Rutland Innovation Business Support (RIBS)
What is the Project?
The Rutland Innovation Business Support (RIBS) project was funded by Rutland County Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) for 2024–2025. Led by Loughborough University on behalf of the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Civic Universities Partnership (CUP), and in collaboration with De Montfort University and the University of Leicester, the project ran from October 2024 to March 2025.
RIBS worked closely with Rutland County Council to help local businesses unlock growth through innovation. It offered access to expert academic knowledge, specialist university facilities, research and development (R&D) opportunities, and business-focused events. Support was made available to eligible Rutland-based SMEs who partnered with one or more of the participating universities.
The ambitions of the project were to:
- Foster innovation and growth among Rutland-based businesses.
- Build collaborative partnerships between businesses and local universities.
- Strengthen Rutland’s economy by applying academic research and innovation to real-world challenges.
A key feature of the project was the Innovation Voucher scheme, which provided fully funded support from the CUP research community. This allowed businesses to adopt new knowledge or enhance existing processes and products.
In addition, RIBS delivered a programme of three university-led events in collaboration with Rutland County Council. These events promoted the RIBS offer, UKSPF, and wider opportunities for SME engagement. Topics included capital grant schemes, collaborative funding such as Innovate UK, and access to student and graduate talent through recruitment, volunteering, placements, and internships.
“We at Rutland Forums are delighted to have received the Rutland Innovative Business Support Grant to help accelerate our business growth. As a company operating in the sustainability sector, our growth strategy relies heavily on adopting new technologies—particularly AI. Through our collaboration with Loughborough University, we now have a much clearer understanding of the available AI solutions and the tangible outcomes they can deliver.”
— Haydn Young, Chair – Rutland Forums & Hudle Network®
(April 2025)
Why It Matters
Innovation is a vital driver of long-term business success, but for many SMEs in rural areas like Rutland, accessing the resources needed to innovate can be a challenge. The RIBS project directly addressed this gap by connecting local businesses with leading university research, expertise, and facilities.
By doing so, RIBS enabled businesses to:
- Explore and implement cutting-edge solutions.
- Develop new products or services.
- Build long-term partnerships that continue to deliver value beyond the project timeline.
This matters because it levels the playing field—bringing the benefits of university-led innovation to businesses that might otherwise be overlooked. In doing so, RIBS contributed to a stronger, more resilient local economy and helped establish Rutland as a place where businesses can grow through innovation.
