Innovation is turning heads in the Valleys

Innovation is turning heads in the Valleys

Innovation is sometimes narrowly seen as the commercialisation of new ideas. NESTA has been supporting an innovation programme, in the former cradle of the industrial revolution, which challenges this view and is changing the perception of the Heads of the Valleys.

Heads of the Valleys Innovation Programme

The Heads of the Valleys is the former heartland of Industrial South Wales and consists of over 3500 VAT registered businesses. The Wales Assembly Government (WAG) has recognised that following the decline of the iron and coal industries the high levels of economic and social deprivation experienced by the region require targeted investment. (See 'Turning heads…A Strategy for the Heads of the Valleys 2020').

The Heads of the Valleys Innovation Programme (HOVIP), currently facilitated by the Merthyr Tydfil Faculty of the University of Glamorgan, is supporting this regeneration by focusing on increasing the innovative capacity of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

"HOVIP is challenging the conventional view that innovation is just about products, high technology and science-based sectors, people in white coats, enlightened individuals and lucky flashes of inspiration," says Phil Burkhard, Programme Manager, HOVIP.

HOVIP started in August 2006 and will run until December 2007. The programme comprises interdisciplinary creativity and innovation workshops, and a Heads of the Valleys Innovation Awards ceremony.

Heads of the Valleys Innovation Awards

The first-ever Heads of the Valleys Innovation Awards was sponsored by BT, HSBC, KTS Owens Thomas, NESTA and the Wales Quality Centre.

Local businesses, including social enterprises, SMEs and corporates, were either nominated by the Economic Development Units of the five Borough Councils in the region or could apply themselves to enter one of the award categories.

"Entries were judged against six criteria: degree of innovation, customer satisfaction, benefits, team/partnership working and sustainability."

The winners were awarded cash prizes of between £500-1000 and preferential services from the respective sponsor. They included:

Social enterprise surprise: Garnsychan Partnership

Garnsychan Partnership's wood recycling project, Wood Wise, is creating new and desirable items, such as bird boxes, play houses and garden furniture, from unwanted wood. It is helping to combat recycling 'fatigue', while offering beautiful yet low-cost items to residents, local schools and community groups.

'Leading Ladies' launch: Purple Prose

Purple Prose, a marketing solutions provider, has created a 'Leading Ladies' calendar based on Hollywood icons, such as Marilyn Monroe. Eleven business women volunteered to have a Hollywood makeover to publicise their businesses in the calendar.

Customer relationship management with a bite: Royvon Dog Training Schools

Royvon Dog Training Schools has put a creative spin on conventional customer relationship management (CRM) software, using it to report on the progress of residential dog training to their UK-wide customer base.

Taking innovation to new depths: International Technical Diving Agency (UK) Ltd. (ITDA)

ITDA has rewritten the rulebook for global diving standards, allowing instructors to certify divers to a depth that they are comfortable diving to rather than issuing the blanket industry certification to a standard depth.

Clinical results: Penn Pharmaceutical Services Ltd

Penn Pharmaceutical Services Ltd, a leading provider of pharmaceutical outsourcing services to the international healthcare industry, has created a Fast Track Team to deliver clinical trials. The outcome has seen projects increase in value and profitability, and enhanced customer satisfaction.

Creativity and Innovation Workshops

The HOVIP initiative has also helped businesses become more innovative through hands-on creativity and innovation workshops. The workshops are open to all SMEs in the region, regardless of whether they attended the HOVIP programme.

The workshops are based on an open and collaborative approach to innovation. They aim to encourage SMEs to work across their organisation and/or different sectors to collectively apply their diverse knowledge and innovation tools to stimulate new ideas and solutions to their challenges. This aim was achieved, as illustrated in the following examples:

Building innovation: Regan Construction Services

Sole trader, Mike Regan, attended a workshop to gain ideas to raise the profile of his business. SMEs from the manufacturing, services and healthcare sectors came up with the idea for a customer feedback form. Mike has since used the testimonials to inform his marketing.

Trust your employees: Royvon Dog Training Schools

Sarah Draper, Director at Royvon Dog Training Schools, attended the workshop with her colleagues. They identified and implemented three new services, including dog fitness classes, which are generating an additional £1500 per month.

Transforming a role: Williams Medical Supplies plc

Williams Medical Supplies plc used the workshop to change the role of their cross organisational Employee Forum from a policy review group and internal communications channel, to a group spear-heading innovation and change.

Burkhard says that working collaboratively and across disciplines has huge rewards. "At a recent workshop, one of the outcomes was a collective input to designing a relationship management strategy to constructively improve the working relationships between businesses and local councils. All the workshop delegates drew upon their mixed experience to identify good practice."

The future is bright

HOVIP has shown that innovation is changing the perception of the region, with examples and experience that the rest of the Wales and UK can draw upon, says Burkhard. It is casting innovation and creativity in a new light by demonstrating its diversity and proving that it's not all about 'light bulb moments'.

Damian Gant, from Award winner Penn Pharmaceutical Services Ltd., echoes this when he says: "The 'innovation marketplace' and awards event is a fantastic forum for people to meet and showcase their success - and more importantly share ideas on how to achieve further accomplishments.

"At the end of the day, we can all learn from each other and work together to promote business in the Heads of the Valleys area, and clearly demonstrate to the rest of the country how sharing skills and ideas generates fuel for innovation."

Burkhard concludes: "The Big Pit and HOVIP have shown that innovation is changing the perception of the region and is more than just about products and technology. HOVIP2 will build on the current programme. The future is bright. The spirit of innovation lives on in the Valleys."