Made Smarter South West is supporting manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) like yours to improve productivity by adopting industrial digital technologies.
A package of support measures is offered to eligible SMEs, including a fully funded action plan to digitally transform your business, a fully funded digital transformation training programmes to upskill your workforce, a fully funded student interns to support young people into work, and match-funded grants to purchase industry 4.0 hardware or software.
The programme is delivered from April 2025 and will run until March 2026.
Register your businessThe Made Smarter South West programme is funded by the Department for Business and Trade and delivered across Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, Devon and Torbay, Dorset, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Plymouth, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, and Swindon and Wiltshire. The West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, in partnership with the University of the West of England (UWE) and the National Composites Centre (NCC) amongst other delivery providers, leads the project.
Businesses joining Made Smarter will benefit from fully funded advice delivered by specialist technology experts. The programme enables SMEs to identify the right digital tools and support staff to implement the new technology.
To be eligible for support, SMEs must be registered or trading in the South West region.
We aim to connect manufacturing SMEs like yours to the right digital tools so you can transform the way you work. Made Smarter will enable eligible businesses to grow through emerging digital technology and help you cut costs, deliver products to market faster, reduce downtime and/or improve efficiency.
If eligible you will receive a fully funded in-depth diagnostic and assessment process, led by the National Composites Centre amongst other delivery providers. This will help you develop a strategic action plan for adopting Industry 4.0 technologies and gaining gain a better understanding of your business.
If eligible, you will be able to apply for a grant to help you access expert advice from a technology specialist and support the purchase of new software and/or equipment.
50% match funding is available for your total project costs.
You can receive between £1,000 and £20,000, depending on your business needs.
You will receive ongoing support in creating an effective digital action plan, ensuring that your chosen technologies drive your business in the right direction.
Our fully funded Digital Transformation training, delivered by UWE amongst other delivery providers, is designed to support senior leaders in your organisation to implement digital transformation solutions. This training builds on insights gained from the 1:1 Digital Acceleration Sessions with NCC.
Format: Two-day in-person workshops
Dates: Summer 2025 & Autumn 2025
Our fully funded digital implementation training, delivered by UWE, is designed to support individuals from your organisation who are identified as the lead for the transformation project. The aim of the programme will be to support individuals to develop strong project and change management capabilities to successfully implement your transformation project.
Format: Two-day in-person workshops
Dates: Summer 2025 & Autumn 2025
If eligible, we will match you with a skilled UWE Bristol student or recent graduate from a range of subject areas including Digital, Engineering, Business Management and Data & Computer Science.
The student, with the support of an academic, will help implement your digital strategy and increase revenue. The total internship cost is fully funded, allowing you to pay your intern the Real Living Wage. Internships can last up to 250 hours, starting during the programme, April 2025 – March 2026.
