Opportunity: London Technology Fund Competition 2009, c/d 30 May 2009

The London Technology Fund Competition 2009 is seeking entries. Prizes include a share of up to £1m in investment funding, over 100,000 worth of training and advice and a ‘speed dating’ event offering the opportunity to meet major technology corporates.The company must be based in London; be an SME; be at the seed stage (having an idea), start-up stage (prior to trading) or early stage of development (and still losing money at the pre-tax level); be operating in one of the following areas of technology: communications, computer (hardware, semiconductors and software), internet technology, other electronics related areas, biotechnology, medical (instruments, pharmaceuticals and healthcare), emerging technologies, energy, environment, physical sciences and engineering, new materials, and value added manufacturing. The deadline for submission of entries is 30th May 2009. Winners will be announced at a ceremony to be held on 4th November 2009.

Early applicants (those entering before the end of March) will also receive a free copy of the publication Sources of Finance and Advice for SMEs in London, which features the R&D Society.

Opportunity: London Technology Fund Competition 2008, c/d 30 June 2008

The London Technology Fund Competition 2008 is seeking entries. Prizes include a share of up to £1m in investment funding, over 100,000 worth of training and advice and a ‘speed dating’ event offering the opportunity to meet major technology corporates.

The company must be based in London; be an SME; be at the seed stage (having an idea), start-up stage (prior to trading) or early stage of development (and still losing money at the pre-tax level); be operating in one of the following areas of technology: communications, computer (hardware, semiconductors and software), internet technology, other electronics related areas, biotechnology, medical (instruments, pharmaceuticals and healthcare), emerging technologies, energy, environment, physical sciences and engineering, new materials, and value added manufacturing.

The deadline for submission of entries is 30th June 2008. Winners will be announced at a ceremony to be held on 29th October 2008.

R&D Society in the media: Comment on Microsoft Startup Accelerator Programme

Microsoft has launched a Startup Accelerator Programme for UK businesses, which will offer technical and commercial support to technology start-ups. Microsoft will provide bespoke non-financial support including software development resources, training, access to new Microsoft technologies.

For an article in the 4 October 2007 issue of IT Week, Martyn Buxton-Hoare of the Research and Development Society commented:

Many technology start-ups find it difficult to get the level of investment that's between that provided by friends, family, seed funds and business angels for proof-of-concept, and the level of funding offered by venture capitalists for large-scale development. So any new funding sources of £300k - £1.5M, or anything that would would encourage that level of investment, is welcome.

Start-ups with a web business model often aren't as well protected by patents as other technology companies, and are seen by investors as being at risk from copycats. If a corporate partner with muscle lends its name and reputation to the start-up, that will help reassure those investors, so attracting funding and deterring copycats.