MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE, POSSIBLE

Hi, Mandy Wheeler here!  

If the last eighteen months have done anything, they’ve forced us all to be more creative, which makes this is an ideal time to step back and take a critical look at this elusive skill.  

Creativity — or innovation, imagination, ingenuity — means different things to different people. Whatever you think it is, most of us would agree that creativity is essential for business success. But it is not always easy to achieve. Why is that? Are we going about it in the wrong way?  

That is one of the questions Luke Sorba and I will invite you to explore in our workshop: Creativity…Reimagined. As practitioners and lecturers, we both have spent our professional lives in the creative industries. We’ve decades of experience in coaxing creativity out of hiding. It is our belief that the key to a successful creative working environment isn’t more brainstorming sessions; it’s knowing how to help people get out of their own way.  

Creativity Reimagined is a full day session designed to get you thinking about where creativity fits into your business, and how you want to work with it in the future. There’ll be exercises and chat (and no PowerPoint slides). You’ll get up from your chair, move about, work in pairs and in groups. Along the way you’ll learn how you can help yourself and others get comfortable with spontaneity and develop a flexible, resilient mindset that doesn’t shrink when faced with uncertainty.  

You’ll also laugh a lot, and surprise yourself, we promise.  

We hope you’ll join us. 

Book your place at this event here: https://productivityprogramme.co.uk/event/creativity-reimagined-2/  

• Date: 14th October 2021 

• Time: 09:00 – 17:00 
• Location: Stoke Rochford Hall Hotel, Grantham 

Please note tickets are limited to one person per company for this event, eligible businesses only. In the event of unforeseen Covid-19 government restrictions, the session will be moved online and carried out virtually. 

Productivity Programme has been working with a Lincolnshire woman, Sandra McDonough, who has battled Parkinson’s disease for more than 18 years and has now invented a device that could help 145,000 people living with the condition in the UK to manage and control their symptoms and improve their quality of life. 

Sandra gradually deteriorated until she had to stop driving and was resigned to using a wheelchair, yet she was determined to find a solution to help overcome her debilitating condition.  

The idea for the Eye Guide MC came to her when she placed a knitting marker on her glasses, she immediately noticed an effect on her hemispatial neglect, a condition which meant she had no awareness of the world on the left side of her body. The idea was beautifully simple, if she could alter messages to her brain by simply placing something in her peripheral vision, she could make a device that could help to control Parkinson’s symptoms. With her concept in hand, she needed help to formulate a business plan and to fund her product development, that is where she enlisted the support from our team. 

We’ve helped Sandra develop skills that would help guide her plans, including how to apply for grant funding. She learnt where to access funding and the process of building her business. Our team took Sandra all the way through the process, helping her become more business-minded and encouraging her to move forward with her product development. 

Sandra said: “The Productivity Programme resource is second to none because the team helped me to build confidence in myself to accomplish my goals. They supported me every step of the way and provided the tools I needed to get there. 

“I can’t imagine starting a business now without them.” 

For more information about the Eye Guide MC and to get in contact with the team please see the Eye Guide MC Facebook page.  

You can also view a full video case study on the Eye Guide MC.

Did you know that the University of Lincoln can help businesses within a wide range of sectors -Charities, Community Interest Companies and Private Sector Firms?

The Productivity Programme, delivered by the University of Lincoln and funded by the European Regional Development Fund is designed to enable micro, small and medium sized businesses to boost productivity and support business growth through grant funding, business support and collaboration with the academic capacity at the University.

The Productivity Programme are holding virtual drop-in sessions that focus on Productivity Vouchers and Grants.

What is a Productivity Voucher? –

They are a great way to engage with academics at the University to help support you to drive levels of Productivity and support businesses to grow. Vouchers provide up to 20 days of support which are fully funded through the Programme with no financial cost to you! We have a whole range of specialisms and Productivity Vouchers are a great way for you to tap into the wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise of our academics!

What is a Productivity Grant?

If you are lacking finance, we can offer small revenue and capital grants between £1k – £10k. The grants can help increase your productivity and support you to grow your business. This could be anything from a piece of software, market testing, product testing or independent advice or expertise, it is flexible to fit your needs!

To find out more about these events & how to sign up please visit the below links to register.

Vouchers

Grants

For further information, please contact Reece Leggett and Charli Baty via rleggett@lincoln.ac.uk / cbaty@lincoln.ac.uk

Think Productive are turning traditional time management on its head at their training session on the 29^th of September. So, if you are overwhelmed or struggling with constant distractions and information overload this is the training for you.

Following the success of last year’s virtual session, this face-to-face deep dive will offer plenty of interactive exercises and group discussions as well as 1-1 Ninja coaching. They want to help you manage attention and focus, projects, and actions, as well as choices and habits.

Previous testimonials:

“Great delivery and materials. I will be changing things in my working life using skills learned today.”

“Loved the session, will take a lot from this – there is so much more to Time Management than you think!”

Think Productive (www.thinkproductive.co.uk) was established in spring 2009, they are a team of productivity and wellbeing experts who passionately believe that time is not your most precious resource: your attention is.

The team work on the aspects of working life that cause confusion, distraction and information overload which are the biggest obstacles to ‘getting things done’ – and which conventional ‘time management’ programmes do little to address.

Their work has taken them across the UK, running workshops for clients such as eBay, GlaxoSmithKline, BP, The British Library, The National Trust, American Express and WorldPay.

