Innovation Accelerator programme powers regional growth

SME OX Delivers - the world’s first flat-pack truck manufacturer, has benefitted from Clean Futures

Led by Connected Places Catapult in conjunction with Coventry University, Clean Futures is accelerating the adoption of sustainable technologies in the West Midlands transport sector. The initiative has supported development trials for 39 businesses, created or safeguarded over 54 jobs, and attracted £30 million of realised private co-investment with an additional £100 million in follow-on commercial contracts.

Based in Dudley and Coventry, Clean Futures provides resources and guidance on ‘greener’ transport infrastructure, road freight alternatives and ‘greener’ electric vehicle (EV) components. It is one of five projects funded within the West Midlands portfolio of the Innovation Accelerator (IA) pilot programme, which is transforming the innovation landscape in the UK and paving the way for the future of place-based research and development (R&D) investment.

Since its launch in 2023, the Innovation Accelerator programme has invested £100 million in 26 transformative R&D projects, focusing on high-potential innovation clusters in three UK regions — Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and Glasgow City Region and has been extended by £30 million for 2025/26. The programme builds on regional cluster strengths and brings together the innovation ecosystem, to drive economic growth and technological advancement.

The programme is led by Innovate UK, on behalf of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and co-created in the West Midlands with regional leadership to ensure it is locally led and focused on harnessing the region’s strengths in advanced manufacturing, health diagnostics and the transition to ‘net zero’.

Strong collaboration
Thanks to a well-established local governance structure and strong collaboration between industry, universities, and innovation assets, the West Midlands was primed to make the most of the programme. The Innovation Accelerator programme provided the missing link to take the region’s significant R&D activity, to reach industrialisation or commercialisation, creating stronger connections between universities and industry to transform cutting-edge research into tangible business opportunities.

Two years since its launch the projects supported are demonstrating globally competitive research and development that is putting the region’s innovation strengths on the map. One of the 39 businesses which has benefitted from Clean Futures is SME OX Delivers - the world’s first flat-pack truck manufacturer. OX Delivers are providing affordable transportation for small-scale farmers in the Global South to deliver and sell their products in emerging markets.

Support from Clean Futures and the Coventry University digital manufacturing research team enabled OX Delivers to utilise digital twin technology to transform its manufacturing management system (MMS) from a paper-based process to a three-click digital solution. This custom-built system enabled OX Delivers to automate and integrate EV manufacturing processes, significantly reducing costs and inefficiencies including reducing production labour time by 15%.

Science Minister Lord Vallance said: “The Innovation Accelerator programme is unlocking new opportunities for growth in regions across the UK and this £30 million investment backs further collaboration between business, academia and the Government to build on local innovation that can improve lives across the country. The West Midlands Clean Futures Accelerator is behind dozens of new jobs so far and has attracted over £100 million in co-investment, demonstrating the part it can play in strengthening the local economy while supporting the transition from fossil-fuelled to clean-tech solutions.”

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “It is right here in the West Midlands that James Watt perfected his revolutionary steam engine and where the UK’s first petrol driven car was made.
Now, in the 21st century, we are pioneering new 5G-powered technologies, health and medical tech, and life sciences. Our Innovation Accelerator has already helped more than 700 businesses, researchers and entrepreneurs secure £70 million of additional investment, fuelling new ideas, creating jobs, and driving growth. With fresh Government backing for my Growth for Everyone plan, I am investing in top talent, cutting-edge research, and real-world solutions to build a stronger and more prosperous economy for the West Midlands.”

Positive impacts
Alex Weedon, Connected Places Catapult’s executive director (SME development and academic engagement), said: “The funding we have received from the Innovation Accelerator programme has enabled Clean Futures to support the region’s transport sector to be at the heart of the ‘Green Industrial Revolution’. Bringing together industry needs, academic knowledge and SME innovations has been the most successful part of this programme and we are already seeing the positive impacts of growing investment figures and job creation.”

Natalie Dowsett, OX Delivers co-founder and COO, said: “At OX Delivers, we are building the world’s first purpose-designed electric truck for the Global South, and to scale effectively, we need manufacturing tools as innovative as our vehicles. The Clean Futures Accelerator has enabled us to develop a digital, three-click Manufacturing Management System that gives us the flexibility to grow with customer demand.”

She concluded: “With support from Coventry University and Innovate UK, we’ve cut production labour time by an estimated 15%. This kind of innovation and speed is essential not just for our growth, but for scaling clean transport solutions where they are needed most.”

The Innovation Accelerator programme has helped to catalyse transformative innovation projects and bolster the UK’s global competitiveness. For more information and to find out about other projects that have been funded through the programme, visit the Innovate UK Business Connect website.