Projects

The challenge:
There is a persistent disconnect between academic training and industry expectations. Employers face hiring difficulties due to skill mismatches, while graduates struggle to transition smoothly into industry roles. Engagement between universities and firms often occurs too late or is poorly aligned with student learning.

The project:
This initiative builds on FinTech West’s successful academic-industry collaboration model to deliver a regionally focused intervention in engaged catchment areas. It will map current pain points and develop practical recommendations for tighter alignment between universities and local employers. The project includes stakeholder workshops, one-on-one interviews, and a final report with actionable outputs.

The challenge:
Water scarcity is no longer a distant future concern for the UK – it’s a current and growing threat to economic resilience, public wellbeing, and regional prosperity. England faces a public water shortfall and parts of the East & South East are already acutely stressed, with some utilities already declining new business connections.

Businesses use ~30% of available water, yet only 43% engage in water‑saving activities. Awareness and coordination remain low.

The project:
A system-based programme that convenes business, finance, policy, utilities and academia to identify incentives and behaviours that reduce water demand while safeguarding economic continuity. We will co‑create a flexible, transferable framework designed in the West of England yet adaptable for other regions.

The challenge:
Business founders in underserved communities have limited access to experienced advice and guidance. Potential entrepreneurial talent remains untapped due to lack of confidence, local role models, and support. Existing startup support is often inaccessible, both geographically and culturally, being based in spaces designed for high-tech ventures, leaving community-based ideas unsupported and untapped.

The project:
This initiative provides regular sessions at the UoB Barton Hill Micro-campus (and potentially Hartcliffe), offering support directly within the community. It leverages existing networks to deliver practical sessions led by experienced professionals. The programme is being co-designed with the community to be accessible, low-cost, and responsive to local needs, with minimal barriers to participation.

The challenge:
Insurance is a major employer in the region yet InsurTechs have little localised support meaning they have to resort to expensive options to establish and grow their business, a heavily reliance on London centric activity or local, non-insurance related infrastructure. Despite advances in actuarial science, behavioural economics, and computational risk modelling, translation into practice remains slow and integration between academic research, regulatory engagement, and startup acceleration is poor.

The project:
To provide InsurTech startups with tailored tools, expertise, networks and infrastructure that accelerate growth, foster academic-industry collaboration and deliver innovations that improve resilience and competitiveness in the insurance industry. Core objectives are to:

- Support early-stage InsurTech founders with sector-focused guidance.
- Lower the cost and complexity of regulatory and compliance burdens.
- Create structured pathways to pilot/test with insurers and brokers.
- Foster academic collaborations across risk modelling, behavioural science and regulatory innovation.
- Attract investment to strengthen the South West as an InsurTech cluster.

The challenge:
Organisations face high costs and limited access to expertise when developing Proof of Concept (PoC) and innovation projects. Meanwhile, students struggle to find meaningful part-time work that aligns with their academic and career goals.

The project:
This approach, supported by FinTech West and delivered by Digital Skills Innovation (DSI), enables students to work on real-world AI PoC projects submitted by SMEs who need help. DSI manages the project lifecycle—from submission and scoping to team formation and delivery. The initiative offers practical, paid experience to students and innovative, affordable solutions to businesses.