Welsh Government Funding for Green Vehicle Technology and other News

Methanol Fuel Cell

Author NASA Licence Public Domain  Source Wikimedia

 

Jane Lambert

This month's Innovation Brief from the Welsh Government's Economy. Treasury and Constitution Group contains three very interesting news items.   

The first is that the Welsh Government is co-funding a third round of investment in greener and cleaner innovation through the Ford Low Carbon Vehicle Transformation Fund.  Details of the funding were announced by the Minister, Mr Vaughan Gething, on 12 July 2023 (see the press release Economy Minister announces further £1m investment in green vehicle innovation),  Application forms and guidance notes for the funding can be downloaded from the Ford Low Carbon Vehicle Transformation Fund now open! of the Business Wales website now.

The second item that attracted my attention was an invitation to nominate candidates for next year's St David Awards.  Those awards are made to "exceptional people that make Wales great".  There are 10 categories 9 of which are nominated by members of the public:

• Business
• Bravery
• Community Spirit
• Critical Worker (Key Worker)
• Culture
• Environment
• Innovation, Science and Technology
• Sport
• Young Person
• First Minister's Special Award.

This year's "Business" award went to Câr y Môr, Wales's first regenerative ocean farm, and its "Innovation Science and Technology" award to CanSense, a spin-out company from Swansea University which has developed diagnostic tests for bowel cancer.   Online nomination forms can be completed here.

The final item is the CRISP23 Innovation Drumbeat webinar on 19 Sept 2023 on the latest support and funding opportunities for innovation, R&D funding as well as how to make these projects more effective.

Readers who are not already aware of Business Wales will find up-to-date resources on starting, running and growing a business in Wales. I particularly recommend the pages on Start-up and Business Planning and Business Ideas and Innovation. One of the web pages that I picked out at random under "Success Stories" was a story about Abel and Imray's initiative with young school student inventors in Pembrokeshire (see Young Welsh inventors given legal patent support for innovative new products").

Anybody who needs specialist advice on intellectual property or technology law can continue to access our pro bono initial advice and signposting service by completing the simple online form at the end of this article. Anyone wanting to discuss this post may call me on 020 7404 5252 during office hours or send me a message through my contact form.