Ben Shorrock

Are there any public sector PMs, Service Designers or Delivery folks within my network? Keen to get a coffee ☕ Photo: the view from techUK conference earlier this week. Brilliant day with lots of insight from Government Digital Service, Ministry of Justice UK, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and many more. #publicsector #productmanagement #servicedesign

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📢 Calling SMEs in Caerphilly 📢 The #SouthEastWalesBusinessClimateCoalition, Busnes Cymru / Business Wales & Caerphilly County Borough Council are excited to present this carbon reduction workshop for businesses based in Caerphilly County Borough Council. This workshop will be split into three sections each focussing on the following: ✅ Networking and chance to discuss specific decarbonisation issues in your local area ✅ How to Successfully Communicate your Decarbonisation Actions ✅ GHG Emission Calculations and Carbon Reduction Plans By attending this workshop, you will: ◼️ Discover the range of support available from Business Wales, the South East Wales Climate Coalition, and your local authority to assist you on your carbon reduction journey. ◼️ Receive practical insights on effectively communicating your carbon reduction goals ◼️ Develop a solid understanding of the fundamentals of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting, including an overview of Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, and the data required for accurate emissions calculations. ◼️ Explore practical steps you can implement to reduce your GHG emissions. ◼️ Begin calculating your Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and drafting a comprehensive Carbon Reduction Plan ◼️ Sign Up to Business Wales Green Growth Pledge Sign up below ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eZ5BeKKT #SME #Climate #Sustainability #Action

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A heartfelt thank you to Three UK and Rebecca Nelson at Be the Business for inviting us to join the government roundtable on connectivity and SME productivity! As the founder of Aveea, I see daily how vital connectivity is—not just in our office, but in every classroom and every community we reach. For us, connectivity is essential. From our Student Educators catching up on lectures whilst traveling, to us having to quickly adapt in schools with limited or no Wi-Fi. Reliable internet is a must to keep our STEM workshops running smoothly. Nearly all SMEs (97%) depend on reliable internet, yet I can vouch that most of us have some connectivity challenges that impact our growth. Imagine the potential if these barriers were removed—Three’s report suggests that improved connectivity could boost the UK economy by £79 billion in just one year This roundtable is a chance to explore how better connectivity, government support, and tech adoption can drive growth and impact. Thank you, Three UK and Be the Business, for shining a light on these crucial issues, and for including us in this important conversation. https://lnkd.in/egbycPe6 #ThreeMobile #BeTheBusiness #ConnectivityMatters #SMEProductivity #DigitalTransformation #STEMEducation

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🚨 New report alert! Edge Foundation releases "Flex Without Compromise" - a critical look at the proposed Growth and Skills Levy. Key points: 🔹 Concerns over funding squeeze for apprenticeships 🔹 Potential impact on Youth Guarantee & Growth Mission 🔹 Suggestions to boost apprenticeship opportunities CEO Alice Gardner: "We need solutions now to incentivize apprenticeship growth, especially for young people." Report proposes: ✅ Better SME support ✅ Full funding for under-22 apprentices ✅ Improved application process ✅ Modular apprenticeship model Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ejvpKfra #Apprenticeships #SkillsLevy #YouthEmployment

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Thoroughly enjoyed 🤩 seeing these outstanding companies at Sussex Innovation yesterday. If you’re sick of boring investment or the stock exchange 📈 📉. Why not try buying into the future with Angel 😇 Investing. #angelinvesting #sussexinnovation #futurebusinesses

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📢 Calling SMEs in Torfaen📢 The #SouthEastWalesBusinessClimateCoalition, Business Wales - Busnes Cymru & Torfaen County Borough Council are excited to present this carbon reduction workshop for businesses based in Torfaen County Borough Council. This workshop will be split into three sections each focussing on the following: ✅ Networking and chance to discuss specific decarbonisation issues in your local area ✅ How to Successfully Communicate your Decarbonisation Actions ✅ GHG Emission Calculations and Carbon Reduction Plans By attending this workshop, you will: ◼️ Discover the range of support available from Business Wales, the South East Wales Climate Coalition, and your local authority to assist you on your carbon reduction journey. ◼️ Receive practical insights on effectively communicating your carbon reduction goals ◼️ Develop a solid understanding of the fundamentals of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting, including an overview of Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, and the data required for accurate emissions calculations. ◼️ Explore practical steps you can implement to reduce your GHG emissions. ◼️ Begin calculating your Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and drafting a comprehensive Carbon Reduction Plan ◼️ Sign Up to Business Wales Green Growth Pledge This workshop is for SMEs (from all sectors) based in Torfaen County Borough Council. More information and registration can be found below. https://lnkd.in/eew5x88W

