Who
The University of Exeter and Unlocking Potential have joined forces to deliver Future Focus Two.

What/Where
Future Focus Two is a £2.5 million, three year European Regional Development Fund programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (CIoS), scheduled to run until spring 2023.

Why
It is aimed at CIoS SME business leaders who want to improve productivity, network, try new ways of working using innovative technologies, identify opportunities, trends and threats whilst reducing risk and creating change. It helps CIoS SME’s explore the relationship between their business and the environment to move to a more sensitive, ethically responsible and circular way of running a business.

How
With the help of academics and world leading expert speakers, the Future Focus team hold focussed workshops and events on themes such as circular economy, advanced manufacturing, new technologies, disruptive innovation and brand power. Topics such as sustainability, the environment, net zero and renewable energy are explored with opportunities for networking and debate amongst delegates. There are also opportunities for businesses to have funded research and development unique to their business and one to one support plus grants, jobs support and access to the Universities R&D facilities.

Case study example
A stand out part of the Future Focus Two project is taking delegates from Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to a different part of the UK to explore how others in their industry are doing business. One such example was a trip to the Midlands in September 2021 where delegates from some of Cornwall’s most ambitious and innovative manufacturing businesses took the rare chance to step away from the office and think afresh about production and people. The team visited Worcester Bosch, who make one in three boilers sold in the UK, Morgan Motors, where they hand-build between six and seven hundred bespoke cars each year and the National Composite Centre in Bristol where the focus is on Research and Development, specifically innovation in materials. The trip enabled delegates to see how innovation and excellence in manufacturing can take different forms thus inspiring new ideas and business practices.