-
£30m earmarked for Liverpool City Region
-
Portfolio of projects would leverage a further £360m in
private sector investment
-
£500m Local Innovation Partnerships
Fund aimed at boosting high-potential innovation clusters
across the UK
-
Mayor said: ‘Innovation has been
central to my vision for the Liverpool City Region from the
very start.'
A portfolio of Liverpool City Region projects is in line to
receive £30m from a new £500m national innovation fund.
The projects are seeking funding from the Government's Local
Innovation Partnership Fund but could leverage a further £360m
from the private sector, bringing the total investment to around
£400m.
Led by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the fund is designed to
support the development and scaling of high-potential existing
and emerging innovation clusters across the UK.
The Combined Authority is acting as Lead Bidder for the city
region's submission for funding, with the programme governed
through the Local Innovation Partnership Group, made up of
representatives from civic institutions, universities, industry,
and the social economy.
Following a Combined Authority-led call for projects before
Christmas, the Local Innovation Partnership Group has produced a
portfolio of projects. The Combined Authority will work with UKRI
to finalise the submission and the projects, with final funding
figures due to be revealed in early summer 2026.
Speaking about the shortlist, Liverpool City Region Mayor
said:
“Innovation has been central to my vision for the Liverpool City
Region from the very start - not as an abstract idea, but as a
practical way to build a stronger, fairer and greener economy
that works for local people.
"That's why we've set ourselves an ambitious goal to invest 5% of
our GVA into research and development by 2030. Done right, that
could unlock billions of pounds in economic growth and support
tens of thousands of high-quality, well-paid jobs across our
region.
"The £30m we're in line to receive from the Local Innovation
Partnership Fund reflects the growing confidence in our region's
ability to turn bold ideas into real-world impact. By working
closely with UKRI and our partners across academia, industry and
the social economy, we've brought together a strong and credible
pipeline of projects that have the potential to be genuinely
transformational for the Liverpool City Region.”
The draft shortlist of projects will be submitted to UKRI for
review in February, where the project portfolio will undergo a
quality assurance process before final selection is completed in
March/April 2026.
