Programmes
We believe deeply in the power of partnership, especially when it comes to driving innovation.
Through our innovation programmes, we bring together startups, scaleups, universities, policy makers and corporations to tackle the big challenges we face today and make a meaningful impact on the world.
Designed to help business build a viable future
We help businesses of all sizes become fit for the future by collaborating with the startups, academics and corporates who are disrupting their industries. Working with fresh and diverse minds is the secret to igniting entrepreneurial company culture, inspiring teams and driving innovation in agile ways that are quicker, cheaper, and more effective than traditional R&D.
We help the smartest minds in the world build amazing businesses
From mentorship to accelerator programmes – we provide the knowledge, guidance, connections and structure to unlock the potential of a great idea. Our teams offer a range of expertise from product design to investment, shaped to help entrepreneurs accelerate from launch to rapid growth.
Join one of our existing programmes, or speak to our specialist team to find out how we can help you to bring innovation into your organisation.
The current innovation programmes in all Plus X locations
Plus X Location
Product Foundry
Brighton
Join Product Foundry to learn how to make your physical product ideas a reality and help your business grow. Product Foundry is an intensive innovation programme to help you develop your product ideas through hands-on design, making and testing.
The Brighton Research Innovation Technology Exchange project (BRITE) in partnership with University of Brighton is supported by ERDF and based at Plus X Brighton. The project delivers innovation business support to ambitious SMEs in the Coast to Capital area.
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Pioneers
Brighton
Pioneers is an intensive 2-day programme supporting and developing business owners and leaders in the Coast to Capital region to create positive impact with industry partners.
The Brighton Research Innovation Technology Exchange project (BRITE) in partnership with University of Brighton is supported by ERDF and based at Plus X Brighton. The project delivers innovation business support to ambitious SMEs in the Coast to Capital area.
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Corporate Innovation
All locations
Transform your innovation culture, and find solutions to your challenges through bespoke accelerators and programmes designed by innovation experts. Unlock ideas across your team, and connect with innovators with fresh new ideas.
Our corporate innovation programmes connect organisations with solutions to challenges that aren’t yet on their radar. Through in-depth startup scouting based on businesses’ specific needs, we create the connections needed to lead the future of business.
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BOOST
Central Research Laboratory
BOOST is a flexible support programme for startups and scaleups, including 1:1 mentorships, workshops, and in-depth ad hoc programmes that run over several days.
The Central Research Laboratory holds regular BOOST programmes to help product creators build their businesses. Short programmes focus on prototyping strategy, innovation, and preparing for manufacturing. Sessions are held multiple times a year, so sign up to the Central Research Laboratory newsletter to be the first to know about a new BOOST programme.
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Better World Collective
All locations
Connect and collaborate with leading startups and scaleups to solve your sustainable material innovation challenges.
We take the sustainable innovation challenges of leading corporates and create introductions to the startups and SMEs that can solve them.
Meet face to face with a group of industry change-makers and innovators under one roof on one day in our Better World Collective Innovation Summits.
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CRL Accelerator
Central Research Laboratory
The UK's first dynamic accelerator programme, supported by ERDF to help product makers and hardware pioneers build successful businesses.
- 6 month structured programme
- Supporting your customer needs and product fit
- Engineering & development expertise
- Funding & investment education
- Product manufacturing mentorship
- Growth marketing support
- £5,000 grant for testing and development
- Supported by the ERDF
BRITE
Brighton
The Brighton Research Innovation Technology Exchange project is supported by ERDF and based at Plus X Brighton.
The Brighton Research Innovation Technology Exchange project (BRITE) in partnership with University of Brighton is supported by ERDF and based at Plus X Brighton. The project delivers innovation business support to 115 ambitious SMEs.
Read MoreCase Studies
THE ACELERON STORY
“Our vision is to positively impact the lives of people globally. We are achieving this by continuously innovating our solutions and capabilities to provide the best lithium batteries available and the highest quality rapid testing for re-use.
CRL has transformed our startup from a university project to an award winning business”
CARLTON CUMMINS, CO-FOUNDER, ACELERON
This fast growing Company is producing lithium ion batteries for renewable energy, helping to reduce cost, waste and help developing Countries.
