Innovation
Driving growth, development, and prosperity
Babergh and Mid Suffolk are districts at the very Heart of Suffolk, home to both long established businesses and young enterprises. This is an area which thrives on innovation.
This fresh way of thinking drives growth, development, and prosperity.
The Council works with partners across Babergh and Mid Suffolk with an aim to increase productivity and work towards a zero-carbon economy. Investment and business expansion across the area plays a key role in a successful future for all.
An Innovation Board was established in 2019, to support wider access to innovation funding and to set the innovation agenda for the region. This collaboration has led to the delivery of innovation programmes, including Innovate Local, our Innovation Awards, and Innovate to Elevate.
Alongside our innovation partnerships, there are physical innovation hubs at Sudbury, Stowmarket and the University of Suffolk, run by Innovation Labs. An innovation and skills hub is also under development at Gateway 14.
New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership’s (NALEP) Connected Innovation project is providing strategic connectivity between innovation hubs, with a focus around cross sector innovation, business support and addressing key agendas such as clean growth across Suffolk and Norfolk. At the start of 2023 NALEP secured funding from the UK Space Agency to transform the East of England into a leader in space technology with Space East, the UK’s newest space cluster. NALEP have also formed NAAME, a sector group for innovative manufacturing & engineering businesses in Norfolk & Suffolk.
Innovate UK has funding regularly available for businesses to research or develop a product, process or service, test ideas or collaborate. You can start your application for innovation funding below.
The Economic Development team produces a business focussed newsletter monthly, which you can subscribe to.
