Marine-i launches business training for Cornish innovators

Marine-i initiative has set up a three-day Marine Innovation Masterclass designed to help businesses spearhead future growth through streamlining their research and innovation activities.

Illustration (Photo: Pixabay/Creative Commons CC0)

The usual cost of this training would be £5,000 per person, but Marine-i has secured a limited number of places free of charge, on a ‘first come’ basis, the project administrators informed.

Spread over three full-day sessions, the masterclass is designed for marine technology businesses as well as businesses in other sectors, such as software or advanced manufacturing, that would like to launch marine tech products or services.

Offered in partnership with the University of Exeter Business School, and the Cornwall Marine Network Propel project, the masterclass will be delivered by three international experts in innovation management from the University of Exeter.

Matt Hodson, Operations Director at Marine Hub Cornwall, says: “This will help local businesses accelerate their growth, leading to more job creation and greater prosperity in the region.”
Stuart Farmer, Knowledge Exchange Manager at the University of Exeter, says: “This inspiring Masterclass is based on a leading Peer-to-Peer Learning and Knowledge Exchange methodology, where the content of the masterclass builds across the three sessions.

“Delegates will discover how to identify new research ideas for their business and select ones that will work both for their current customers and new customers. By the end of the Masterclass, they will also be able to establish their own company innovation process to spearhead future growth.”

Applicants will be invited to take part in the University’s Innovation Fitness Assessment and the Masterclass will culminate in a project proposal that, if successful, can also win full grant support of £2,000 to help accelerate the innovation.

The one-day workshops will take place over the first three months in 2019, Marine-i informed.

Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Marine-i is designed to help the marine technology sector in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly grow through harnessing the full potential of research and innovation.