Sheffield semiconductor start-up raises £2.5m

Tess Egginton
-
0
Sheffield semiconductor start-up raises £2.5m
A start-up that aims to win the race to develop the world’s first ‘memory safe’ computer chip has raised £2.5m in a funding round led by Mercia Ventures. The investment was from NPIF II – Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II), and also angel investors from the UK and Silicon Valley. SCI Semiconductor, which brings together leading industry figures, has already signed up a number of key customers including Google Research. The funding will enable it to build a team of engineers in Sheffield and bring its product to market. SCI aims to resolve the problem of ‘memory safety’ which is the key factor in around 70% of cyber attacks. Traditional programming languages – on which Microsoft’s Windows and many industrial operating systems are based – allow memory to be freely accessed, which provides flexibility for software developers but also creates vulnerabilities. Coding errors or flaws can be exploited by hackers or bring down the entire system – as in the 2024 CrowdStrike event when a faulty software update affected companies worldwide. Current attempts to achieve memory safety, such as transitioning to more modern languages or introducing stricter development methods, are often too costly or impractical. SCI’s chip will enforce security by dividing memory into compartments and tightly controlling how it is accessed. The product, which would be used in conjunction with open source software and development tools, would reduce cybersecurity costs and remove the need for constant patching. SCI Semiconductor was founded in 2022 by Haydn Povey and Krishna Anne. Haydn has over 30 years’ experience in the semiconductor industry, including 10 years at ARM, and is the founder of Secure Thingz which was sold to IAR Systems Group for £30m in 2018. Krishna, who is based in Palo Alto, has held senior roles in tech companies including Secure Thingz, and is the founder of DataTrails. They have been joined by Dr David Jackson and Prof John Goodacre from the University of Manchester, and Dr David Chisnall from the University of Cambridge who are renowned as leaders in chip technology. The company, which has secured over £1m in government grants to help develop the technology, currently has a team of over 20. It now plans to set up a base in Sheffield and recruit a further 20 engineers. Haydn Povey, CEO, said: “Cybersecurity is second only to global conflict in terms of factors affecting the economy. Memory safe chips have been shown to prevent 70% of all attacks and would enable organisations to continue using existing software with complete peace of mind. “Developing a new generation of chips here in the UK will also help to ensure supply chain security and restore the country’s position as a leader in semiconductor technology.” Will Schaffer, investment director at Mercia Ventures, added: “Memory safety has been a problem for years but until now has been a secondary priority. However with the world becoming more dangerous, government and industry have woken up to the dangers. “Despite collaboration between the big tech companies, no one has yet managed to build a silicon chip that addresses the issue. The funding will help SCI to win the race for memory safety and deliver next generation security.”

Smailes Goldie walks the extra mile for Yorkshire Cancer Research

Tess Egginton
-
0
Smailes Goldie walks the extra mile for Yorkshire Cancer Research
Smailes Goldie, a chartered accountancy firm, is supporting Yorkshire Cancer Research by taking part in the We Walk for Yorkshire challenge this May. Throughout the month, team members across all five of the business’s Yorkshire offices will be collectively walking 1,000 miles with the goal of raising at least £1,000 to fund lifesaving cancer research. Leading the charge are colleagues from the Hull office: Rachel Underwood (business development manager), Matt Fox (partner), Rachel May (head of audit and compliance), Jayne Hussey (personal tax manager), and Darren Sanderson (consultant). Trainee accountants Eve Shelton and Ben Watkins are representing the firm from the Scarborough office, while fellow trainee Isabella Fink and accounts assistant Andrea Holliday will represent the Selby office. Erin Allsopp, a manager based at the Pickering office, will also be taking part, joined by Alison Dodgson (accounts manager) and Sally Sleightholme (accounts senior) from the Kirkbymoorside office. Rachel Underwood, business development manager at Smailes Goldie, said: “As a Yorkshire-based firm, we are committed to giving back and having a positive impact on our community. “Someone in Yorkshire is diagnosed with cancer every 17 minutes, so this is a cause very close to our hearts. “We are thrilled to have team members from all five of our Yorkshire offices taking on the We Walk for Yorkshire challenge. Together, we can help fund research, improve treatments, and save lives across the region.” Yorkshire has some of the highest cancer rates in England, with residents more likely to be diagnosed with, and die from, the disease than in most other parts of the country. Yorkshire Cancer Research funds vital research and pioneers lifesaving treatment for the benefit of people in Yorkshire. To sponsor the team, visit the Yorkshire Cancer Research website.

