Wed, 08 June, 2022
We are pleased to introduce a new member of the Tees Valley Innovation Accelerator team, innovation senior project leader, Marianna Digka.
We took a few moments to catch up with Marianna, find out about her background and how she is involved in helping advance innovations in new product, process and services development for the Tees Valley region…
Hi Marianna, can you start by letting us know a bit about yourself?
Hi, I am Marianna Digka and I recently joined TWI as a member of the public funding management team. I hold a BSc (Hons) in Applied Economics from Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece, where I come from. I have a strong entrepreneurial background and I also worked previously as a subcontractor of TWI, writing grant proposal bids with Castalia Innovations.
What is your role with the Tees Valley Innovation Accelerator (TIA)?
I will be actively involved in the TIA programme as an Innovation Senior Project Leader. My main focus will be to nurture the SMEs entering the programme through 1:1 consultations and coaching for growth through innovation and, consequently, through assisting them to access funding that will allow them to fast track their offerings to the market. As a secondary task, I will be looking to support the marketing actions needed to attract those SMEs and make the TIA programme as inviting for them as possible.
How did you come to be involved with TIA, and what do you think it offers to organisations in the Tees Valley region?
UK regional programmes like TIA are something I loved upon arriving in the country three years ago. Growth and innovation is actively supported through such initiatives, something that is not the case for many other countries. Specifically speaking of the TIA project, I was also largely attracted by the team currently delivering it. It’s a team that really cares for the SMEs, and the value they provide is amazing, spanning from linking entrepreneurs with the right stakeholders to IP rights consulting and bid proposal writing, all at zero cost for the businesses involved.
Why do you think it is good for the Teesside area in particular?
I believe that this support is being offered at a very critical moment. Clearly the landscape is changing for businesses globally, but positive change will not happen unless we engage locally and that is exactly what the programme is offering, ‘tailored support to the local ecosystem towards enhancing its innovation potential in response to the challenges of Teesside’s economic geography.’
The aim is to build on the distinctiveness of the local economy and respond to the opportunities and challenges that flow from this. Namely, Teesside productivity performance exceeds national averages in process chemicals and digital and is also the UK’s largest port for outward tonnage, but the business base is under-developed relative to the size of the population and the scale-up performance is weak. Then there is the nation-wide urgent pressure to innovate on solutions that will decarbonise high CO2 emitting industries. And, finally, job creation in the area needs to address external perceptions that are influenced by an industrial past. These are already pressing issues for business leaders in the area and fast become the content for many difficult discussions that are held with those that enter the TIA programme.
Thanks for your time but, before we go, is there anything more you would like to add?
I would like to invite anyone who might be interested in the TIA programme to reach out to us for a brief introductory discussion, even if they consider themselves too ‘small’ or too confused about how to move ahead with their innovation activities.
Tees Valley Innovation Accelerator (TIA) is funded by the European Regional Development Fund in the Northern Powerhouse Region