WMG to help deliver £15m fund to boost growth and scale up West Midlands manufacturers
Friday 21 November 2025
WMG to help deliver £15m fund to boost growth and scale up West Midlands manufacturers
Hundreds of West Midlands-based manufacturing businesses are set to benefit from a new £15m programme, providing expert support and funding to help them capitalise on a new wave of economic opportunities, driven by the flagship West Midlands Investment Zone (WMIZ).
The Supply Chain Transition (SCT) programme will help SMEs strengthen supply chains, access R&D funding, and upskill their workforce for growth in sectors such as clean tech, electric vehicles, health tech, and digital manufacturing.
Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) has already begun delivering the programme, through its Developing Future Sustainable Manufacturing Leaders programme, which provides future manufacturing leaders with the confidence, skills and insights to lead their businesses towards sustainable success.
Dr Mark Swift, Director of SME Engagement at WMG, University of Warwick, said: “With a long-standing history of supporting industry, WMG is proud to help deliver this programme. We’re dedicated to supporting businesses to achieve long-term sustainability, by helping them to pivot into new markets, accelerate adoption of advanced technologies, skills and new manufacturing solutions.
“As businesses face rising costs, global competition, and the transition to net zero; it has never been more important to invest in innovation and capability. This work directly supports the ambitions of the UK’s new Industrial Strategy, driving productivity, regional growth, and a globally competitive manufacturing base for the West Midlands.”
The programme will create and safeguard thousands of jobs by helping businesses scale and pivot into high-growth, tech-driven advanced manufacturing markets set out in the region’s Growth Plan and the government’s Industrial Strategy.
The first year of the programme will be delivered by Supply Smarter West Midlands Consortium.
The consortium is led by C&W Business Solutions, WMG at University of Warwick, Manufacturing Technology Centre, and the three partners of the West Midlands Combined Universities Partnership (WMCU): Birmingham City University, Coventry University and University of Wolverhampton.
The programme will create and safeguard thousands of jobs by helping businesses scale and pivot into high-growth, tech-driven advanced manufacturing markets set out in the region’s Growth Plan and the government’s Industrial Strategy.
The first year of the programme will be delivered by Supply Smarter West Midlands Consortium.
The consortium is led by C&W Business Solutions, WMG at University of Warwick, Manufacturing Technology Centre, and the three partners of the West Midlands Combined Universities Partnership (WMCU): Birmingham City University, Coventry University and University of Wolverhampton.
Federico Melotti, Principal Engineer at WMG said: “We’re proud to support West Midlands manufacturers to innovate, diversify, and build the resilient supply chains needed to compete in the industries of the future.”
The SCT programme is backed by £12.5 million secured for the manufacturing sector from government, by Mayor Richard Parker and the West Midlands Combined Authority, who said: “Manufacturing is still the beating heart of the West Midlands economy, it’s in our DNA. But we’re ever evolving as technology transforms what we make and how we make it.”
The programme is funded by money earmarked to deliver the WMIZ, which will give businesses fully funded practical advice, access to a £6 million research and development grant fund, and advanced management training for senior leaders.
Craig Humphrey, CEO of CW Growth Hub Group, which includes C&W Business Solutions, said: “The consortium brings together a power-house combination of the region’s world-class advanced manufacturing and engineering research and development facilities and specialists at WMG and the MTC, with highly experienced and knowledgeable sector experts from the WMCU, to deliver this transformational programme.”
The WMIZ will attract over £5.5 billion of new investment and create 30,000 jobs across its three key sites: Coventry-Warwick Giga park, Birmingham Knowledge Quarter, and Wolverhampton Green Innovation Corridor, with around £1.5 billion in business rates retained locally over 25 years.
The WMCA is providing an additional £2.5 million of WMIZ funding for skills training and routes to apprenticeships to make sure local people can make the most of these new job opportunities.
SMEs within the region can now apply to join the Supply Chain Transition programme via the Business Growth West Midlands websiteLink opens in a new window.
Find out more about WMG’s SME support programmes: SME Support - WMG - University of WarwickLink opens in a new window