Steel and agriculture secure boost from UK trade deals

April Lara
-
0
Steel and agriculture secure boost from UK trade deals

Greater Lincolnshire’s manufacturing and farming sectors are set to benefit from recent UK trade agreements with the US, EU, and India, which will deliver a more stable trade environment and improved market access.

Around 39,000 manufacturing jobs in the region and 2,700 in Scunthorpe’s steelworks stand to gain from removing the 25% US tariff on UK steel exports. The UK exported £343 million worth of steel products to the US in 2024, and this new agreement protects a significant portion of the industry’s national workforce.

The revised agreement with the EU is expected to ease customs procedures and reduce checks in agriculture and food production, providing simpler access to the UK’s largest export market. Lower trade friction and greater continuity could benefit approximately 100,000 people in Lincolnshire’s food sector.

The UK-India deal includes provisions for reduced prices and increased availability of imported goods such as clothing and food. It also maintains UK standards in agriculture and protects local producers from being undercut.

The government says the combined impact of these deals is expected to drive inward investment and improve business confidence across the region. The changes align with broader plans to stimulate economic growth across the UK’s regions, emphasizing job retention, trade stability, and supply chain resilience.

Agri-food sector to receive £2.5m in skills infrastructure boost

April Lara
-
0
Agri-food sector to receive £2.5m in skills infrastructure boost

Greater Lincolnshire is investing £2.5 million to upgrade training infrastructure across six educational institutions to strengthen the region’s agri-food workforce. The funding is part of the area’s wider devolution deal, which enables local control over development priorities through a newly established combined authority. The UK Food Valley programme, now managed by Lincolnshire County Council, is distributing the grants as part of a broader effort to modernise training, attract investment, and support regional growth.

The funding will support a mix of capital projects to expand capacity, modernize teaching facilities, and align training with the latest industry standards. Riseholme College will create a Centre for Plant and Soil Science, equipping it with agricultural machinery and expanded teaching space to support further and higher education qualifications. DN Colleges Group plans to develop advanced laboratories to support a new food science degree and technical training in microbiology and food automation. Boston College is building a modular Agrifood Hub, complete with a hydroponics unit and digital suite, in partnership with Hydrogarden Ltd and the University of Lincoln, to address emerging skills gaps in sustainable food production.

Lincoln College is establishing an AgriLinc Training Hub focused on HGV and forklift driver qualifications, operating in collaboration with Branston Ltd., to address acute logistics shortages in the food supply chain. The Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology is transforming part of its Riseholme campus into a dedicated laboratory for soil, crop, and food analysis to upskill agronomists and growers. Meanwhile, the National Centre for Food Manufacturing at Holbeach will develop a STEM Digital Hub offering digital and engineering skills training to meet evolving workforce demands.

The funding represents a strategic push to build long-term capability in a sector critical to local employment and national food security. Investing in cutting-edge facilities and tailored training, the region aims to reinforce its status as a significant UK agri-food cluster.

New funding to accelerate UK-built cybersecurity chips

April Lara
-
0
New funding to accelerate UK-built cybersecurity chips

SCI Semiconductor has secured £2.5 million in fresh funding to advance development of what it claims will be the world’s first commercially viable “memory safe” computer chip. Mercia Ventures led the investment round through the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II, and UK and Silicon Valley-based angel investors participated.

