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Welcome to the Design to Deliver! To get started, please check your email inbox for the activation link we’ve sent you. Clicking on this link will verify your email address and activate your account, granting you full access to the application platform.
If you haven’t received the email within a few minutes, please check your spam or junk folder.
projects
Innovation Places Leadership Academy – Cohort 2
Building on the success of our pilot with leaders from Aberdeen, Portsmouth and Hull, the second IPLA cohort began in April 2024 with a focus on enhancing investment in regional innovation and infrastructure in selected UK city regions.Building on the success of our pilot with leaders from Aberdeen, Portsmouth and Hull, the second IPLA cohort began in April 2024 with a focus on enhancing investment in regional innovation and infrastructure in selected UK city regions.
Participants benefit from collaborating with peers facing similar opportunities and challenges, sharing experiences and empowering growth in their regions. The common objective is to align economic and investment strategies for each area, and empowered the to implement them.
The programme is built around a series of immersive regional gatherings, during which participants gain:
Input from globally recognised experts in systems leadership, FDI, and inclusive innovation
Bespoke diagnostic of each participating city region’s innovation ecosystem, based on our City Pathways Typologies data tool
Candid insights on other cities’ innovation assets and strategic developments via walking tours
Opportunities to convene and mobilise wider regional stakeholders through VIP dinners and bilateral sessions
Applied learning to promote reflection, personal development and practical action
International showcasing and learning opportunities by attending the Smart Cities Expo World Congress in Barcelona.
Empowering local leaders with skills, insights and connections to drive inclusive economic growth through innovation is the aim of the Innovation Places Leadership Academy (IPLA), run by Connected Places Catapult.
Empowering local leaders with skills, insights and connections to drive inclusive economic growth through innovation is the aim of the Innovation Places Leadership Academy (IPLA), run by Connected Places Catapult. Here, we speak to two leaders from our latest cohort about their city’s ambitions.
Empowering local leaders with skills, insights and connections to drive inclusive economic growth through innovation is the aim of the Innovation Places Leadership Academy (IPLA), run by Connected Places Catapult.
Empowering local leaders with skills, insights and connections to drive inclusive economic growth through innovation is the aim of the Innovation Places Leadership Academy (IPLA), run by Connected Places Catapult. Here, we speak to two leaders from our latest cohort about their city’s ambitions.
projects
Innovation Places Leadership Academy – Cohort 1
The first Innovation Places Leadership Academy cohort ran from October 2021 to July 2023 with leaders from Aberdeen, Portsmouth and Hull.
Participants spent time with peers facing similar challenges to their own, with the objective of becoming more aligned around economic and investment strategies for their areas – and becoming empowered to implement them.
Through a series of immersive regional gatherings, the cohort benefitted from:
Input from globally recognised experts in systems leadership, scale up-support and inclusive innovation;
A bespoke diagnostic of their local innovation ecosystem, drawing on insights from our City Pathways Typologies data tool;
Walking tours with candid insights on each participating city’s innovation assets and strategic developments;
Opportunities to convene and mobilise wider stakeholders through VIP dinners and networking events;
Action learning and 1-2-1 coaching to promote reflection and personal development;
International networking and inspiration by attending the Urban Futures Global Summit in Stuttgart.
Hear from the cohort
“Through IPLA I have really gained a deeper understanding of my personal agency and grown in personal resilience and mindset to navigate change.”
Louise Smith, Director – Aura Innovation Centre, University of Hull
Louise Smith, Director, Aura University of Hull
“It was so reassuring to hear that others are grappling with similar challenges and discovering different approaches to common problems. I found the masterclasses first rate and would highly recommend the programme to other place leaders.”
Derek Shaw, Director of Innovation and Place, Scottish Enterprise
Jennifer Craw, CEO, Opportunity North East
“I appreciated the insights and knowledge from others on the programme; I realised that many of the opportunities and challenges are the same. The opportunity to share experiences, discuss issues and challenges and get input from other place leaders was invaluable.”
Jane Lamer, Head of Economic Development and Skills, Portsmouth City Council
The UK design industry is a powerhouse. But our innovative small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often don’t benefit from its expertise.
By providing funding and design expertise for SMEs tackling big challenges, Design to Deliver aims to support the development of better products and services.
Design to Deliver is a collaboration between three Catapult centres: Connected Places Catapult, Digital Catapult and Satellite Applications Catapult – funded by Innovate UK. Each Catapult has set a challenge in their respective industries, linked by the theme of regenerating nature.
Four SME-led projects will be selected per challenge, with each SME receiving an initial £50,000 to develop their solution alongside a proposed trial plan. In addition to funding, each project will also receive support from a specialised design consultancy, the respective Catapults’ technical team and a location partner.
Unlocking human behaviours to regenerate nature through leveraging accessible, accurate and actionable information.
Unlocking human behaviours to regenerate nature through leveraging accessible, accurate and actionable information.
This year’s Design to Deliver challenges are centred on the theme of regenerating nature. The UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. To address this, we must design products and services that reconnect people with nature and support data-driven decision making.
Each Catapult has set a challenge that relates to regenerating nature, within their respective industries.