Grants of up to £5k available to help buy and install advanced wireless technologies

15 July 2024

The River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region has launched a £100,000 opportunity for businesses and voluntary groups in the Severn Catchment Area to apply for Wireless Innovation Grants.

Sums of up to £5,000 are available to organisations across the region, which includes the whole of Powys, to assist with buying and installing wireless technologies.

To apply for a Wireless Innovation Grant, applicants must have been operating for more than a year in the core sectors of water management, agriculture, or the public sector. They can be used to cover up to 75% of total commercial project costs, and 90% for voluntary social enterprise groups.

• To find out more about the River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region
• To apply for a Wireless Innovation Grant

Cllr Jake Berriman, Powys County Council's Cabinet Member for a Connected Powys said: "The River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region (RSPAWIR) is focusing on developing a better understanding of the ways advanced wireless technologies can be used by the water management, agricultural and public sectors to create better access to services and commercial opportunities that will improve the quality of life and economic prospects our residents.

"I would encourage businesses and voluntary groups in Powys to explore this opportunity for using new technologies in ways that could help them thrive."

The RSPAWIR is currently supporting innovative 'use case' projects with Hartpury University and Cranfield University that will demonstrate how advanced wireless technology can be used to enhance and improve environmental and business outcomes in the agricultural sector, as well as for the public.

The universities will work with farmers and landowners in the River Severn Partnership area to show how advanced wireless technologies can be adapted to monitor crops, maintain security and regulate energy usage and will include a flagship project in partnership with landowners near Telford to monitor and regulate water flow to meet agricultural demands in local rivers and tributaries.

Funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and managed by Shropshire Council, this programme is part of a wider £3.75m project which aims to encourage business and organisations to adopt technologies enabled by advanced wireless connectivity.