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Did you know that you can join the Innovate UK Immersive Tech Network for free and use our Community Hub to post anything you are looking for from the community? This includes collaborators for current & upcoming funding opportunities - https://lnkd.in/eZuipCGK Two week ago we hosted an online collaboration event for people looking for partners to apply with for the Mindset Funding competition (deadline Jan 15th): https://lnkd.in/eA76G7P2 Here is a summary of what some of those participants have posted on our Community Hub since then: - MIDA, University of the Arts London Screen School program, specializes in XR, AR, VR, and game development, focusing on health, inclusivity, and sustainability. They're keen to partner with researchers, universities, and XR companies to tackle mid-to-severe mental health challenges. Contact Susi Wilkinson or Kim Noce. Emails can be found in their Community Hub post. - The Combat Stress Centre researches trauma-linked mental health conditions (e.g., PTSD) and explores XR's potential for managing anxiety in public spaces and chronic pain. They offer expertise in clinical trials and access to clinical populations. For collaboration, contact Gavin M Campbell. - Access All Areas seeks a partner for a funding application to develop sensory-adaptable headphones for an immersive 360° theatre production with learning-disabled and autistic artists. Nick's contact details can be found in the Community Hub. The full posts with further details can be found on the Community Hub. I monitor the posts regularly and will continue to amplify anyone looking for funding partners here. *The image is ChatGPT's first interpretation of a community hub. What do you think? 😂 I'm a big fan of the rainbow motif. #innovation #collaboration #networking #immersivetech #XR #VR #AR #spatialcomputing #health #healthtech #mentalhealth #funding #NHS Innovate UK Innovate UK Business Connect

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Alert - really useful webinar by the Lep team on innovation programmes for ag tech, food tech seafood etc and it’s supply chain . Send someone along if your thought about accessing innovation funding. Please share

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Autumn Budget 2024: Big Tax, Borrowing and Spending Announcements   The Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has delivered the first Budget by a Labour Chancellor since 2010. It was also the first Budget delivered in the UK by a female Chancellor. Key announcements included:    An increase in employers’ National Insurance Contributions (NICs) by 1.2 per cent from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent by April 2025. The level at which employers start paying NICs for each employee will drop from £9,100 to £5,000.  An increase in the lower rate of Capital Gains Tax (CGT) from 10 to 18 per cent and an increase in the higher rate of CGT from 20 to 24 per cent. Corporation Tax Rate paid by businesses on taxable profits over £250,000 to stay at 25 per cent until the next general election. An increase in the National Minimum Wage by 6.7 per cent from £11.44 to £12.21 per hour, with a bigger increase for the youngest workers. A 19 per cent increase in investment in schools of £6.7 billion, a £1 billion uplift for special educational needs and £300 million for FE colleges. An increase of £22.6 billion increase in NHS day-to-day funding and a £3.1 billion increase in the NHS capital budget. A small package of administrative changes affecting the Audio-Visual and Video Games Expenditure Credits (AVEC and VGEC).   Further information: see www.tiga.org  

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Nice read on #edtech from Startup Coalition. When I started drafting a version of this in 2022 the AI/plagiarism policy question was new. In less than two years, look at how fast we've moved...

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The longer we wait the bigger the digital gap becomes. Every new tech/digital advancement for SMEs leads to more businesses adrift with the knowledge gap increasing and national and regional expertise void of digital/tech support and expertise. Let's find the needs, address the gap and work together on solutions that encourage investment and know-how to help our SME economy thrive.

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Eleven potential new #EastMidlands businesses are a step closer to becoming reality after being chosen to join the first VentureVersity Commercial Accelerator. VentureVersity is an initiative aimed at accelerating pathways for the development of university-generated intellectual property (IP) and ideas across the University of Leicester, Loughborough University and De Montfort University. The programme has been funded by Research England’s Connecting Capability Fund, with a £330k grant. The eleven VentureVersity finalists will have access to seed investment and will benefit from a five-month intensive accelerator programme led by entrepreneur and coach Denis Oakley FRSA and Leicester Startups to help them develop their business idea. VentureVersity was launched in November 2023 as part of the Leicester Business Festival. 👉 It kicked off with three mixer sessions, one held at each university, to enable academics/researchers to come together with businesses and students to pitch their IP/ideas. 👉 More than 200 people came along to the events, and a total of 38 proposals were pitched by researchers and academics. 👉 From the 38 proposals, 26 teams completed a pre-accelerator training programme of workshops, mentoring and 1-2-1 support run over eight weeks. 👉 The pre accelerator culminated with all pitching for a place on the accelerator and seed investment. Of the 26 ideas, the judges chose the final 11 winning ideas. VentureVersity harnesses the resources and support from each university and in addition provides resources, including seed capital, to catalyse the IP commercialisation process, including activities such as market research, business planning, technology and market development. The implementation and achievements of the model will be evaluated and recorded to create a scalable framework that can be deployed nationwide. William Wells Nick Gostick Anjuu Trevedi MBE Sam Larke Ben Ravilious Manish Verma Pete Hitchings Rajinder Bhuhi 🍀

