COVER STORY | DIGITALISATION
stage businesses in those specialist
technology areas. Says Silver: “When
we talked to them all on a regular
basis, we’re really trying to figure out
with them, what are the things that
are holding them back. And what are
the things that we could build – what
kinds of environments can be created
– that would allow them to move
forward more quickly and overcome
some of those barriers and find ways
of collaborating better?”
The creation of environments – be
they digital spaces, physical spaces,
test beds and networks in which
people can both experiment and try
applications of technology out – is
key to the Catapult’s role. This is in
part because it allows participants
to collaborate with people that they
wouldn’t otherwise get to meet with.
“That might be small companies
working with traditional players; it
may be academics coming to play
with startups; or it may just be people
from entirely different disciplines
in technology, especially service
coming together around projects.
So, we run and create facilities of that
kind,” says Silver.
But building facilities on their
own isn’t enough, according to
Silver. “What you do need to do is
to build programmes and create
innovation environments. And that’s
“We’re very fortunate
in that we’ve been able to
work with around 300 or 400
early-stage companies a year
in really close proximity to
our programmes. In the last
12 months, we’ve had about
90 companies raise over
£100 million pounds between
the other place where
we’ve developed some
expertise and I think are
different from some of
the other accelerators
and incubators,
because we’re so very
specific, both in the
physical environment and
the digital environment
that we offer to work in. But
also, there is a real focus on
particular areas of technology and
applications,” he says.
The results speak for themselves.
Says Silver: “We’re very fortunate
in that we’ve been able to work
with around 300 or 400 early-stage
companies a year in really close
proximity to our programmes. In the
last 12 months, we’ve had about 90
companies raise over £100 million
between them. And that’s a real
measure of success for us. So, when
we think about how do we know
whether we’re making a difference
or not, it’s whether the companies
that we’re working with are growing
and adding employees? Are they
bringing new products to market?
Are they making long term contracts
with traditional businesses? And are
they getting private investment?
“Everything we’re trying to
do with them is to find ways of
demonstrating a great way
of making this technology
work and here’s an
application area that you
can develop and deploy
in other contexts.”
In the longer term,
Silver sees the Digital
Catapult as playing a
crucial role in the longterm
success of the UK’s
engineering sector. “There’s
no question that the way we attract
people to the UK is by bringing
together that combination of
academic strength, but of capability
of the kind that we’re really trying
to develop, which is how to take that
expertise that comes out the research
base, and really make it real in a
commercial environment.”
On a personal level, he says: “The
thing that I find the most exciting is
can we get the kind of the energy
and the innovation that you find in
start-up businesses, and make sure
that they’re really sustainable and
can grow in the longer term and then
infect and contaminate traditional
businesses in a way that allows
them to develop and change rapidly
as well. If we can bring those two
kind of forces together, then there’s
enormous opportunity there. And
that’s what we’re all about.” !
them”
12 WWW.EUREKAMAGAZINE.CO.UK | NOVEMBER 2019
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