What do you do?
As a Programme Manager, I deliver the Co-Innovate programme in Dumfries and Galloway. Essentially, I am here to guide businesses through their innovation journey offering advice and support on how to turn ideas into an invoice. An exciting part of my job is how I get to meet with so many different types of businesses, with a wide variety of products or services, discovering their individual company goals what their innovation needs are, and then identifying how the different types of support available on the Co-Innovate Programme can be best used to help them to successfully achieve these goals.
How will Co-Innovate help my business?
The Co-Innovate programme has been designed to be flexible and help businesses at any stage of their innovation journey. From coming up with new ideas, to developing innovation capability, to getting involved in cross-border collaborative projects with other businesses or academic institutes. Each company’s needs around innovation development will differ, so every company’s journey through the programme will be unique. Co-Innovate’s tailored support will give you the tools and advice to help you innovate, differentiate and compete successfully. Support provided ranges from FREE innovation workshops, to innovation assessments and action plans, one-to-one expert mentoring, and support for collaborative research and innovation projects.
What would be your top innovation tip?
I meet many businesses, both start-ups and established, who come to me saying “I’ve got a brilliant idea, I’ve spent months developing it and looking for manufacturers, I know how I will promote it etc. etc. “.
When I ask – “have you spoken to any potential customers to see if they want it?”, the answer is often no. The idea is not enough on its own! You need to validate your market - speak to your potential customers first! There is no point in expending valuable resources developing an idea if nobody wants to buy it!
And finally, what is your favourite innovation?
My Sleephones! I enjoy listening to music or the radio in bed, and these headphones allow me to do it in comfort without disturbing the husband! A very simple idea – a set of rechargeable, wireless headphones, within a fleecy headband so you can lie anyway you want without the headphone digging into your ear
Interested?
If you are a business based in Scotland and are interested in finding out more about Co-Innovate then the Co-Innovate team is here to help answer any queries so please contact us: Abbé Cusack on 0141 3437921 or email abbe.cusack@scotent. co.uk; Stacey Neville on 0141 4686161 or email stacey.neville@scotent.co.uk. or visit our website at www.co- innovateprogramme.eu.