The Sheffield-based firm is tackling memory safety, a longstanding vulnerability in legacy codebases such as those used in Microsoft Windows and industrial systems. Around 70% of cyberattacks exploit memory-related flaws. SCI’s technology aims to address this by embedding compartmentalised memory access control into hardware, offering an alternative to constant software patching.

Key early adopters include Google Research. SCI plans to double its engineering headcount to 40 and establish a permanent base in Sheffield. Founded in 2022 by Haydn Povey and Krishna Anne, the company has also received over £1 million in UK government R&D grants and draws on research from the University of Cambridge.

The chip, designed to work with open-source software and dev tools, positions SCI to capitalise on the growing demand for cybersecurity solutions embedded at the silicon level, particularly in defence, critical infrastructure, and industrial IoT.

This round signals growing investor appetite for UK-based deep tech firms addressing global security threats through hardware innovation.

£3.6bn worth of Lincolnshire projects promoted to investors

April Lara
-
0
£3.6bn worth of Lincolnshire projects promoted to investors

Greater Lincolnshire is pitching a £3.6 billion portfolio of investable projects to national and international stakeholders, with regional leaders positioning the area as a critical hub for UK infrastructure, technology, and energy. At this year’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) in Leeds, the newly formed Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority outlined 17 live investment opportunities spanning sectors from AI and advanced logistics to renewable energy and regeneration.

Among the standout developments is a planned AI Growth Zone in North Lincolnshire. The zone proposes over 1,300 hectares of developable land across four sites, offering significant processing capacity and space for data infrastructure. Strategic locations include land around the Scunthorpe steelworks and the Elsham Wolds Industrial Estate.

Port-related development is also gaining traction. The Pioneer Business Park, recently acquired by ABP, is being shaped into a new logistics corridor closely tied to the Port of Immingham activity. Meanwhile, a major regeneration scheme at Grimsby Docks could transform the historic Ice Factory into a mixed-use precinct anchored by a new hotel and venue space. In addition, Humber Freeport continues to be marketed as a strategic asset for offshore wind and heavy industry, with tax incentives covering hundreds of hectares of land and deep-water access.

The Greater Lincolnshire delegation used its platform to reinforce its push for more devolved powers and funding. The new mayoral administration is working to unlock national support to fast-track infrastructure delivery, increase private-sector engagement, and elevate the county’s role in national supply chains. The pitch signals a broader ambition to position Lincolnshire as a recipient of investment and a driver of innovation and productivity for UK plc.

Saffery strengthens audit team

Tess Egginton
-
0
Saffery strengthens audit team
Chartered accounting and business advisory firm, Saffery, has promoted Dan Noble to audit manager and appointed Kim Liu as audit manager within the firm’s specialist not-for-profit and charity audit team, in Leeds. Dan joined Saffery in 2020 and was drawn to the firm because of its not-for-profit and charity offering. Since joining, he has completed his Associate Chartered Accountant (ACA) qualification whilst building strong relationships with a broad portfolio of regional and national clients. Dan regularly attends clients’ committee meetings and organises year-round touchpoints to aid year-end planning, alongside taking an active role in the day to day running of the audit. Dan said: “I’ve had brilliant support from the team at Saffery throughout my career to date. The progression pathways are clear, the training opportunities are fantastic, and people here genuinely want to see you succeed. I enjoy the variety of the client work, and the opportunity to make a real difference to charities and not-for-profit organisations.” Joining Dan in the team is Kim Liu, who brings over 16 years of experience specialising in not-for-profit and charity audits, having previously worked at HW Fisher and Field Sullivan. Kim recently relocated from London to Yorkshire, and she will contribute her extensive knowledge and client-focused approach to a range of organisations including schools, academies, community foundations, and other charities, often within the arts sector. Kim said: “Saffery is a very well-known name in the not-for-profit and charity sectors, with a person centric approach and commitment to long-term planning and accountability. Moving from London to a small market town in North Yorkshire is a big change, but the fact that Saffery is based in the heart of Leeds, means I can still enjoy city life!” Head of Saffery in Leeds, Sally Appleton, said: “Dan is passionate about supporting not-for-profit organisations and charities and his deep sector expertise is a real asset to our Yorkshire office and our wider national team. “Kim is known for her personable style, and she will work closely with our clients and colleagues across Saffery’s offices to deliver practical, tailored advice. Their appointments reflect our continued investment in talent to support the evolving needs of our clients in this important sector.”

