Launched almost a year ago in a partnership between the University of Liverpool and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Novel will step up its efforts in 2026 to radically change the business support landscape. Tony McDonough reports

A Liverpool city region programme launched early in 2025 with a mission to radically change how business support is delivered aims to step up its efforts in 2026.

Novel is a collaboration between the University of Liverpool’s Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC) and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. The VEC’s team of digital experts already has a track record of helping firms to commercialise their innovation.

However, Novel aims to take this a step further and create a community of small business entrepreneurs and give them a “seat at the table”.

Launched as part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund’s ‘Horizons’ Novel is bringing together some of the region’s most ambitious and highest growth potential companies from sectors spanning advanced engineering, biotechnology, manufacturing, digital, creative and third sector.

In the first year, attendees have benefited from continuous, in-depth coaching and support from a curated network of global business and innovation specialists.

Now the Novel team is focused on the next stage – cultivating a new wave of innovation leadership, aimed at helping the city region to maximise its growth potential and fully commercialise its R&D efforts.

At the launch in 2025, VEC chief innovation officer Andrew Borland said: “We are empowering some of our highest potential SMEs, creating a unique peer network of private and public sector leaders, who can make change happen.”

Speaking to LBN in the last few weeks, Andrew talked about the power of the model employed in Silicon Valley in the US, a rich breeding ground for successful tech and innovation.

Rather than just giving start-ups cash, high net worth individuals have what is called “venture builders”. They maintain a team of engineers, financiers, salespeople and put these at the disposal of the venture receiving the investment.

Andrew envisages a similar model here that builds on the VEC’s track record from over a decade of developing and delivering high-impact industrial R&D programmes and collaborations.

Over the last 10 years, the VEC has worked with hundreds of businesses, developing over 160 new products, reaching new markets and has helped SMEs add an estimated £325m to the local economy.

“We have a pool of digital experts, working with businesses to solve real-life problems or take on complex proof-of-concepts. We are pretty good at that,” he added.

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“But too little R&D value is captured in UK business, hence the launch of Novel. It aims to improve the quality of innovation among business leaders. Innovation is about making money from ideas.

“The idea is to bring them together with public sector leaders and refocus some of the innovation, agenda, money, and the innovation agenda conversation on regional or family businesses.

“Established companies come in and get first access to a pool of resources. It can de-risk innovation for other businesses and investors.”