A Bath firm developing biodegradable alternatives to harmful microplastics has won a £425,000 grant which could lead to its pioneering technology being produced on an industrial scale. Naturbeads has received the money from Innovate UK, the government’s innovation body, to explore commercialising the product, which is made from cellulose, a naturally occurring substance...
Bath-based glasses designer and manufacturer Inspecs Group has made its third acquisition in 18 months, snapping up a German spectacle frame distributor for €1.76m (£1.51m). Inspecs said buying BoDe Design Vertriebs, which also distributes Inspecs products in Holland, Austria and Switzerland, further reinforced its strategy of developing strategic distribution of its products to...
A scheme set up to bridge the digital divide by getting laptops to schools, charities and individuals who do not have access to technology has celebrated sending out 1,000 devices. Wiltshire Digital Drive was born from the success of a laptop recycling project started by Westbury-based Priority IT during lockdown. The scheme recycled...
Business people with strong networking experience and the credibility to champion the region are being sought by the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to join its business board. The LEP is looking to appoint new board members to help shape a brighter, greener future for the West of England’s residents. The LEP...
Bath businesses are partnering with the police, banking sector and specialists to spearhead a new crackdown on fraud in the South West. They have come together to re-launch the South West Fraud Forum (SWFF), which is dedicated to helping prevent businesses and individuals becoming victims of the crime. The organisation will be holding regular...
Rotork, the Bath-headquartered specialist manufacturer, has warned that global supply chain disruption, which has shut some of its production lines for weeks, will choke off any growth in its post-pandemic sales. The firm, which makes specialist valves for the global oil, gas, water and chemical industries, had reported a bounce back in profits...
Leading lights in Bath’s higher education, innovation and research communities are being invited to apply for posts representing the sectors on the board of the Western Gateway as it starts to ramp up its work. The gateway is the cross-border economic partnership of eight cities either side of the River Severn, including Bath. The...
Bath’s innovators, inventors, artists and designers are to get free help to protect their intellectual property (IP) under a new scheme offering expert support and advice. The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) scheme will run until December 17 and offer advice on copyright, patents and trade marks. Successful applicants will be able to...
Bath firms thinking of exporting or taking their international expansion to the next level can sign up to a week of special events hosted by experts. The Department for International Trade (DIT) will stage the first International Trade Week next week, with events – most of them virtual – including business and sector-led activities,...
Two-thirds of small firms in the South West have no active plan to reduce their impact on the environment, according to a new survey, with many arguing they should receive tax breaks, grants or low interest loans to help them go green. The report by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) – issued to...
