£20m funding boost for innovation in the East Midlands set to create over 1,700 jobs

A partnership backed by the Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, has been awarded £20m funding to boost innovation in advanced manufacturing and clean energy.

The Local Innovation Partnerships Fund could boost the regional economy by up to £340m and create up to 1,775 new jobs. The five-year funding programme, focused on the biggest growth sectors for the region, will be matched by at least £36.1m of investment from the private sector. 

The investment has been granted to a collaboration between East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), industry partners, and the universities of Derby, Nottingham, Nottingham Trent and Loughborough. 

Mayor Claire Ward said: “The East Midlands is a region of innovators and has been for hundreds of years: we are the birthplace of the modern factory, an innovation that powered the Industrial Revolution and reshaped the world.” 

“Our ambitions for the innovators of today are just as high, but with a different focus: clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and inclusive growth. This funding will ensure that ambitious businesses with the power to change the world can establish, grow, and thrive here. They will develop cutting-edge products, design new manufacturing processes, and start new companies: building an economy which is grounded in what this region needs for the future.” 

The Local Innovation Partnerships Fund

The Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF) is a flagship UK government programme, delivered through UK Research and Innovation, investing £500 million to strengthen regional innovation economies across the country. 

The LIPF is a central pillar of the government’s commitment to achieve growth in every postcode. It brings together local leaders, businesses and research organisations to build on regional strengths to create new jobs, drive innovation-led productivity, and attract further public and private investment into communities across the UK. 

Innovation projects 

The funding will be invested in a portfolio of four interconnected projects that will: 

• Help East Midlands businesses unlock opportunities in the nuclear supply chain 

• Develop new world-leading technologies for aircrafts 

• Support regional SMEs to break into new markets and take advantage of growth opportunities in supply chains. This programme has also been allocated £3.2m from the East Midlands Investment Zone initiative. 

• Accelerate the development of innovative CleanTech companies so East Midlands businesses can grow 

The partnership is working with UK Research and Innovation, to ready the investments for delivery. They will officially launch in the coming months. 

Professor Sir Ian Chapman, UKRI Chief Executive, said: “These projects in the East Midlands are all excellent examples of what can be achieved when world-leading researchers, innovative businesses and regional partners come together around a shared ambition. 

“Building on local strengths and previous UKRI investment, they will create high-quality jobs, attract investment and deliver tangible benefits for people and communities across the region. 

“Through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, UKRI is supporting partnerships across the UK to build on their distinctive strengths, translating innovation into impact that advances knowledge, improves lives and drives growth.” 

Prof Myra Conway, University of Derby Provost (Innovation and Research), said: “We welcome EMCCA’s leadership in securing this significant regional investment, which highlights the strength of collaboration across the East Midlands.

“For the University of Derby, it provides an important opportunity to build on our research and innovation strengths in advanced manufacturing, clean energy, industrial AI and resilient supply chains, while cementing partnerships between our universities and industrial partners to deliver lasting economic and societal impact for the region.”  

Professor Richard Emes, Pro Vice-Chancellor Research and International at Nottingham Trent University, said: “Nottingham Trent University is proud to be a delivery partner in the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, building on the East Midlands’ long-standing strengths in research, innovation and industry collaboration. By working together, the region’s universities are helping to accelerate innovation in priority sectors, translating world-leading research into real impact, supporting business growth, and developing the skilled workforce needed to create high-quality jobs and drive long-term economic prosperity.” 

Professor Tom Rodden, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at The University of Nottingham, said: “We are proud to be leading three major projects funded through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund and play a role in the East Midlands becoming a global leader in clean technology innovation. We are bringing our strengths and expertise in advanced manufacturing, transport decarbonisation and industry-focused research and partnership to accelerate the development of technologies that can create growth, attract investment and deliver real-world impact.” 

Professor Daniel Parsons, Pro-Vice-Chancellor – Research and Innovation at Loughborough University, said: “I’m delighted that Loughborough University is playing a key role in this important regional programme. The East Midlands has nationally significant strengths in advanced manufacturing, clean energy and engineering, and this investment will help turn those strengths into new capability, stronger supply chains and high-quality jobs. It is particularly exciting to see LIPF investment supporting INFINITY, where Loughborough is a founding partner, helping to build the advanced manufacturing capacity needed for future nuclear, aerospace and other strategic technologies. Taken together, this gives the East Midlands a real opportunity to become the global centre for advanced manufacturing and clean energy innovation.” 

Advanced manufacturing for clean energy 

The East Midlands has a nationally significant advanced manufacturing for clean energy cluster, in markets such as civil nuclear, aerospace and defence. This programme will strengthen both the cluster’s capabilities and its supply chains, ensuring a greater share of large-scale market opportunities is captured by the region’s manufacturers. 

East Midlands Investment Zone 

The East Midlands Investment Zone programme is helping regional businesses develop new products, strengthen supply chains and unlock commercial opportunities in rapidly growing clean-technology markets. 

Backed by £160m of government funding, the East Midlands Investment Zone continues to bring together businesses and researchers from the University of Nottingham, the University of  Derby and Nottingham Trent University to accelerate innovation and shorten the path to commercial deployment.