Enterprise, innovation and growth

Are you starting or growing a business? Find out how we can help you develop your idea, innovate or grow your business.
Enterprise, innovation and growth

Accelerate your business idea or start up business with award-winning dedicated support and expert advice. If you’re a growing business, we've got the facilities, equipment, knowledge and talent to help you innovate and accelerate.

Creating business ideas

Formation Zone - Formation Zone is perfect if you have a business idea you’d like to start and develop in a supportive and collaborative environment.

One Stop Ideas Shops - find confidential, specialist guidance on protecting and developing your business idea or product from a variety of experts. 

Formation Zone Business Challenge - staff or student with a great business idea you want to progress? Then enter the Formation Zone Business challenge to access the support you need and be in with a chance of winning a business start-up support package.

Funding and knowledge for business innovation

GAIN offers access to new business and growth opportunities, finance and investment, and world class knowledge and research facilities and equipment. You can visit the GAIN digital exchange for information on current funding opportunities to support innovation. 

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) - are University managed programmes and part funded by Government. KTP's offer a partnership between your business, an academic institution and a recently qualified graduate. The graduate will work jointly supervised within your business on a specific innovative project and bring in new capabilities to your team.

Creating and growing investable businesses

Additional support for social enterprises

Helping you understand the value of social enterprise for social and economic benefit. Share in local, national and international expertise and knowledge, and access best practice and research in social enterprise.

Plymouth is the first University in the world to be recognised as a social enterprise.

Find out more about social enterprise university enterprise network

Real business experience

"The support we have received in the Formation Zone has allowed us to focus more attention on developing our own unique IP and divert some time and resource to exploring new projects and ideas. They have been able to accommodate our business growth by allowing us to have our own office within Formation Zone. Finding that the University is so keen to support new and developing businesses through its pre-incubation space has been great especially as a start-up business it can often be difficult to find and qualify for assistance." 

Alex Riley, Mutant Labs

Find out more about our work with real businesses.


Janet Medland

Contact Enterprise Solutions

Lines are open 09:00 to 17:00 Monday to Thursday and 09:00 to 16:30 Friday