Programme Overview

Made Smarter West Midlands is aimed at connecting manufacturing and engineering businesses with digital technology to transform the way they work and improve their productivity.

Coventry and Warwickshire (CW) Growth Hub leads the programme, on behalf of the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Department for Business & Trade, alongside Business Growth West Midlands and the Worcestershire, Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire, and The Marches Growth Hubs.

Made Smarter West Midlands also collaborates with a range of strategic partners, including WMG, at the University of Warwick, and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry, who help programme participants benefit from the expertise of their digital manufacturing specialists.

The programme aims to help businesses grow, by helping them cut their costs, go to market faster, and reduce downtime.

Each applicant for the Made Smarter programme is assessed individually by the regional digital transformation specialist (DTS) who, upon confirmation of the eligibility, schedules a face-toface visit in order to learn more about the company’s challenges and their aspirations, and to create a snapshot of their current processes before a ‘digital roadmap’ is then developed by specialists from WMG or the MTC.

50% match-funded grants are available to introduce new digital technology into firms, and the digital transformation specialists provide support every step of the way to facilitate grant applications, ensuring a smooth process and successful outcomes.

Made Smarter West Midlands recognises that introducing new digital technology into an established firm can prove complex and a unique set of leadership skills are needed to manage the process effectively.

To address this need, Made Smarter West Midlands offers Leadership & Management training as part of the programme, which equips leaders with these skills and helps them steer the digital transformation of their business.

Find out more about the programme and eligibility

Programme Eligibility Criteria

• Sector: Manufacturing and Engineering

• Location: West Midlands

• Number of staff: Fewer than 250

• Turnover: Under £36 million (or assets of under or equal to £18 million).