We're pleased to announce that Ayup Digital has secured funding from Innovate UK to expand our Ayup Connect platform by implementing interactive digital screens in community spaces. This project aims to assist digitally excluded residents in discovering and connecting with local support services and addressing digital exclusion and associated health inequalities.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and Innovate UK offered £10,000 to £30,000 for creative businesses in 12 regions across England to support innovation projects that drive growth and productivity. The purpose of the funding was to help creative SMEs develop new products, services, and business models to scale up their businesses.
Our plan at Ayup involves developing a software interface for interactive screens to be installed in locations such as GPs and libraries, enabling residents to find and create personalised lists of local support services.
We’ve fine-tuned our Ayup Connect platforms to make them user-friendly and accessible for residents looking for information on local services. However, the biggest barrier of not having access to devices or the skills on how to use them remained a problem that we wanted to overcome so our services could support all residents.
We wanted to complement the incredible work local authorities are already doing, like increasing access to WiFi and upskilling with free courses. The hope is that these screens, which can print out a list of services and follow up with a postal letter or SMS, will bridge any gaps, and it’s something the local authorities we work with are keen to try out. Over the next five months, we'll deploy and pilot these screens in two locations, collect impact data, and develop this new feature to work alongside our existing platforms.
Through this project, our ambition is to improve access to health and wellbeing services for the digitally excluded, generate new revenue for Ayup Digital, and enhance Leeds' standing as a hub for Healthcare and Technology Innovation.
Ayup Digital’s Managing Director, Steven Taylor, explained how our community of local authorities helped drive the idea for interactive screens,
“It’s something that as a collective, we’ve wanted to explore for a long time, as our local authority partners are well aware of the challenges created by digital exclusion in their areas. We were just waiting for the right opportunity to tap into funding, and the DCMS Innovate UK bid was the perfect fit.”
Feedback from the funding bid was overwhelmingly positive with assessors praising clear project objectives, solid foundations, and well-defined deliverables. They also noted how the screens align perfectly with our goals as a business to empower communities.
Now that Ayup Digital has the means to fully explore the project, Steven added the team were ready to get started right away,
“We’re really excited to now be able to get this project off the ground with a pilot initiative, and we’re in the best position to work with our existing clients to roll this out. We can’t wait to see the impact that this will have and start gathering learnings that will benefit everyone. This is a really positive starting point in addressing digital exclusion around the UK. We’re very grateful to Innovate UK for the opportunity and we’re keen to get cracking, so watch this space!”
