Featherstone Hill

Expert regional innovation hubs given £75 million boost to local research, businesses, and economies across UK

Contact an expert

Regional clusters of innovation across the UK are being backed by a share of £75 million that will enhance local economies and pioneer game-changing solutions from healthcare to net zero.


Following pilots in Liverpool and Teesside, launched earlier this year, a further 8 Launchpads, facilitated by Innovate UK, will be rolled out across every nation of the UK. These initiatives will build on existing clusters of high-tech innovation in each region, such as renewable energy in Southwest Wales, Agri-tech in East Anglia, and digital health in Yorkshire. 


Launchpads is a programme that supports emerging clusters of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by providing each Launchpad up to £7.5 million from Innovate UK to fund innovation projects led by local businesses.


The £7.5 million bespoke funding from each Launchpad will allow SMEs in each region to bid for support that is tailored to the unique needs of each business cluster, helping them drive innovation, expand operations, and boost their local economies.


See: Expert regional innovation hubs given £75 million boost to local research, businesses and economies across UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

April 8, 2026
Is Vibe Coding the Future?

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has published a blog post exploring the potential for ‘vibe coding’ replacing the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business model. While not suggesting that vibe coding is ready to take over now, they conclude that vibe coding is following a pattern similar to cloud adoption 20 years ago.

Read article
April 7, 2026
Mental Health: A Key Reason for Sickness Absence

A new YouGov survey commissioned by Acas shows that almost one in three employers are finding that stress, anxiety, depression or other mental health problems are a reason that staff give for sickness absence.

Read article
Update cookies preferences