Made Smarter East Midlands

Made Smarter East Midlands Digital experts will provide advice, support and funding to manufacturing businesses on how to switch to advanced and automated technologies until 31 March 2025.

The project offers the following support to the region’s manufacturing businesses:

Manufacturers with one to nine employees:

• Digital Road Mapping - a light touch road map that will set out a digital implementation plan
• Access to 10 hours fully funded Industrial Digital Technology Advice (IDA)
• Grant funding of up to £20,000 to support the adoption of industrial digital technology through capital and revenue projects

Manufacturers with 10-249 employees

• Digital Road Mapping – Creating a 3-5 year digitalisation journey for your business and an initial implementation plan detailing immediate next steps to get you on your digitalisation journey.
• Building leadership skills to equip leaders in Leading Digital Transformation for their business
• Grant funding (up to 50% support to a maximum of £20,000 per company) to support capital and revenue projects
• Access to fully funded Industrial Digital Technology Advice intensive support in the following areas.
  • Additive Manufacturing (3D printing)
  • AR & VR
  • Big Data & Analytics
  • Cognitive Computing & AI (machine learning)
  • Data & Systems Integration
  • Industrial Cyber Security
  • Internet of Things/ CPS (sensors, Barcode, QRCode, RFID, NFC, bluetooth etc)
  • Mobile Devices & Wearables

The first step is to complete the expression of interest form

The Smart Manufacturing Data Hub (SMDH) helps SME's to utilise data to increase productivity and make them more efficient.

Part of the national Made Smarter support, the Data Hub is developing platforms to enable manufacturers to capture and utilise data and to access training in how to use data to improve productivity.

Funding opportunities may be open in three areas:

• Lighthouses: support to develop already proven digital products and processes into readily accessible solutions which meet the needs of manufacturing SMEs. Grant funding of up to £150,000 per project.
• Virtual Testbeds - aims to provide financial support and opportunities  to bring pre-existing testbeds to the SMDH community and enable SMEs to utilise them. Grant funding of up to £100,000 per project.
• Rapid Demonstrators - aims to support SMEs with sensor installation, data analysis or similar to enable levelling-up the opportunities for SMEs to exceed and expand. Grant funding of up to £50,000 per project.

Find Out More 

Any organisation who is involved in digital technologies can join the Technology Directory provided on the Made Smarter website, including suppliers of software or hardware, technology developers, research and development organisations and technology demonstrators.

If you would like to know more about the support available from D2N2 Growth Hub please complete the form below.