Time is a funny thing. I can’t really decide whether January is going quickly or slowly. At the end of December, despite all the other things that were going on, I was panicking over the short amount of time that we had to plan for CyberNorth’s Innovation Centre #2. It was a mere matter of six or seven weeks until the first workshop kicked off and there seemed to be so much to do.
Now it is less than two weeks until the start and, in the main, I feel that I am on top of things. The first three workshops are definitely sorted and only the last one has a bit to get on with. We aimed for ten in the cohort and it looks like we’re going to exceed that number by the end of this week. Of course there are still things to do and I will still get panicky as the days tick down.
All of this is good stuff and, interestingly, there seems to be a growing focus on innovation across the region. I am already aware of Plexal’s event around smart cities in Sunderland, taking place in early February. As part of its Cyber Runway programme (a national incubator programme for cyber startups), the session will look at securing Smart Cities and will include talks from Sunderland City Council about their smart city plans as well as other smart cities around the country.
There are some really interesting things going on in the city, not only around smart cities but also around the creative and film sectors. It is also hosting Start 2025, an Innovation Skills Accelerator on January 31st. This free event, for Sunderland businesses offers practical insights into problem-solving, understanding innovation, innovation techniques, and stakeholder engagement.
Then there is the 2025 Venture Connect accelerator programme, which again starts this February. Hosted by the Port of Tyne’s 2050 Innovation Hub in collaboration with the London Stock Exchange and Scale Up Britain, this fully funded programme supports North East entrepreneurs working on green innovations for the maritime and logistics sectors. This builds on the work already underway in the Innovation Hub around 5G (as well as 6G) and AI.
Of course, when it come to AI we mustn’t forget the Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Citizen-Centred Artificial Intelligence (CCAI) at Northumbria University, which is dedicated to ensuring that the transformative power of AI benefits all communities, especially those who are most affected by digital advancements.
This is just a small snapshot of the innovation activities going on across the region, there are many more I could have mentioned. CyberNorth is involved with each of these organisations and I’m delighted to take a small amount of credit in the region’s growing focus on this vital requirement for our future businesses.
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 