Locating the right help and resources for innovating can be challenging. Oxfordshire is however home to an amazing range of organisations willing to collaborate on innovation and often with resources to offer qualifying SMEs.

This OxLEP Business briefing will explore some of the help available at the University of Oxford’s Begbroke Science Park, including the rapid prototyping equipment, the Oxford Materials Characterisation Service and the facilities available at the Agile Lab.

You may be looking for help with technical analysis, solutions to problems, materials choices, measurement challenges or general scientific or engineering advice.

Several locally-based SMEs have made use of these resources already and the Briefing will include case studies of the help provided.

The briefing will include an explanation of The Begbroke Innovation Voucher scheme. This helps qualifying SMEs, operating from the Cherwell and West Oxfordshire districts, to engage with expert academics from or more of the University’s divisions, or to access facilities or equipment at the University, with the aim that this could lead to future collaborations.

The current round is focusing on companies and/or University expertise broadly across the physical sciences and on developing new relationships. A voucher covers work up to the value of £5,000 including VAT

The briefing will last one hour, with an optional additional half hour for those delegates wishing to ask more questions or explore their own ideas and projects.

Please note that this webinar is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and is delivered as part of the Innovation Support for Business programme to help SMEs. By engaging in this programme you are being offered assistance under the De Minimis regulation which allows a company to receive up to but not exceeding €200,000 of public funding (at the applicable exchange rate) of De Minimis aid over a rolling three-tax year fiscal period. This de minimis declaration does not cover undertakings engaged in: the primary production of agricultural goods and fisheries/aquaculture, road freight, services of general economic interest and export related activities and activities favouring domestic over imported goods. Please note, support cannot be given to undertakings (businesses) in difficulty. In order to receive support from this programme, you will be required to complete an application form and other relevant documentation.