£20 million funding boost for innovation in the East Midlands set to create over 1,700 jobs
Nottingham Trent University is a partner in a programme awarded £20m funding to boost innovation in advanced manufacturing and clean energy.
By Sarah McLeod | Published on 14 October 2026
Categories: Press office;
Backed by the Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, The Local Innovation Partnerships Fund could boost the regional economy by up to £340m and create up to 1,775 new jobs.
The five-year funding programme, focused on the biggest growth sectors for the region, will be matched by at least £36.1m of investment from the private sector.
The investment has been granted to a collaboration between East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), industry partners, and the universities of Nottingham Trent, Derby, Nottingham, and Loughborough.
Mayor Claire Ward said: “The East Midlands is a region of innovators and has been for hundreds of years: we are the birthplace of the modern factory, an innovation that powered the Industrial Revolution and reshaped the world.”
“Our ambitions for the innovators of today are just as high, but with a different focus: clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and inclusive growth. This funding will ensure that ambitious businesses with the power to change the world can establish, grow, and thrive here. They will develop cutting-edge products, design new manufacturing processes, and start new companies: building an economy which is grounded in what this region needs for the future.”
The Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF) is a flagship UK government programme, delivered through UK Research and Innovation, investing £500 million to strengthen regional innovation economies across the country.
The LIPF is a central pillar of the government’s commitment to achieve growth in every postcode. It brings together local leaders, businesses and research organisations to build on regional strengths to create new jobs, drive innovation-led productivity, and attract further public and private investment into communities across the UK.
Innovation projects
The funding will be invested in a portfolio of four interconnected projects that will:
- Help East Midlands businesses unlock opportunities in the nuclear supply chain
- Develop new world-leading technologies for aircrafts
- Support regional SMEs to break into new markets and take advantage of growth opportunities in supply chains. This programme has also been allocated £3.2m from the East Midlands Investment Zone initiative.
- Accelerate the development of innovative CleanTech companies so East Midlands businesses can grow.
The partnership is working with UK Research and Innovation, to ready the investments for delivery. They will officially launch in the coming months.
NTU’s role will focus on developing workforce capabilities and organisational readiness for the adoption of automation, robotics and digital technologies, while enabling secure data exchange and digital integration across multi-tier supply chains.
Professor Sir Ian Chapman, UKRI Chief Executive, said: “These projects in the East Midlands are all excellent examples of what can be achieved when world-leading researchers, innovative businesses and regional partners come together around a shared ambition.
“Building on local strengths and previous UKRI investment, they will create high-quality jobs, attract investment and deliver tangible benefits for people and communities across the region.
“Through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, UKRI is supporting partnerships across the UK to build on their distinctive strengths, translating innovation into impact that advances knowledge, improves lives and drives growth.”
Professor Richard Emes, Pro Vice-Chancellor Research and International at Nottingham Trent University, said: “Nottingham Trent University is proud to be a delivery partner in the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, building on the East Midlands’ long-standing strengths in research, innovation and industry collaboration. By working together, the region’s universities are helping to accelerate innovation in priority sectors, translating world-leading research into real impact, supporting business growth, and developing the skilled workforce needed to create high-quality jobs and drive long-term economic prosperity.”
Advanced manufacturing for clean energy
The East Midlands has a nationally significant advanced manufacturing for clean energy cluster, in markets such as civil nuclear, aerospace and defence. This programme will strengthen both the cluster’s capabilities and its supply chains, ensuring a greater share of large-scale market opportunities is captured by the region’s manufacturers.
East Midlands Investment Zone
The East Midlands Investment Zone programme is helping regional businesses develop new products, strengthen supply chains and unlock commercial opportunities in rapidly growing clean-technology markets.
Backed by £160m of government funding, the East Midlands Investment Zone continues to bring together businesses and researchers from the University of Nottingham, the University of Derby and Nottingham Trent University to accelerate innovation and shorten the path to commercial deployment.