Funding is available to all organisations and industrial partners across all regions of the UK.

The Smart Manufacturing Data Hub (SMDH) supports small and medium-sized manufacturers to become more competitive by harnessing the power of data.

Digital solutions, expert guidance and funding are available to companies through the hub, allowing them to explore and evaluate their processes, make operational savings, de-risk investments and become more digital savvy.

The UK Government is giving manufacturing SMEs a boost to their “productivity and competitiveness” through the Smart Manufacturing Data Hub (SMDH). It is hoped that increased adoption of digital technologies can improve productivity.

The new hub and testbed is led by Ulster University and backed by £50m of government funds and business co-investment. The funding is part of the £300m Made Smarter Innovation Challenge, designed to support the development and increased use of new and existing industrial digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality.

National Lighthouse Projects

The future global competitiveness of UK industry and research relies on applying transformative digital tools to business challenges. In the future, manufacturing will not only be about basic operational capabilities, but also about who has more real and reliable data.

As we embrace the digital manufacturing revolution, it is vital manufacturers across the UK can capitalise on the productivity and growth gains that come with adopting the latest data-led digital technologies.

Find out more on the Lighthouse Project here.

Data projects available with support from SMDH

Up to 15 days of support, providing access to a data scientist who can work on existing data from clients. This support includes running business analysis and creating dashboards as examples of the engagement.

Free support SMDH provide for IoT sensors and the available funding opportunities:

  1. IoT Sensor Solutions: Offer a range of IoT solutions to enhance productivity, including power monitoring, temperature monitoring, air quality monitoring, downtime capture, and job tracking. More details can be found here.
  2. Funding Opportunities: Various funding rounds, including Rapid Demonstrators with up to £50,000 for sensor and data projects, National Lighthouse Projects with up to £315,000 for digital solutions, and Virtual Testbeds with up to £100,000 for utilising pre-existing testbeds.

For further information please contact:

Mark Scattergood-Cawar

Smart Manufacturing Data Hub

Email: [email protected]

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