LTN (London Technology Network) has received significant support from the London Development Agency for a new two-year contract offering widespread support for businesses and universities
LTN is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 2002 and is now funded by the European Union and three Regional Development Agencies (LDA, Eeda and Seeda) and has the mission to stimulate the transfer of technology-based innovation.
LTN links companies with the technology research base and innovation capacity of the region's academic and business communities to assist companies to develop radically new products, processes or services.
The new contract provides funding to support a number of key activities all of which support LDA's economic strategy for London and are influenced by Catalyst, London's science and industry council.
LTN's diverse events programme has been proven to stimulate many new collaborations between businesses and the research base.
This programme will be expanded further under the new contract and many more London businesses will be targeted for invitation.
LTN staff assist all businesses who attend their events to gain the maximum benefit by helping them define their innovation needs and then find them suitable partners from the academic research community.
Upcoming business-facing events will be focused on technologies where London has particular needs and opportunities and will map onto the technology strategy board's key fields (advanced materials; bioscience and healthcare technologies; design engineering and advanced manufacturing; electronics and photonics; emerging energy technologies; and sustainable production and consumption).
International businesses that wish to draw on London's vast research base will also be offered specific support under the new agreement.
A training programme designed to help research scientists improve their skills and capacity for working with businesses will be made available to hundreds of London-based research scientists supporting their (and their university's) ability to engage with businesses: this will clearly benefit the businesses they work with and increase the impact that London's universities have on the economy as a whole.
