East of England Development Agency

which helps individuals and businesses test if the market is ready for their ideas.

Recipients of the grant include GFS Projects based in Peterborough, which received a grant to develop an unmanned flying vehicle, and Probe Scientific based in Bedford, which has developed a 'needleless' blood sampling device.

Mark Aspinall, head of enterprise and innovation at EEDA, said: 'These are just two of the companies to be given proof of concept funding which will enable them to test the commercial viability of their innovative ideas. Altogether 50 companies across the region have been successful in receiving grants of between 5,000 and 40,000.

'Individuals and smaller companies are often lost for want of a little investment to see whether a product will work and whether there is a market for it. Now these companies can take the next step forward and hopefully see their dreams become a reality.'

Other successful applicants include:

KIS of Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, has invented a new design of bra fastener

Joule Corporation, of Beaumont, Essex, which is developing a potential new power supply

Principal Design, of Framlingham in Suffolk, which is developing a product that will install and remove contact lenses from the user's eye and clean and store the lenses

Active Technologies, of Norwich, Norfolk, which is developing a new 'efficient throttle valve' for motor sport applications

Geoff Hatton, of GFS Projects, said: 'Ever since I was in the hovercraft industry, I've wanted to develop a craft that could go up into the air as well as move across the ground. Our UAV takes off vertically and can land virtually anywhere. We've filed four patent applications on the basic design and are now developing automated flight controls.

'There are so many market sectors we could target - we've identified over 20 - that we now need professional market research to help us narrow down the options. EEDA's grant has enabled us to appoint England Marketing of Warboys, near Cambridge to do the study.'

The Proof of Concept scheme has been so successful, generating 177 applications from across the region, that EEDA is planning to run it again next year.

Mark Aspinall added: 'This year's round of funding may be ending, but I would encourage others with innovative ideas to think about applying for a proof of concept grant next year as well as taking a look at other possible sources of funding. At EEDA we have a number of initiatives to help new businesses start up and grow. This funding is just one way to help those who have an innovative idea to get it to market.'

Individuals and businesses interested in finding out more about innovation and funding in the East of England can visit www.eeda.org.uk/funding.


Proof of concept fund recipients
The following companies were among those to have received Proof of Concept funding from EEDA this year:

Company Name / Location

3D Experience Ltd Hertfordshire

3T Technologies Ltd Essex

Active Technolgies Ltd Norfolk

AlertMe.com Ltd Cambridgeshire

Asymptote Ltd Cambridgeshire

Bactest Ltd Bedfordshire

Broca Networks Ltd Cambridgeshire

Cambridge Design Partnership Ltd Cambridgeshire

Cambridge Ontology Ltd Cambridgeshire

Cambridge Printed Technologies Ltd Cambridgeshire

Cranfield Health Bedfordshire

Fiberlogix Ltd Hertfordshire

Flexicast Ltd Essex

GFS Projects Ltd Cambridgeshire

Glue4 Technologies Ltd Norfolk

Green Energy Options Ltd Cambridgeshire

GT Vision Ltd Suffolk

Helmsman (W.B. Bawn & Company Ltd) Suffolk

ImmBio Therapeutics Cambridgeshire

Im-Sense Ltd Norfolk

Intelligent Fabric Technologies (IFT) Hertfordshire

J.H. Innovations Essex

Jill Birch Norfolk

Joule Corporation Ltd Essex

Juice Technology Ltd Hertfordshire

KIS Hertfordshire

Lysanda Ltd Essex

mo.jo.co.uk Ltd Cambridgeshire

Novalia Cambridgeshire

On My Mobile Cambridgeshire

Optical Systems Ltd Essex

Principal Design (UK) Ltd Suffolk

Probe Scientific Bedfordshire

PIL Membranes Ltd Norfolk

Sprite Projects Ltd Norfolk

Surface Control Ltd Hertfordshire

tcm (r&d) Ltd Cambridgeshire

Technical Security System Ltd Norfolk

Tracker<

Undo Ltd Cambridgeshire

University of East Anglia Norfolk

University of Hertfordshire Hertfordshire

Urban Modelling Group Norfolk

Vidanti Ltd Cambridgeshire

Westoby Yates Ltd Suffolk

Zentian Ltd Cambridgeshire


About EEDA
The East of England Development Agency (EEDA) is the driving force behind sustainable economic regeneration in the East of England: Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. The vision is for the East of England is to create a leading economy, founded on a world class knowledge base, creativity and enterprise to improve the quality of life for all who live and work here.

EEDA aims to do this by:
1. Setting and shaping the direction of economic development in the region
2. Persuading and influencing others to bring resources together, so that innovative ways of solving challenging economic issues are found
3. Investing in imaginative projects that challenge the norm and will have a significant impact on economic development in the region.

These aims are delivered through the four key areas of Business Support, Enterprise Hubs, Investing in Communities, and Regional Renaissance.

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For further press information
Lisa Davidson, communications executive at EEDA, tel: 01223 200871, email: lisadavidson@eeda.org.uk