Seven projects designed to support innovators and entrepreneurs across the Eastern Region have been announced by the ideaSpace Enterprise Accelerator (iEA).

The ideaSpace Enterprise Accelerator (iEA) is a four year, East of England Development Agency enabled programme, which aims to help economic, strategic and social value to be generated across the Eastern Region.

For each year of the programme, iEA will provide grants to help establish projects that will deliver progress towards these aims. The seven projects being announced are:

• MakeSpace Cambridge - a community workshop with modern equipment such as 3D printers, 2D laser cutters, and electronics tools.

• Enterprise Tuesday Established in 1999 and organised by the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning, this project will launch the Enterprise Tuesday lecture series in two other universities in the region.

• Young Enterprise Aims to establish day-long enterprise workshops in 18 schools across the East of England.

• Open Innovation Workshops A series of Open Innovation workshops, delivered across the Region, to provide local firms with access to the latest thinking on innovation practice.

• National Consortium of University Entrepreneurs This project will establish a pilot programme to develop university enterprise and support the appointment of an East of England Director to work with higher education institutions across the region.

• Cambridge University Entrepreneurs This project aims to establish a peer support network to support other student enterprise groups in the Region.

• Springboard ideaSpace is working with Springboard, a start-up acceleration programme. The scheme combines advice, support, networking opportunities and access to initial investment capital.

Press release available here.