Watch our Application Support Webinar here
Watch our application support webinar here and find the presentation slides here.
The webinar covered the journey of the programme to date, presentation National Highways and information on the challenges that have been set, alongside supporting information on the overall programme vision and guidance on the application process.
Calling all innovators in the West Midlands! Apply now for the opportunity to secure a paid trial as well as bespoke business support. Applications close 10 September.
Watch the recording of the application support webinar here.
webinar text here
About the Programme
Running from October 2023 until April 2024, the DIATOMIC Accelerator will provide paid trial opportunities and business development support for up to 12 SMEs. The trials will be run as a pilot and a total pot of £500k will be made available to support the SMEs to carry out this testing. We are seeking small businesses that are either based in the West Midlands or committed to expanding their operations in the region, with innovative technologies that could solve Birmingham City Council’s housing, parks & waste management challenges.
DIATOMIC (Digital InnovAtion TransfOrMatIve Change) UK Accelerator is part of the wider West Midlands Innovation Accelerator funded by Innovate UK and West Midlands Combined Authority. The Accelerator is run in collaboration with Birmingham City Council, STEAMhouse and Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and aims to drive economic growth and meaningful impact for the West Midlands by growing the innovation capacity & capability of the region, and creating new jobs and opportunities.
Programme Challenges
#1 Data Insights
How can technology transform the way Birmingham City Council connects, analyses and understands data about assets, resources and user behaviours to drive efficiencies and better serve citizens’ needs?
#3 Citizen Engagement
How can technology transform how Birmingham City Council engages with citizens and enable meaningful dialogue to meet the environmental and service needs of the city and its residents?
We are looking for solutions that could help the Housing, Parks & Waste Management teams to:
- Build citizen engagement and knowledge and bring citizens on the journey to understand the decarbonisation and green infrastructure commitments of the council and the steps required to deliver to this.
- Create transparency and an open dialogue with citizens, finding solutions which balance the need for service delivery and biodiversity net gain.
- Ensure that citizens (and teams) have up to date, simple and efficient ways of finding the information they need, including who does what and who to talk to.
- Share the ways in which decarbonisation and green infrastructure can have a direct positive impact on citizens lives. Read more
#2 Performance
How can technology transform public service delivery through monitoring and evaluation that improves standards, compliance and efficiency, to meet the needs and expectations of citizens?
We are looking for solutions which could help the Housing, Parks & Waste Management teams to:
- Improve visibility of asset repairs and maintenance, recording and monitoring quality of service against legislated or contractual performance.
- Utilising intelligence gathered by services teams and fleets to optimise service delivery, including reducing missed collections and appointments in line with citizen needs.
- Optimise energy usage of service teams through efficient delivery, hazard avoidance, and reducing re-visits. Read more
#4 Knowledge-Sharing
How can technology transform training and knowledge sharing at Birmingham City Council to increase capability and confidence in regulation, decarbonisation and compliance, to better serve the needs of citizens?
We are looking for solutions that could help the Housing, Parks & Waste Management teams to:
- Increase knowledge, skills and consistency amongst the teams without the need to shadow colleagues.
- Provide up to date, contextual and consistent information on the obligations of the council and regulatory requirements.
- Build knowledge sharing networks to increase transparency of the skills, expertise and responsibilities within different teams, identifying overlap and enabling collaboration.
- Promote and embed long-term decarbonisation objectives, providing up to date information on relevant programmes and funding. Read more
What is on offer?
Investment Readiness
Tailored Investment readiness programme with support from investor coaching
Tailored Investment readiness programme with support from investor coaching
Coaching & Mentoring
Including procurement coaching, pitch coaching, and more
Trial Support
Trial design, deployment support, monitoring & evaluation
Solution Showcase
Demonstrators and events to raise your profile in the industry
Paid Trials
A total pot of £500k allocated to support testing, trials, and demonstrators
Business Development
Tailored business development support & introductions to target customers
Eligibility
- You must be a micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
- You must be a UK-registered business
- Based in the West Midlands OR committed to expanding operations in the West Midlands
- Preferably an innovative solution between TRL 5 (small-scale system demonstrated in live environment) and TRL 8 (full-system demonstrated in live environment)
- You must address at least one of the identified challenge statements
- You must be committed to travel to Birmingham for any in-person meetings with stakeholders & users
Terms & Conditions
Participation Agreement
Finances Table
Equity & Diversity
Connected Places Catapult is collecting equity, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) data as part of the application process to promote and ensure equality of access for the Innovation Funding Grants it delivers. This data will help us monitor performance of efforts to promote ED&I in research and business innovation. All personal data will be processed in accordance with current UK data protection legislation, including the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).
Contact
If you require further assistance, please reach out to the Connected Places Catapult team.
DIATOMIC UK Accelerator is funded by Innovate UK and West Midlands Combined Authority and delivered by Connected Places Catapult in collaboration with Birmingham City Council, STEAMhouse and Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.
