Innovation and Innovation Funding

Are you looking to increase your market share and profitability? Perhaps you are looking to develop new products that leapfrog your competitors and give your customers exactly what they are seeking? Maybe you are looking for financial assistance to help with the cost of innovation. If so Ixion’s Innovation team can help!

Why is Innovation so Important?

It is becoming increasingly difficult for companies to remain competitive in today’s business environment. Globalisation and the threat from low labour rate economies, grows stronger every day, eroding profit margins and market share. How do you compete when such competition can offer labour rates one tenth or even one hundredth of that of Western economies, dramatically undercutting prices?

To achieve business growth and sustainability in today’s market place companies must add value to their offerings. Most importantly, understanding their customers and the value that their company’s products and services can bring to that customer. Ultimately making price alone irrelevant 

Ixion can help you with all aspects of your product and innovation aspirations...

Help with concept generation and concept feasibility. No one will know your business better than you but more often than not a fresh perspective will bring real opportunities for innovation, growth and profitability. We can help you create concepts for highly differentiated products and services. Offerings that leap frog your competition and add value to your customers.

Help with accessing strategic partners and Customers. Whether that be accessing Europe’s best research and technology partners to help you develop that world beating product. Perhaps you require new supply chain partners to help your manufacture the product. Frequently, our clients are looking to access new customers to buy their product.

Help with accessing significant grant funding to help offset the cost of leading edge developments. A whole raft of funding initiatives are available from a few thousand pounds to several million and we specialise in helping you identify the most suitable and then securing the funding to achieve your aspirations.

Open Innovation

During difficult economic times it can sometimes be counter-intuitive for a company to invest in the creation and development of highly innovative new products and services. However, history reminds us that adversity is often the catalyst of innovation and business success. It is often precisely the best time to innovate and beat your competition whilst they are riding out the storm.

Many new technology companies, for instance, Hewlett-Packard and Polaroid, that became leading innovators later in the century were established as entrepreneurial start-ups during the 1930s. There are however significant barriers for all companies, large or small, looking to develop highly differentiated products and services. The barriers usually fall into four categories:-

Money

The creation and development of groundbreaking new technologies is rarely inexpensive. Most businesses do not possess the capital to invest in such significant longer term developments. In the current economic climate getting external financial assistance from banks, venture capital or private equity can sometimes be extremely difficult.

People

Most organisations, to remain competitive, are extremely lean on staff. Short term day to day business pressures mean that it is virtually impossible for them to think and plan long term, let alone resource such ambitious projects by themselves.

Scientific Knowledge and Facilities

The development of highly innovative, world beating technology usually requires world class scientific, research and technology development expertise. Most organisations do not possess such expertise, or facilities, whether laboratories or test equipment. Even those that do usually require an additional, broader range of expertise to fully realise their new concept.

Partners

Most organisations require external partners to ensure success in the realisation of their concepts. This includes, ideas generation, scientific and technology development, distribution and strategic customers who will buy the solution once developed thereby maximising the chance of global success. This proven approach, advocated by some of the world’s most succesful companies including IBM is known as Open Innovation.

To find out more contact John Danvers,  Innovation & European funding, on 07942 859547 or by email at john.danvers@ixionholdings.com