INSIGHTS / News

Following a competitive application Cambridge Wireless (CW) has been chosen as one of four successful organisations that will deliver IoTUK Boost, a series of local IoT innovation challenges and rapid incubation activities taking place over the next five months.

CW will work with IoTUK to identify up to 20 SMEs and bring them together with large companies or public sector organisations to help find solutions to specific challenges. Each Boost will culminate in two one-day workshops and innovation contests, with winners gaining access to business, technical and mentoring support from the IoTUK team. CW will work alongside SETsquared Partnership to coordinate this activity, focussing on the topic of assisted living, with workshops in both Bristol and Guilford.

“Our goal at IoTUK is to collaborate with start-ups, SMEs, enterprises, academics and other contributors to the digital economy to advance the take up of IoT in the UK,” said Maurizio Pilu, Executive Director for Collaborative R&D, Digital Catapult.

“The companies chosen to be our Boost partners mirror our passion and interest for IoT as a transforming approach to business and society.  CW’s submission particularly stood out for their experience in connecting the IoT community. We are delighted that CW is part of the IoTUK Boost programme.”

“CW can, we believe, uniquely bridge the gap between problem owners and solution providers in the Internet of Things,” said Robert Driver, CEO, CW. “The CW community contains a significant number of companies – large and small – that bring together aspects of this emerging and complex landscape. CW’s expertise is in bringing these different organisations together to learn from each other, to network and facilitate the development of new business relationships. Through the IoT boost programme we want to demonstrate how IoT product design for assisted living might transform the UK’s health economy; empowering citizens, improving independence, and saving money.”

IoTUK Boost will be delivered as a collaboration between CW and IoTUK, ensuring a deep understanding of local needs and capabilities,  together with the application of the very best subject matter expertise. IoTUK Boost will be delivered in each geographic area in early 2016, followed by one month of support activities which are set to take place until the end of March.

Out of the 20 shortlisted SMEs selected to take part in these workshops it is anticipated that 4 finalists will be handpicked to receive further mentorship. This will include Founder membership with CW. SETSquared centres will also offer support and virtual mentorship to the finalists with access to their network of centre based experts, business mentors, investors and industry specialists.

Along with SETsquared centres in Bristol and Surrey University,  CW’s activity within the IoTUK Boost Programme is supported by ARM plc, Mediatek Labs, Arkessa, Iotic Labs, The Technology Partnership plc, Breed Reply, Watershed, 5G Innovation Centre and The Alloy.

“The SETsquared region is a hotbed for IoT innovation, with some truly exceptional SMEs working in this space,” said Simon Bond, Innovation Director of SETsquared Partnership. “We are delighted to have the opportunity to further bridge the gap between problem owners and solution providers in the region by partnering with our CW colleagues.”

The four IoTUK Boost partners are: CENSIS, DataCity  – Leeds, CW and Sunderland Software City.