Work completes on £14m project at Minsthorpe Community College

Tess Egginton
-
0
Work completes on £14m project at Minsthorpe Community College
Henry Boot Construction has completed work on a new net-zero-carbon-in-operation sports facility and the refurbishment of teaching spaces at Minsthorpe Community College in South Elmsall. The facility includes two activity studios, changing rooms, toilets, storage facilities, office space, and a 6,394 sq ft main sports hall which opened in January this year. The final phase – including the installation of a new multi-use games area (MUGA) – has now been completed, marking the full handover of the project which has been funded by the Department for Education. Construction began in summer 2023 to replace the previous outdated sports facilities, alongside refurbishment works to several of the existing blocks. The sports facility has achieved an EPC A+ rating and forms part of Minsthorpe Community College’s long-term strategy to enhance sports provision and establish a central hub for community engagement and physical wellbeing. In addition to meeting net-zero-in-operation standards, the facility also incorporates a green roof and integrated sustainable drainage solutions to enhance both biodiversity and environmental performance. Ryan O’Loughlin, regional director at Henry Boot Construction, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have delivered a facility that will have a lasting impact on both the students of Minsthorpe Community College and the wider South Elmsall, South Kirby, and Upton community. “From day one, this project was about more than just bricks and mortar, it was about creating a sustainable space that supports physical and mental wellbeing, learning and community engagement. “Throughout the project, we also placed a strong focus on delivering social value – adopting a student-led approach to shaping the future of their sports facilities. We believe that quality social value is achieved through genuine collaboration, and we’re confident this development leaves a positive legacy that the whole community can be proud of.” Joint principals Mark Gilmore and Rachael Merritt, from Minsthorpe Community College, added: “We were delighted to be chosen as one of the first 50 schools to be part of the Department for Education’s School Rebuilding Programme. “The new sports centre and surrounding works, including a new multi-use games area, is the final piece in the jigsaw in bringing the College’s facilities into the 21st century – meaning the experiences of both our amazing students and fantastic community will be enriched for years to come.”

Report highlights need for life sciences grow-on space in West Yorkshire

Tess Egginton
-
0
Report highlights need for life sciences grow-on space in West Yorkshire
A new report by CBRE, commissioned by West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), has highlighted the acute need for more grow-on space for life sciences, and in particular digital health companies if the region is going to fulfill its potential and retain its home-grown talent. CBRE’s research found that with over 600 health and life sciences companies, including 250 MedTech firms and over 90 digital health enterprises, West Yorkshire is emerging as a top ten cluster due to its vibrant start-up culture, skilled graduates and strong research network. The 51,618 sector professionals across the region represent a 10% annual growth and Leeds has a significantly higher density of these employees than the national average. The UK is aiming to develop 21 million sq ft of lab space by 2030 and investment currently remains concentrated in established hubs. CBRE’s report shows increasing investor interest in the sector, with 58% of funding from Venture Capital funds into West Yorkshire going to life sciences and technology. However, if the region is going to continue to attract investment and retain home grown talent, it will need to address the supply issue. Jonathan Lowe, head of science & technology for the North at CBRE, explains: “West Yorkshire has done a fantastic job of enabling start-ups to get established, evidenced by the fact that Leeds University’s Nexus incubator is nearing capacity, so the question now is where these companies will move to. “The key is to keep that talent, innovation and the associated jobs within the region and provide a range of flexible space with a combination of offices, labs and industrial facilities to satisfy demand. It is important to encourage clustering to enable knowledge and resource sharing and avoid new facilities becoming too disbursed.” CBRE’s report shows there are 44 live occupier requirements in West Yorkshire, with remaining lab availability limited at Nexus in Leeds and Huddersfield’s 3M Buckley Innovation Centre. All of the available lab space across the region is within suites of 2,000 sq ft and below, leaving little room for growth. Most grow-on requirements start above 5,000 sq ft, therefore intervention is required to bridge this gap. Lowe continues: “The repurposing of office stock is certainly a viable solution, particularly for digital health companies who don’t typically require the same specific requirements of wet lab facilities. Redundant space within medical and university estates could present opportunities, providing the buildings have the underlying building infrastructure fundamentals within locations surrounding the key research institutions.” Looking ahead, there is 45,166 sq ft of lab and office space to come forward at Old Medical School in Leeds but this isn’t set to be available until 2027. The future development pipeline for West Yorkshire also includes future phases of Innovation Village in Leeds, the National Health Innovation Campus in Huddersfield and the focus in Bradford on the Knowledge Quarter. CBRE’s report concluded that the West Yorkshire life sciences sector holds significant growth potential and that by addressing specific real estate needs, fostering clustering and investing in targeted incubator and grow on development, the region can solidify its position as a competitive player in the UK life science landscape.

