Innovation Leadership

Innovation Leadership Programme

The fully-funded Innovation Leadership programme at Keele University supports aspirational business leaders and early-stage entrepreneurs to develop the skills, knowledge and attributes to take their business to the next level.

APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FOR OCTOBER 2022.

Apply today

Your path to innovation led-growth

Delivered by a dedicated team of expert business leaders, academics and Entrepreneurs in Residence, the programme is fully-funded and exclusively open to small-to-medium sized businesses in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire who are predominantly B2B.

Zero cost to your business - Fully-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the only cost to your business is your time.
Six two-day sessions – Working around you, the programme consists of 12 sessions across a six-month period.

Programme features

Gain access to:

Coaching, advice and guidance
A unique blend of action learning - including one-to-one sessions, peer review, activity-based learning, creative challenge-based activity and self-directed learning
Innovation-focussed action plan development for your business
Access to the latest thinking around innovation and social value, dedicated masterclasses and a unique innovation eco-system

Apply today

"The past six months on the Innovation Leadership programme have been the most beneficial in my career so far. I have met, talked too, learned from and got the opportunity to listen to some of the most influential people I think I will ever meet. I returned to the office following each session bouncing off the walls (literally), inspired, excited, passionate and empowered."

Erin Hill, Marketing & Communications Manager at Strategi Solutions

"Hearing from guest speaker, Alun Rogers, and his journey of business growth gave me the confidence to finance and further expand, setting up Midway Scientific in late 2020. Just over a year later, with the hard work and determination of the team, Midway Scientific has firmly placed itself as one of the leading subcontract manufacturers and precision engineering companies in the country with a team of 19 highly skilled employees. I would highly recommend the programme to business owners who are seriously focussed on growth."

Phil Harper, Managing Director of Midway Manufacturing Ltd & Midway Group

"It's been great. As a result of the Innovation Leadership programme, we began to implement a new business strategy which quickly resulted in the appointment of a new member of staff to support our ambitions."

James Aberley, Senior Partner at SO Marketing

"One of the best things about the programme was the quality and variety of guest speakers. Following Grant Leboff’s marketing workshop, we revisited our own branding, which resulted in us launching a fresh look and logo design shortly after completing the programme. As a further extension of this, a new Help Centre Experience app was launched last year, giving our clients a real value-added service as well as enabling our team to better respond to enquiries. "

Jonathan Lawton, Managing Director of Hixon Group

Benefits to your business

Dedicated time to focus on innovation and R&D as a strategic driver for your business growth
Topics include; innovation and creativity, diversification, marketing, business development, funding and team dynamics.
Apply world-leading research and knowledge on innovation leadership in order to produce a positive impact on your business’s bottom line
Access to the wide scientific and technological infrastructure of Keele University
Be part of a unique innovation network
Learn from fellow hand-picked entrepreneurs and social innovators

Apply today

Spotlight speakers:

Grant Leboff
CEO at Sticky Marketing Club

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Hazel Carter-Showell
Business Psychologist, C-Suite coach, adviser & international speaker

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Les Jones
Designer, photographer, writer, speaker and magazine publisher

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Annette Shipley
Leadership Consultant and Managing Director of Excellence3 Ltd

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Dates	Session
6 & 7 October 2022	Session 1: Creating the conditions for innovation to flourish This initial session introduces the broader concepts that will underpin the programme over the coming months and challenges some of the myths around innovation. Over the two days, you will be introduced to vision, strategies, and models, that you can consider and apply to the day-to-day world of your business.
10 & 11 November 2022	Session 2: Innovation and creativity Over these two days we focus on themes across creative problem solving, design thinking and types on innovation. You will hear from previous participants of the programme who describe their experiences of innovation leadership and how the insights, tools and techniques learned during the programme have benefited their business.
8 & 9 December 2022	Session 3: How to win more business As a change of pace, this session looks through the lens of business growth – in particular, how to win more work, by tendering – complemented by signposting to access growth enablers, such as funding, grants, and innovation support.
12 & 13 January 2023	Session 4: Getting comfortable with leadership The two days continue the blended combination of academic input, business practitioners and guest speakers, coming together to add differing perspectives around the subjects of leadership and strategies. You can expect to be challenged, through in-depth analysis of real business scenarios to bring the subjects to life, whilst giving you approaches to try back at work.
9 & 10 February 2023	Session 5: Marketing and sales success This part of the programme continues in an entrepreneurial spirit, where these two days focus on how to apply both marketing and sales strategies and techniques to the challenges of growing a business. You will be immersed in practical approaches that bring the subjects to life and tactics that are proven to aid sustainable business growth.
9 & 10 March 2023	Session 6: Creating an A-team Being a more innovative leader, demands a greater understanding of self, before leading others. The final two-days bring all the themes together, where the focus is on embedding innovation leadership into your business through investigating ways to engage teams in more effective ways, that lead to enhanced performance and growth.

Further information

Eligibilty

The programme is open to small- to medium-sized businesses, early-stage and aspiring entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial social innovators. These individuals must be looking to develop products and services, achieve scalable routes to market and achieve strategic business growth. Applicants must be an owner, director or employee of a registered business in the Stoke-on-Trent or Staffordshire area.

Funding

The only cost to participate is your time and the programme is fully-funded until 2023.

Apply today

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‌The Keele University Innovation Leadership programme (also referred to as the Mercia Centre for Innovation Leadership programme) is delivered through the Keele University Science & Innovation Park Smart Innovation Hub (Ref: 32R17P01691). This programme is part-funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the England Structural and Investments Funds (ESIF) Growth Programme.