Aston University encourages SMEs to sign up to Innovation Workshops to support business growth

• SMEs with a registered or trading address in Birmingham, Solihull, Redditch, Bromsgrove or the Wyre Forest are invited to attend
• The full series consists of three workshops hosted by academics from Aston Business School and Birmingham City Business School
• The workshops are part of the Innovation Vouchers scheme to help drive innovation and business growth

SMEs with a registered or trading address in Birmingham, Solihull, Redditch, Bromsgrove, or the Wyre Forest have been invited to attend Aston Business School’s Innovation Workshops.

The free¹ workshops are part of the Innovation Vouchers project, which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

The full series consists of three workshops hosted by academics from Aston Business School and Birmingham City Business School on 2, 9 and 23 February 2022 running from 9.30 am to 5.00 pm at The Eastside Rooms in central Birmingham. The academics include Innovation Vouchers project director Professor Nick Theodorakopoulos and head of Aston Business School Professor Pawan Budhwar.

The workshops are on three key areas:

2 February 2022: Envisioning Growth through Innovation

9 February 2022: Leadership & Strategy for Innovation

23 February 2022: Marketing for Innovation

Attendees who attend all workshop sessions will receive a ‘Managing Innovation in Business’ certificate from Aston Business School.

Nick Theodorakopoulos, professor of entrepreneurship development and Innovation Vouchers project director at Aston Business School, said:

“The Innovation Workshops support small-and-medium sized businesses to build their capacity to innovate and grow.

“Independent evaluations from the previous project phases have showed that workshops have a positive impact on attendees, resulting in substantial increases in gross value added and new job creation.

“The staff who deliver the workshops are experts in their field with excellent industry experience. I would encourage businesses owners to attend the Innovation Workshops and grow their business.”

Tickets for the Innovation Workshops are available HERE.

Notes to Editors

¹The workshops are free for eligible businesses. However, de minimis rules apply. The support we plan to provide through the workshops will comply with the State Aid rules using the de minimis exemption (in accordance with Commission Regulation (EU) No 1407/2013, OJ L 352/1). Under this exemption a single undertaking may receive up to the limit of €200,000 of De Minimis aid from the Member State within which it does business and which provides the aid over any period of three fiscal years. To attend the workshops, you will be asked to complete a Statement of Previous Aid received under the De Minimis exemption and arrange for a director of your business to sign it. Using this information we will assess your eligibility to receive assistance.

About Innovation Vouchers

European Regional Development Fund

The project is receiving up to £803,273 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (and in London the intermediate body Greater London Authority) is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund.

Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding

Workshop Times and Dates

All Innovation Workshops start at 9.30am and end at 5pm.