The Mayor’s Big Ideas Challenge for SMEs

How can innovation tackle health inequalities to create a healthier and happier West Yorkshire?

This is a unique opportunity tailored to support West Yorkshire SMEs to accelerate their solutions by providing:

• Twenty £20,000 development grants for selected finalists
• Three £100,000 final awards for continued development and commercialisation of solutions
• Access to Nexus’s non-resident membership programme, providing not just access to a range of experts and support, but also access to its facilities
• Opportunities to connect and become part of a cohort of like-minded innovators through our events, activities and shared platforms
• Access to a package of support tailored to finalists’ needs for commercialisation, covering topics such as human centered design, partnerships, commercialisation, investment readiness and more.

Entrants must be registered small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including alternative business models and registered charities undertaking economic activity, with a maximum of 249 employees. Entrants can be single organisations or consortium.

Timeline and key dates

12 February 2025 – Challenge open for entries

7 May 2025 – Entry closes

June 2025 – Announcement of 20 finalists
March 2026 – Announcement of 3 winners