The CRL Accelerator team helped develop new business models for Aceleron, evolving their initial concept of re-purposing used electric car batteries to a wider proposition of energy storage as a service.
THE COSICARE STORY
“Its one thing to have an idea but its another to structure a business and have a plan to get all of the components you need to start a business”
1 in 5 children are currently suffering with Eczema in the UK.
CosiCare is a business that creates tools to mimic scratching and soothe itching. Patented technology offers a unique combination of cold and texture to soothe the skin safely and effectively.
Lauren Bell, the Founder of Cosicare joined the CRL accelerator in 2019. She has won numerous awards including Santander Entrepreneur of the Year, London Mayor’s Entrepreneur of 2019, Tata Varsity Pitch and Bosch Design Finalist.
“The team at CRL helped me re-think my original prototype which was ground-breaking for me. Using the facilities and expertise available, I was able to design a streamlined product ready for launch in 2020”.
THE MAKERS CABINET STORY
Makers Cabinet came together as a collective of artists, creatives and designers. Learning from their customers and pushing past the status quo of the industry, the team create inspiring, crafted drawing tools. Their first product launch was the Hovel pencil sharpener, raising £25,000 on Kickstarter.
“The workshops at CRL were perfect. The accelerator programme gave us space to work and mentorship with industry professionals”
The CRL workshops also enabled Makers Cabinet to explore various methods of production such as batch production versus mass production. Following the CRL programme, the team raised £250,000 through a variety of crowdfunding campaigns.
Makers Cabinet products are now sold all over the world with 50% of their customer base from the US.
THE MIMICA STORY
Solveiga Pakštaitė is the multi award winning founder of Mimica. In 2014, she conceived the concept of Mimica Touch, a temperature-sensitive indicator cap or label for food freshness, as part of her design degree at Brunel University.
Mimica Touch helps customers store food at the right temperature, and reduces food waste by showing when the food actually spoils, rather than relying on the wasteful worst-case scenario expiry date.
After graduating, Solveiga won the James Dyson Award for her freshness indicator project, attracting the attention of corporate food and drink producers and global media.
Over a 4 year period, Solveiga has grown the product development and team.
In 2015, she joined the CRL accelerator programme.
The programme helped her develop an early stage prototype and begin creating a business strategy for launching Mimica Touch.
Attracting £250k in grants and £1.35m in investment already, the Mimica team has grown to 8 people. Next steps for Solveiga and her team are to complete setting up the manufacture for launching Mimica Touch in the juice sector before expanding into other food groups.
Innovation Team
Toby Kress
Programmes Director
Toby Kress has worked closely with startups for the past 10 years, designing and developing highly successful innovation programmes and accelerators for corporations, startups and scaleups. Before joining Plus X, Toby led the oldest business incubator in London, helping startups scale from launch to Series A.
“I like that tech hardware attracts a particular type of entrepreneur. They’ve got great engineering skills, deep technical knowledge and brilliant minds for problem-solving”
Mat Hunter
Co-CEO
Mat's career began in Silicon Valley with world renowned innovation agency, IDEO. Since, he has been Chief Design Office at the Design Council and Managing Director of the Central Research Laboratory. He is recognised as a thought leader, frequently speaking at innovation and design conferences, arts and business institutions.
“Innovation is hard, but when you succeed it's magical. You imagine what is possible, you make that real and then you release it to your customers. And only then do you get to see the effect that you can have on the world.”
Anneza Pitsialis
Programme Manager
For the past seven years, Anneza has worked with startups to establish international partnerships and roll out innovation programmes across the world. Anneza brings her experience from Startupbootcamp, where she managed a community of 22 accelerator programmes across 15 cities.
“I love a business success story and the reward is immense, working with our Accelerator members to help take their prototype concept to a viable business.
Jim Reeves
Entrepreneur in Residence
Jim is a product design consultant and co-founder of the phenomenally successful GravityLight. He explains, “GravityLight was designed for off-grid families living in energy poverty, who would otherwise be relying on dangerous and expensive kerosene for their home lighting. I co-founded GravityLight as a social venture, to deliver innovative solutions to off-grid, low income homes.”
“Product designers play a significant part in shaping the world around them – socially, environmentally, economically and culturally. Some products simply ought to exist. They ‘deserve’ to exist. These are the products that interest me.”
