Collection

Innovate UK: case studies

Stories of businesses that have received funding and support from Innovate UK, developed new products and services and achieved growth.

This collection was withdrawn on

This content has been archived, as Innovate UK are now part of UKRI. For the latest information from Innovate UK, please visit the Innovate UK council page on the UKRI website.

These stories show how Innovate UK helps businesses test, develop and demonstrate innovative ideas.

They describe how funding and support has helped them to achieve their ambitions and become successful - from growing a start-up, expanding capabilities or supporting a move into new markets.

Global trade opportunities

OakTec: helping to power remote populations

OakTec powering remote populations

BuffaloGrid: connecting the next 1 billion to the internet

BuffaloGrid

Swanbarton: empowering communities in the developing world

Swanbarton

Ella’s Kitchen sells its organic baby and toddler food in countries including Norway, Sweden and the US, boasting a global turnover of $100 million.

Ella’s Kitchen: transforming the organic baby food market

Whitefox Technologies, a cleantech engineering company, gained a foothold in the US biofuel industry and connecting and working with Pacific Ethanol.

Whitefox Technologies establishes foothold in US biofuel industry

New facilities and capabilities

Run3D is building a franchised network with its technology to help professional athletes and other keen runners to avoid injury and improve performance.

Run 3D running gait analysis helps athletes avoid injuries

Ceres Power established a high-speed production line to scale up manufacturing of its innovative fuel cell.

Ceres Power: high speed print line helps scale up fuel cell production

Private investment and capital

Snap Fashion’s visual search engine allows consumers to find fashion items using photos they have taken or found online. Investors include Time Inc, the publisher of Marie Claire, InStyle and LOOK.

Snap Fashion: digital business revolutionising the way we shop

Chiaro - the developer of the wearable, connected pelvic floor exercise tool, Elvie - has attracted millions in capital, which is helping it to expand its product line and move into new markets.

Chiaro: UK tech company develops pelvic floor exercise tracker

Working with industry leaders

Dressipi worked with Arcadia Group, Marks & Spencer and Shop Direct to create personalised online experiences for shoppers.

Dressipi: fashioning your own digital wardrobe

iGeolise’s online platform - which allows search by travel time and transport mode - has attracted clients including Countrywide, Zoopla, JobSite and OpenTable.

iGeolise races ahead with time-based search

World firsts and world-leading

SwiftKey is one of the UK’s most successful start-ups, with its predictive texting app installed on more than 350 million devices worldwide.

Game Changers: Jon Reynolds - SwiftKey

Avanti deployed the world’s first satellite 3g backhaul service in partnership with Vodafone - a move that’s helped it to take a global lead in a sector worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Avanti: pioneering satellite communications across the world

Updates to this page

Published 28 October 2014
Last updated 13 October 2020 + show all updates
  1. Added Charm Impact case study to document collection: Global trade opportunities

  2. Added new case studies to the collection New Facilities and Capabilities: • Deos: delivering faster and better mobile medical screening • PyroGenesys • BuffaloGrid • Gravitricity • Highview Power

  3. Added the case study: Ionburst: safe and anonymous data in the cloud

  4. Added links to 3 Energy Catalyst case studies: OakTec, Swanbarton and BuffaloGrid

  5. Added to collection: Nanoco, Loopwheels, Demand Logic, SPECIFIC case studies

  6. Added links for 'Cleaner power and lower bills: making community energy work' case study.

  7. Added a new link to a story with Open Bionics, which worked with NHS England through an SBRI competition.

  8. Added links to Magma and Oxford Photovoltaics case studies.

  9. Added new case studies with Innovate UK-supported businesses Cygnet Texkimp, iProov, Jellagen and Qioptiq.

  10. Reorganised the page to make it clearer what each business has achieved. Case studies are now ordered by: company expansions and jobs; global trade opportunities; new facilities and capabilities; private investment and capital; working with industry leaders; and world firsts and world-leading.

  11. Added new case studies.

  12. These case studies of successful funding for innovative businesses have been updated and rearranged to reflect the 4 sector groups through which Innovate UK's support is organised. They are: emerging and enabling technologies; health and life sciences; infrastructure systems; manufacturing and materials.

  13. Added latest case studies.

  14. Latest case studies from March 2017 added.

  15. New entries added

  16. Updated with fresh case studies, including new embedded video stories.

  17. New success stories added, with video embedded in the introduction.

  18. First published.