to a panel of experts.

·· Award: Up to £1m

·· Closes: 08 Jan 2014

·· Support Telephone Number: 0300 321 4356

INFORMATION