University partners on £50m innovation programme to drive growth across the West Midlands

The University of Wolverhampton has been awarded funding as part of the Government-backed Local Innovation Partnership Fund (LIPF), a £50 million programme designed to accelerate innovation-led growth across the West Midlands.

The funding, announced as part of the West Midlands’ successful regional bid, will support the University’s contribution to major innovation clusters: Advanced Manufacturing, Creative Technologies, and Health and Life Sciences. These clusters form part of a multi-year programme led by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), aimed at developing internationally competitive innovation capacity across the region.

Driving innovation through regional partnerships

The Local Innovation Partnership Fund supports ‘Triple Helix’ collaborations between universities, industry, and civic partners, focusing on translating near-to-market research into commercially viable products, services, and technologies. The programme will run from 1 April 2026 for five years, following successful applications submitted earlier this year.

The University of Wolverhampton will receive investment to support activity in clusters including Advanced Manufacturing, Health and Life Sciences; and Creative Technologies

Advanced Manufacturing

As part of the Future-Oriented Regional Growth in Engineering (FORGE) programme, led by the University of Warwick, the University of Wolverhampton will contribute expertise from the National Brownfield Institute, Elite Centre for Manufacturing Skills, and its engineering and regeneration research strengths. Funding will support project management, business engagement, and business diagnostics to help strengthen supply chains across automotive, aerospace, rail, clean energy, and circular manufacturing.

Health and Life Sciences

As part of the West Midlands Clinical Commercial Catalyst led by the University of Birmingham, the University of Wolverhampton will support commercial engagement and help Black Country SMEs access growth funding and innovation pathways in health technologies.

Creative Technologies

As part of the new West Midlands CreaTech Innovation Scale-Up Lab (WM CISL), the University of Wolverhampton plans to support the growth of high-potential digital and creative SMEs. Anticipated funding will support a dedicated role to connect businesses with creative technology expertise, funding and the University's specialist academic expertise and industry-facing facilities across screen, games design and immersive technologies, including VR, AR, motion capture, production, post-production and projection mapping capabilities.

Regional impact

Across the West Midlands, the LIPF programme is expected to deliver:

• Support for 335 businesses, including 85 scale‑ups
• Creation of 92 new products
• 95 investor-ready propositions
• £188 million in private investment leveraged
• £700 million GVA generated
• 2,310 skilled jobs created or safeguarded

Ceri Jones, Director of Research and Enterprise, University of Wolverhampton, said:

“This significant investment recognises the essential role our university plays in driving innovation and economic growth in the Black Country and wider West Midlands. Through the Local Innovation Partnership Fund, we will work closely with regional partners and industry to bring new technologies to market, support high‑growth creative and engineering businesses, and help strengthen the region’s health innovation ecosystem.”