HOVIP - Heads of the Valleys Innovation Programme

• Sole Traders
• Businesses with less than 20 employees
• Businesses with more than 20 employees
• Social Enterprise Business

Testimonials

"The most useful aspect of the workshop was being able to define opportunities before wasting time and money getting nowhere."

K. Paine, Kenneth Paine & Company

2008 Highlights (March – December)

• 69 business beneficiaries to-date (Dec 08)
• Helped 31 businesses achieve £74k new business and £355k funding
• Delivered 7 HOVIP workshops
• One-third of Design Wales' branding workshops delivered in HoV
• 88% delegates (42) rated all workshops excellent or very good
• Held six events at HoV venues
• Penn Pharmaceuticals (sole sponsor of inaugural Wales Innovation Award) use the ViTCC six times in 6 months after HOVIP delivers tailored innovation workshops for the Company Forum
• BT, HSBC, NESTA, ngb2b and Wales Quality Centre sponsor HoV Innovation Awards & Market Place
• BT and NESTA double their sponsorship
• Double the number of HoV Innovation Award entrants (cf. 2007)
• 11 (out of 34) entrants for HoV Innovation Awards are social enterprises
• 171 visitors attended HoV Innovation Awards & Market Place
• One quarter of Market Place exhibitors signed new business within one month of the event
• HoV Innovation Award winner hosts first 'Inside Welsh Industry' best practice visit as a result of HOVIP / Wales Quality Centre pilot
• Holder of 2008 RCT Best New Business wins tender and produces HoV Innovation Award winners’ videos
• Sponsored launch of Merthyr’s input to National Enterprise Week
• 2008 holder of Queens Award for Enterprise Support becomes HOVIP associate
• Started Turning Heads Club for HoV Award entrants & winners
• HOVIP wins a Wales National Training Award
• Five HoV entries (out of 41) for inaugural Wales Innovation Award