Corporate partnership boosts children’s reading as literacy charity partners with Project Group

Tess Egginton
-
0
Corporate partnership boosts children’s reading as literacy charity partners with Project Group
National children’s reading charity Schoolreaders has partnered with a furnishing, fit-out and service provider to enhance employee wellbeing and support reading ability in primary schools. Project Group sought to expand its ESG programme by offering meaningful, holistic support for its staff working in fast-paced environments. After research and a word-of-mouth recommendation, Project Group partnered with Schoolreaders, a charity which provides free reading support to primary schools. Andrea Ball, group ESG and social value director at Project Group, said: “As a volunteer myself, I’ve had the opportunity to support reading and mentoring programmes with previous employers, and it’s something I’m passionate about. As ESG lead, I wanted to help create a similar initiative within Project Group. “Providing literacy support to children is so important, and when I learned that one in four children in the UK leave primary school unable to read to the expected standard, I was truly shocked. Reading is key to unlocking countless opportunities in education, and no child should be at a disadvantage due to lack of proper literacy support. “Programmes like Schoolreaders’ play a crucial role in supporting children and enhancing their educational outcomes, playing a key role in building the workforce of tomorrow, and I wanted Project Group to be a part of that effort.” In 2024, more than half of children and young people reported that they do not enjoy reading in their free time, the lowest levels since 2005. One of the key reasons that children are not learning to read is that they are getting insufficient one-to-one reading time with an adult. Schoolreaders matches volunteers to local primary schools and provides over 33,000 weekly classroom reading sessions in England, connecting volunteers with primary schools. Working with Schoolreaders, four Project Group employees were matched with schools local to them, half of which were only two miles from their office. Each volunteer supports two classes each week, reading with up to twelve year 5 and 6 pupils. So far, Project Group staff have found that the programme has allowed them to step away from their usual work-day routine for a few hours, providing them with a break to recharge. Staff have reported improved wellbeing and mental health, acknowledging visits to school as ‘wholesome’ and ‘satisfying’. Julie Davies, group HR operations manager at Project Group, said: “I’ve really enjoyed being a Schoolreader so far, and I love building a connection with the students I support. Working with the children makes you laugh and gives you a real sense of work-life balance by taking you out of the everyday routine. “I’d encourage other businesses to get involved with Schoolreaders, even if it starts purely as part of their wellbeing programme. There’s definitely a place for it, and companies can gain so much – improving wellbeing, building skills, and more. That’s why our directors are fully behind it too.” Sara Cockroft, co-headteacher at Beech Hill Primary School, said: “When we looked at the end of last year where we’d had support from volunteers over that previous year, the children who had received support from Schoolreaders volunteers, had made more than the expected progress. “Schoolreaders build wonderful relationships with students and that means a lot to us at this school. The children really value that time, and, even if they weren’t making the excellent progress, that would be enough.”
1...333435...983Page 34 of 983