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    • About us
          • Digital Catapult is a deep tech innovation organisation driving business value by accelerating the application of advanced technologies.

            3,000

            Companies supported since 2018

            £555m

            Investment raised by startups since 2018

            20+

            Advanced technology facilities nationwide

    • Our ambition
          • Our ambition is to realise the practical application of deep tech through four interventions

            ambition-scale-deep-tech

            Enabling UK deep tech companies to scale

            ambition-improving-supply-chain

            Improving UK industrial supply chain resilience

            ambition-decarbonisation

            Driving industrial decarbonisation

            ambition-advancing-data

            Advancing UK development and use of data driven and open future networks

    • Our people
          • susan-bowen

            We are an organisation made up of almost 300 innovators.

            We pride ourselves on the skilled and talented people from varied backgrounds that make up our team – we harness the expertise, perspectives and connections of people of more than 40 nationalities, thereby bringing together a diversity of skills, experience and backgrounds.

            Susan Bowen

            CEO of Digital Catapult

    • Our places
    • Startups and scaleups
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            Black Founders Programme

            The Black Founders Programme is an accelerator targeted at pre-seed or seed stage, Black-founded companies creating innovative products and services...
            ORCA-020

            Quantum Technology Programme

            Separating opportunity from hype to understand industry challenges that may be best solved by quantum computing.
    • Government and Public sector
          • 3d,Illustration,Of,Hydrogen,H2,Molecule,Model,-,Clean,Energy

            Hydrogen Innovation Programme

            Discover more about the the Hydrogen Innovation Initiative and the deployment of hydrogen technologies to address pressing energy and environmental...
            London,Office,Building,For,Network,And,Future,Concept

            Digitalising Energy Programme

            Energy Systems Catapult and Digital Catapult have partnered to explore the groundwork for a UK-wide initiative to accelerate a digitalised,...
          • Banner website digital twin 3

            UK Digital Twin Centre

            Delivered by Digital Catapult and funded by Belfast Region City Deal and Innovate UK, the UK Digital Twin Centre makes digital twins more accessible and meaningful in the UK. It actively enable industries and innovators to safely embrace, explore and realise their dynamic power.
            Find out more UK Digital Twin Centre
    • Corporates and Industry
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            Green Hydrogen Certifier

            This report looks at the Green Hydrogen Certifier - an end-to-end demonstration of a potential digital certification solution for hydrogen production...
    • Academia
    • Investors
          • bfp cover

            Black Founders Programme

            The Black Founders Programme is an accelerator targeted at pre-seed or seed stage, Black-founded companies creating innovative products and services...
    • Services
          • Bespoke software & data systems

            Developing proof-of-concept demonstrators to showcase the viability and benefit of deep tech solutions.

            Platform engineering service

            Designing, building and operating physical and digital facilities. Providing testbeds for deep tech discovery and experimentation.

            Technology & innovation consultancy

            Consultancy services helping organisations addresses market preparedness gaps, evaluate financial viability and navigate technology change management.

          • Acceleration programmes for business

            Creating acceleration programmes to support businesses.Helping them grow through mentorship, technology support, networking, and investment opportunities.

            Facilitating and convening

            Bringing together and developing ecosystems of companies to explore, test and demonstrate how deep tech works in practice.

    • Technologies
    • Facilities
    • Opportunities
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    • Current interventions
          • ORCA-020

            Quantum Technology Programme

            Separating opportunity from hype to understand industry challenges that may be best solved by quantum computing.
          • Banner website digital twin 3

            UK Digital Twin Centre

            Delivered by Digital Catapult and funded by Belfast Region City Deal and Innovate UK, the UK Digital Twin Centre makes digital twins more accessible and meaningful in the UK. It actively enable industries and innovators to safely embrace, explore and realise their dynamic power.
            Find out more UK Digital Twin Centre
    • Case studies
          • Black Founders Programme Showcase event.

            SymphoMe: case study

            Part of the FutureScope's Black Founders Programme, Digital Catapult supported Nyangibo Gallery to get investment ready and receive business expertise
    • Events
    • Blogs
    • Publications
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            Get involved

            Be the first to know about upcoming resources, events and activities in the BridgeAI programme.
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            The Programme

            Find out more about how the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme and how it aims to stimulate the adoption AI and...
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Programme

Smart Nano NI

About the programme

Smart Nano NI is a Northern Ireland consortium collaborating to develop game-changing advanced prototyping and smart manufacturing methods to deliver new technologies. The consortium shares a niche capability around nano manufacturing and world-leading knowledge in photonics and aims to support innovation-led economic growth, both in the area and nationally, as well as enhancing local research and innovation collaborations. The consortium has been awarded £42.4m UK Research and Innovation’s Strength in Places Fund. The total project value including leveraged funding from other sources is £63.9m. Our collaboration is aimed at driving self-sustaining local industry and economic growth through research and innovation.

The collaboration is led by Seagate Technology, a world leader in data storage and management solutions. Its facility in NI is recognised as one of the foremost 200mm wafer fabrication plant in the world and brings together leading organisations from across Northern Ireland:

  • Analytics Engines – leader in data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning,
  • Causeway Sensors – photonic therapeutic device specialists
  • Cirdan – leading provider of medical informatics and imaging solutions
  • Digital Catapult – a deep tech innovation organisation
  • North West Regional College – a national award-winning Business Support Centre for skills development, R&D and innovation
  • Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) – leads the Centre of Doctoral Training in Integrated Photonics and Advanced Data Storage
  • Ulster University – the Intelligent Systems Research Centre (ISRC) is an established Centre of Excellence in Intelligent Systems specialising in artificial intelligence (AI).
  • Yelo – photonics test equipment vendor.

Consortium Partners

Digital Catapult’s Role in Smart Nano

 

Digital Catapult is the lead delivery partner for Smart Nano NI with two key objectives:

Accelerate the adoption of industrial 5G: Establish and lead on a new 5G testbed to be used by consortium members and local industry to explore the potential of enabling 5G technology, machine learning, sensor technology and IoT. Additionally, the testbed will be used by programme participants who wish to trial 5G enabled applications and solutions.

Accelerate the practical application of deep tech in manufacturing: Lead, set up and run a multi-threaded innovation programme for multiple cohorts of startups and SMEs primarily with an interest in nano manufacturing, digital industrialisation, and the application of integrated photonics. Innovation activities raise awareness and facilitate engagement in NI and UK industry of Smart Nano capabilities and help disseminate knowledge from consortium partners to the local eco-system.

Smart Nano Manufacturing Innovation Challenge participants

The Digital Catapult Smart Nano NI Team

Digital Catapult’s Smart Nano NI team brings together a breadth of disciplines covering expert technologists, innovation practitioners, project management, marketing, and communications.

Technologist’s share expertise, knowledge and advice to the consortium and industry across areas including:

  • Photonics
  • Artificial intelligence and machine learning
  • Future networks: 5G, the internet of things (IoT) and advanced network technologies
  • Immersive technologies
  • Distributed systems including blockchain

The Innovation Practice team, led by Senior Innovation Partner Brendan Lowry, provide a range of delivery activities including eco-system building, industry outreach, acceleration programme delivery and innovation consultancy.

Project management, led by David Gourley David plays a key role in engaging internal and external stakeholders across the consortium on these elements of the programme including timelines, work package progress and reporting functions.

The Marketing and Communications team led by Julie McCullagh, work collaboratively with consortium partners to help promote Smart Nano NI, develop industry focused case studies, blogs and digital/ hard copy materials, alongside engagement activities during recruitment for programmes and interventions.