Collection

Innovate UK: case studies

Stories of businesses that have received funding and support from Innovate UK, developed new products and services and achieved growth.

This collection was withdrawn on

This content has been archived, as Innovate UK are now part of UKRI. For the latest information from Innovate UK, please visit the on the UKRI website.

From:
Innovate UK and UK Research and Innovation
Published
28 October 2014
Last updated
13 October 2020 鈥� See all updates

These stories show how Innovate UK helps businesses test, develop and demonstrate innovative ideas.

They describe how funding and support has helped them to achieve their ambitions and become successful - from growing a start-up, expanding capabilities or supporting a move into new markets.

Search for innovation funding.

Global trade opportunities

OakTec: helping to power remote populations

BuffaloGrid: connecting the next 1 billion to the internet

Swanbarton: empowering communities in the developing world

Ella鈥檚 Kitchen sells its organic baby and toddler food in countries including Norway, Sweden and the US, boasting a global turnover of $100 million.

Whitefox Technologies, a cleantech engineering company, gained a foothold in the US biofuel industry and connecting and working with Pacific Ethanol.

New facilities and capabilities

Run3D is building a franchised network with its technology to help professional athletes and other keen runners to avoid injury and improve performance.

Ceres Power established a high-speed production line to scale up manufacturing of its innovative fuel cell.

Private investment and capital

Snap Fashion鈥檚 visual search engine allows consumers to find fashion items using photos they have taken or found online. Investors include Time Inc, the publisher of Marie Claire, InStyle and LOOK.

Chiaro - the developer of the wearable, connected pelvic floor exercise tool, Elvie - has attracted millions in capital, which is helping it to expand its product line and move into new markets.

Working with industry leaders

Dressipi worked with Arcadia Group, Marks & Spencer and Shop Direct to create personalised online experiences for shoppers.

iGeolise鈥檚 online platform - which allows search by travel time and transport mode - has attracted clients including Countrywide, Zoopla, JobSite and OpenTable.

World firsts and world-leading

SwiftKey is one of the UK鈥檚 most successful start-ups, with its predictive texting app installed on more than 350 million devices worldwide.

Avanti deployed the world鈥檚 first satellite 3g backhaul service in partnership with Vodafone - a move that鈥檚 helped it to take a global lead in a sector worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Updates to this page

Published 28 October 2014
Last updated 13 October 2020 show all updates

  1. Added Charm Impact case study to document collection: Global trade opportunities

  2. Added new case studies to the collection New Facilities and Capabilities: 鈥� Deos: delivering faster and better mobile medical screening 鈥� PyroGenesys 鈥� BuffaloGrid 鈥� Gravitricity 鈥� Highview Power

  3. Added the case study: Ionburst: safe and anonymous data in the cloud

  4. Added links to 3 Energy Catalyst case studies: OakTec, Swanbarton and BuffaloGrid

  5. Added to collection: Nanoco, Loopwheels, Demand Logic, SPECIFIC case studies

  6. Added links for 'Cleaner power and lower bills: making community energy work' case study.

  7. Added a new link to a story with Open Bionics, which worked with NHS England through an SBRI competition.

  8. Added links to Magma and Oxford Photovoltaics case studies.

  9. Added new case studies with Innovate UK-supported businesses Cygnet Texkimp, iProov, Jellagen and Qioptiq.

  10. Reorganised the page to make it clearer what each business has achieved. Case studies are now ordered by: company expansions and jobs; global trade opportunities; new facilities and capabilities; private investment and capital; working with industry leaders; and world firsts and world-leading.

  11. Added new case studies.

  12. These case studies of successful funding for innovative businesses have been updated and rearranged to reflect the 4 sector groups through which Innovate UK's support is organised. They are: emerging and enabling technologies; health and life sciences; infrastructure systems; manufacturing and materials.

  13. Added latest case studies.

  14. Latest case studies from March 2017 added.

  15. New entries added

  16. Updated with fresh case studies, including new embedded video stories.

  17. New success stories added, with video embedded in the introduction.

  18. First published.

Contents