To secure your place for this training event click here: https://productivityprogramme.co.uk/event/how-to-be-a-productivity-ninja/

• Date: 29^th September 2021
• Time: 09:00 – 17:00
• Location: Doubletree by Hilton Forest Pines, Brigg

Please note tickets are limited to one person per company for this event, eligible businesses only. In the event of unforeseen Covid-19 government restrictions, the session will be moved online and carried out virtually. 

To find out more about the Productivity Programme, follow its Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube feeds or visit: http://www.productivityprogramme.co.uk/

It’s now been three weeks since I joined the Productivity Programme team at the University of Lincoln (time really flies!) as Business Development Officer, having previously led the Graduate Enterprise side of things before moving to work at the Grimsby Institute. Having returned to UoL to take on this dynamic role, I can honestly say it’s been brilliant in every sense. I’ve loved meeting some of the amazing businesses in the region who are benefiting from our academic support and grant funding, while also working alongside knowledgeable and enthusiastic colleagues who have helped me settle back in like I’d never left!

This last two years have been like nothing we’ve ever experienced, but I have been blown away with how businesses have adapted to ‘the new normal’, pivoted to reach new markets and continue to research and innovate in such a challenging climate.

The Programme, with its various strands of support, has proven to be a vital lifeline to many entrepreneurs and businesses, and continues have real impact as we collaboratively respond to new challenges.

Having been born and raised in North East Lincolnshire, I feel passionately about helping our region’s business community to flourish with our support, and look forward to helping the Programme to benefit more local organisations.

Since the Productivity Programme began, we have had the great honour of helping micro, small and medium-sized businesses launch and thrive through grant funding, business support and collaboration with the academic capacity of the University of Lincoln. (more…)

GSA Environmental Limited, based in Brigg, North Lincolnshire, is one of the latest businesses to have transformed its operations and formed a partnership with the University of Lincoln after benefiting from several initiatives offered through the university’s programmes including the KTP initiative and the Innovation Programme for Greater Lincolnshire. (more…)

We are delighted to announce that ATT has been awarded a Productivity Voucher of 20 days of development support from the University of Lincoln, recently named Modern University of the Year in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021 to support the creation of its innovative e-Nudge app. (more…)

A study undertaken by The University of Lincoln has revealed that airborne pathogens in an office environment can be significantly reduced by the use of effective air purification systems.

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Working from home has many perks but on the other hand, it can open up opportunities for distraction which can hamper productivity. Here’s our top five tips for productivity… (more…)

Are you looking to inject new talent and ideas into your SME business? Then an internship could be the perfect solution for you.

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The University of Lincoln and telecoms provider Bluecube have partnered to deliver a two-day Covid support webinar ‘Business Reimagined’ this November. (more…)

Careers and Employability are hosting a student and industry-facing webinar to support the class of 2020 in their search for graduate roles in Lincolnshire. (more…)

Custom Fitness, based in Lincoln, is the latest business to have employed a graduate intern and benefited from funding and support during the coronavirus outbreak, thanks to the Productivity Programme. (more…)

The first in a series of our six weekly coronavirus crisis webinars which took place on Wednesday 25^th March and was led by Business Coach Simon Meadows was a huge success!

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In what is undoubtedly a worrying time, we wanted to reach out to our community with updates from the team and to highlight some of the resources available to support your business.

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GiftsOnline4U is one of many businesses to have benefited from funding thanks to the Innovation Programme. In this blog, the company’s founder explains his plans to get involved with the Productivity Programme.

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Last September we launched Growing Graduate Enterprise – our brand new programme aimed at supporting graduates who want to set up and run a business in Greater Lincolnshire. (more…)

We were joined by some of the best businesses in Greater Lincolnshire on Wednesday night to celebrate the launch of our new Productivity Programme.

Our latest scheme aims to drive levels of productivity and investment in Greater Lincolnshire. It’s been launched following the success of our Innovation Programme developed by the University of Lincoln, which has helped a total of 511 businesses by funding innovative ideas and practical advice.

Andrew Stevenson, Director of Research and Enterprise at the University of Lincoln, kicked off the night, introducing the programme and stressing the importance of pushing businesses in our region to reach their full potential.

We were also honoured to be joined by Colin Jackson CBE, Olympic silver medallist, two-time world champion and two-time Commonwealth champion, to talk about how he made the impossible possible throughout his career. He also kindly offered his support for what we hope to achieve with our new programme.

We were inspired by how hard Colin worked to adapt and overcome the obstacles he faced before achieving great success as an athlete, and we want to help businesses adopt this mentality and thrive in what can be a challenging economic environment.

While the Productivity Programme offers some of the same types of support as the Innovation Programme, one key element is that it is open to businesses that previously took advantage of the previous programme as well as new businesses.

The programme will support our local businesses through funding and advice, including match-funded grants of up to £10,000, up to 16 days of academic support from the University of Lincoln and up to £3,000 of funding for graduate interns.

The UK’s growth in gross domestic product (GDP) per hour worked remains well below that of many of our major international competitor countries. The programme will greatly contribute towards closing the productivity gap in Greater Lincolnshire by directly supporting business growth.

Greater Lincolnshire is such a fantastic place to work with a range of inspiring and innovative businesses, yet our economy has typically had limited investment in productivity.

The Productivity Programme will be a key part of driving growth, allowing micro, small and medium-sized businesses to do things differently and achieve their goals.

To find out more about how we can help your business reach its full potential, get in contact or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.