Complete the innovation jigsaw with Innovate UK

Innovate UK

I think of innovation like a jigsaw puzzle: it has many, many pieces and it’s not clear how they’ll fit together, or what the final picture will look like, but there’s no box with a picture on it!

The pieces include the technology or other knowledge you want to share or protect; funding and finance; standards, regulations and laws; potential partners and staff; supply chain and marketing and sales.

No matter how well you understand your own idea and the science or technology behind it, you can’t possibly know which pieces to pick up first.

That’s where Innovate UK comes in.

Ask for success

Entrepreneurs who ask for help are more likely to succeed. Those with a strong network of mentors and peers will make more informed, wiser decisions.

As Innovate UK’s regional manager for the East of England, I see the pieces of that jigsaw, from Luton to Lowestoft and from Peterborough to Eastbourne, that give the region such great innovation abilities and potential.

We have a great range of innovative businesses, large and small. Along with people who are willing to share what they’ve learned on their own journeys to success.

And the knowledge within our region’s universities, innovation centres, and research organisations.  These are all pieces in the puzzle too.

Innovate UK is here to guide you. Together with our partners, we understand all these pieces of the East of England landscape, and how they fit into the national one.

Tap into our network and knowledge

You can connect to our networks for advice and to tap into connections at any time, but we hold events like Innovate East to bring together many of the expert people who can help you and explain how the jigsaw fits together.

You can also meet some of the people who have succeeded on this journey, hear how they did it, how we helped, and where it’s taken them.

We work across all sectors, from agritech to pharmaceuticals and energy, so we can connect you to people in your field and to sources of advice on starting or scaling up, employment, international trade and winning investment, whether from us or other sources.

All you need is the idea; we’ll help you piece the rest of the puzzle together.

Innovate East

This year Innovate East takes us from Folkstone to Fakenham on 2 and 3 March. You can start your innovation journey by joining us with our fantastic partners and innovators live or watch this and many other KTN events later.