Wiltshire Council, through the newly constituted Porton Science Park Business Hub has secured European Regional Development Funds to offer business support to SMEs operating in the defence technology sector. Some of the UK’s leading public and private sector defence assets are based in the Wiltshire region, and this presents a unique opportunity to develop a defence business cluster in the region, attracting resources and networks to support SME growth.
As part of realising this vision, the Porton Science Park Business Hub, in association with Oxentia Ltd has designed a business support programme to help defence technology SMEs in delivery of their growth plans.
3 online training pillars, within which SMEs can select modules of interest
2 online stakeholder insight and partnering sessions;
1 in-person marketplace event to bring together SMEs with prospective clients, partners, and peers.
We are able to offer the business support to 40 defence technology SMEs in England.
If accepted onto the programme, you will be invited to pre-select a minimum of 12 hours business support as shown in the schematic below. The sessions within each pillar can be shared among three of your colleagues. The marketplace event, which takes place at Porton Science Park, is the only non-optional element.
Innovation from a government perspective
ONLINE: 23 MARCH 16:00 – 18:00 h
This two hour insight session provides a platform for defence agencies to present to SMEs what they are interested in, how best for SMEs to engage with them, how to develop effective collaborations, what to expect, and what funding programmes are available to SMEs to support their product / service development plans.
The session will be facilitated by Oxentia and will comprise at least four different major funding agencies from the UK/US who will present their interests and take Q&A.
Partnering session
ONLINE: 30 MARCH 16:00 – 18:00 h
This insight session will focus on private sector defence technology primes from the UK, EU and the US, such as BAE Systems, Leonardo, Thalys, Airbus Group, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Boeing, Lockheed Martin. The two hour session will feature short presentations and Q&A with the primes, exploring insights into how SMEs can engage and partner with them.
The objective is to offer SMEs new contacts, signpostings, and to gain a better understanding from the primes' perspective on how to best engage and partner with them on product / service development and deployment projects.
Marketplace event
27 APRIL 16:00 – 20:00 h - Porton Science Business Park
This final event will be a showcase for SMEs to engage with new prospective customers, commercial and development partners, investors, and specialist suppliers.
The evening will comprise 4-5 keynote speakers, and networking sessions for SMEs to present to stakeholders on a 1:1 basis.
Our keynote speakers will comprise UK and international representatives from different stakeholder groups (e.g. investors, development partners, public agencies, private sector) to provide insights from different perspectives of the market sector.
This is a unique opportunity to knowledge share and initiate new technical and commercial partnerships.
Three modules covering strategic marketing, sales leadership, and internationalisation.
Understand proven successful marketing strategies in the defence sector, setting the right metrices to enhance marketing plans.
Lead the scaling of your sales operations, understanding the value chain and securing target primes.
Explore how to internationalise with limited resources. Validate and de-risk overseas opportunities, and build meaningful partnerships.
Three modules exploring the process of commercialising technology, funding your growth strategy, and using IP as a commercial tool.
Discover strategies to resource and manage the process of new product development, within a resource-limited SME setting.
Identify your funding requirements, explore funding options and gain practical advice for managing the investment process.
Maximise the commercial value of IP, building and managing your IP portfolios, and understand the practicalities of financing your IP strategy.
Three modules including self-development & leadership, understanding team motivation & drivers, and managing teams and change.
Share leadership experiences, aligning with the latest thinking and practices for SMEs. Reflect on your own leadership style and gain new perspectives.
Understand motivational drivers for intellectual teams, more effectively manage diversity and encourage an intrapreneurial culture.
Achieve a deeper awareness of the complexities of effective communication, gaining frameworks and strategies to help support teams through change in your SME.
Rob Carroll (funding your growth strategy) is an experienced technology SME venture fund manager, and advisor to the financing of a wide range of innovation businesses. Rob takes a very practical approach and brings considerable knowledge and networks within the public and private financing sectors.
Tim Hart (internationalisation, team motivation and drivers) has built technology SMEs with markets on most continents of the world, and has led teams within technology SMEs for over 20 years. He also contributes to the design and delivery of intrapreneurial support programmes for SMEs and large corporates in the technology sector.
Alexandra Bush (commercialising technology within a resource-limited SME) will lead delivery of this session. Alex has commercialisation experience in a range of public and private settings, and technology sectors, including defence. She will exemplify effective SME commercialisation strategies through case studies.
Philip Cox-Hynd (managing teams and change) is a change management consultant for both large and small companies, all undergoing periods of rapid growth and significant change. Philip takes a very facilitative and consultative style, and will bring participants own experiences into the session where possible to explore how business change could be better managed within growing SME settings.
Bruno Reynolds (using IP as a commercial tool) leads delivery of IP services within Oxentia. He has a wealth of knowledge in securing and utilising a wide range of IP types, and managing portfolios within SME settings.
Steve Cleverley (strategic marketing, self-development and leadership) has over 20 years’ experience in the marketing of products and services in a wide range of technology sectors. His breadth of experience in SME environments and leading edge thinking in marketing support will bring fresh perspectives and a practical approach to the session.
John Fuggles (sales leadership) a seasoned sales leader with experience across many sectors, and with a particular focus on helping SMEs to scale their sales operations. John has recently published a book ‘Sales is a Team Sport’ and will be applying some of the key lessons learnt from his experiences which are relevant for sales activities within the defence technology sector.
Any questions?
Feel free to contact us and discuss any questions you have about the programme, eligibility, or your application at irenedalpoz@oxentia.com
