THE West Yorkshire Innovation Network has been officially launched at an event in Baildon.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin showed her support for the network with a visit to aerospace engineers, Produmax, at Sapper Jordan Rossi Park, yesterday.

The visit came as Mandy Ridyard, Produmax’s Finance Director, was announced the new Chair of the West Yorkshire Innovation Network. Through her current roles as LEP Board member, Business Economy and Innovation Committee member, co-chair of Local Digital Skills Partnership and Chair of Space Hub Yorkshire, Mandy already champions innovation, business growth and skills across the region.

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority established the WYIN in June 2020 as a direct result of the West Yorkshire Devolution Deal and has since been gaining momentum to encourage a greater propensity for businesses to engage in innovation activity.

The WYIN’s aim is to "create a collective place to help businesses access support, encourage and nurture innovative ideas and position the region as a hub for innovation."

The Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership’s (the LEP) current innovation programme, Connecting Innovation, provides an access point for businesses into all this support available. The WYIN strengthens this even further to give businesses a more joined up platform to access the support they need, should this be for academic research, product prototyping, specialist expertise or funding.

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Through its first collaboration, the WYIN launched the first ever West Yorkshire Innovation Festival in 2021 to shine a spotlight on the extensive support available and raise the profile of Innovation West Yorkshire.

The WYIN brings together organisations, partners, stakeholders and private sector businesses which will underpin regional innovation activity. It will link with sector initiatives, such as the Healthtech Catalyst and AMPI, while also responding as a collective lobbying voice on national Government’s policy; all of which sets out the pivotal role that the region can play in helping to deliver the ambitions of the national innovation strategy and wider programme to level up the regions.

Ms Brabin said: “Innovation is a key driver of economic growth and our recovery. The West Yorkshire Innovation Network is our way of driving that spirit for invention and creativity forward across our region. It cements our partnership with organisations and how we can work together to deliver on our regional priorities, all while developing the most inclusive and diverse ecosystem where innovation truly is for everyone.

“The Network has made a bright start in launching the first West Yorkshire Innovation Festival and delivering a collaborative response to the Government’s national innovation strategy. There is so much potential in our region and as part of my pledges to support local businesses and to prioritise skills and training, the Network has my full support.”

Sir Roger Marsh OBE DL, chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership and NP11 Group of Northern LEPs, said: “Our region has a wealth of budding innovators who we want to nurture, inspire and support. The West Yorkshire Innovation Network brings together the innovation ecosystem – the support providers and business representatives – not only to align the innovation offer but to ensure businesses receive the right support, whether it’s financial investment, specialist expertise or product development.

“The Network’s collaborative ambition is to increase innovation activity and provide opportunities to anyone wanting to innovate, so we can establish West Yorkshire as an innovation hub to drive investment and growth.”