Lesniak Swann has become the 100th company to take advantage of Keele University’s range of EU-funded programmes designed to support innovation in Staffordshire SMEs.

Lesniak Swann, based at Stoke-on-Trent's Festival Park, is a top 100 regional creative and technology agency, working with national and international clients.  

Agency Director Mark Lesniak sees the tie-up with Keele as an important step in the evolution of agency’s approach, with many of the agency’s clients facing disruption in their market places as    ‘middle layer operators’, sitting between manufacturers and retailers, are squeezed in every direction.  E-commerce is also challenging established patterns of trading in many sectors, allowing producers to access markets directly.  

With this in mind, Lesniak Swann's project with Keele will see a student work with the agency to examine the threats and opportunities for the agency and its clients, and Mark hopes to share the findings with his client-base working within the built environment sector.

The Keele Research and Innovation Support Programme (KRISP)* enables eligible businesses to have one or two students or graduates work 100 hours each on innovation projects.

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent businesses can benefit from a range of specialist support and funding.  Interested companies should contact Keele University’s Business Gateway on 01782 733001 or business.gateway@keele.ac.uk.

For further information about Lesniak Swann, please visit their website: www.lesniakswann.com.

*The KRISP project (ref: 32R16P00711) is part-funded from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds England Growth Programme 2014-2020.