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💡How can public sector organisations improve productivity, innovate at scale, and harness the power of AI and ML safely and securely? The SME sector is full of brilliant, agile options to bring innovative transformation to the public sector - often delivering results more rapidly than their larger counterparts. Our CEO Finbarr Murphy talks to techUK about the value SMEs bring to the table to help public sector organisations meet the challenges of shrinking budgets and productivity targets. 👇 https://bit.ly/4czQdJt #publicsector #government #centralgovernment #SMEs #datatransformation #dataproducts #dataforgood #rapidinnovation #digitaltransformation #localgovernment

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We’re always looking for ways to make our forecasts more accessible and usable as well as more accurate. The Local Authority Climate Service aims to help decision makers see what they might need to prepare for in their local area #climate

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Update: The consultation on Invest 2035, the UK’s modern industrial strategy asks: What UK government policy solutions could best address barriers relating to people and skills? What more could be done to achieve a step change in employer investment in training in the growth-driving sectors? UK productivity growth is dependent on updating the skills of the workforce and getting millions from welfare into work. But the pace of change has overtaken the thinking of those who put bureaucratic accountability and academic values ahead of the needs of employers and students. Policy changes requiring legislation are unlikely to produce results before 2028. The role of the new intake of MPs in helping organise local skills partnerships and removing barriers to voluntary co-operation across current funding silos is therefore critical if they want to be re-elected. The round table will begin with an introduction to the consultation and there will be an opportunity afterwards to discuss submissions and follow up with the relevant officials. The format will be similar to last year when the Group hosted a round table with invitations to over 30 APPGs interested in skills and employment, including equality and diversity of access. The Round Table will therefore begin with an introduction to the consultation on the Skills stream of "Invest 2035" and end with discussion on how to input views and work together on joining up local partnerships - that will increasingly need to cross the boundaries of Welfare to Work, Skills England, Modernising Employment, Right to Work to meet the for diversity of needs of pupils, students, parents and employers (including public sector like the NHS and Central and Local Government). AI is, of course, both problem and opportunity. techUK , Better Hiring Institute (BHI), BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT , Tony Blair Institute for Global Change , Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) , Digital Policy Alliance , INCA - Independent Networks Co-operative Association , Workers Educational Association , Good Things Foundation , Digital Leaders , ISC2 , ISACA , Keith Rosser , Casey Calista ' , The Parliamentary Internet, Communications and Technology Forum (PICTFOR) , APPG on Blockchain Technologies , LCR APPG , Net Zero APPG , Healthy Homes and Buildings APPG https://lnkd.in/eV_sW-yG

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For the right person, an important role

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Thank you to everyone who joined us for an insightful roundtable discussion yesterday in partnership with the UK Space Agency 🌟 🛰 We had an inspiring conversation on the unique challenges and opportunities faced by UK space SMEs as they move from early-stage growth to commercialisation. Together, we delved into the critical gap in support that emerging space companies experience as they transition beyond early-stage funding, and discussed the actionable ways to bridge it. Key themes included: 👉 The barriers to scaling for space SMEs and how the support landscape evolves as the industry matures 👉 Current UK financial support mechanisms that foster growth and attract investment, as well as potential new tools to further strengthen the ecosystem 👉 Opportunities for collaboration between UKSA, the investment community, and SMEs to ensure sustained support through Series A+ funding and beyond Thank you again to all our participants for their contributions to this important dialogue 🚀 Lydia Green – Lead Unlocking Space, UK Space Agency Sofia Chaves – Senior Project Officer Unlocking Space for Investment, UK Space Agency Lucas Bishop – Associate, Seraphim Space Sanjeev Gordhan – General Partner, Type One Ventures Shruti Iyengar – Investment Manager, Future Planet Capital Anatolii Papulov – CEO and Founder, NewOrbit Space Martin Philip – Director, Open Cosmos Patrick Zaitouni – Chief Strategy Officer, HawkEye 360 Steve Young – President of Satellite Missions, ICEYE David Ford – Partner, Silverpeak Julian Tsio – Director, Lazard Edmund Phillips – Senior Investment Partner, NSSIF Nigel Fox FCA – Chief Finance Officer, ALL.SPACE

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Over the past year at the Innovate UK Immersive Tech Network we have been scoping out new working groups that will focus on Accessibility, Sustainability, Ethics, and ED&I in the #immersivetech industry. We ran several in depth industry consultations to determine if the network could / should play a role in addressing issues in these areas, and to see if there was a desire from the community for these groups to be established. The response was overwhelmingly positive. These are massive topics, and we have indentified several routes the groups could go down. We are currently looking for two industry co-chairs to help us lead each group and narrow down their focus & outcomes. As with all of our working groups, these positions are voluntary. Further information on how to apply can be found here: https://lnkd.in/eyN66z45 I’m personally very passionate about embedding this work into the network, so I’d like to say a huge thank you to Mitch Turnbull & Nina Salomons for leading the scoping work, and to my colleagues Amy Chao & Alexandra Jugureanu for helping to move things forward. #immersivetech #spatialcomputing #XR #VR #AR #responsibleinnovation #accessibility #diversity #inclusion #sustainability

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