News9th February 2019 Kollïder Sheffield rising We report back on our floor-to-ceiling tour of Castle House and there is lots to be excited about. Earlier this week, I had a floor-to-ceiling tour of Castle House from the Kollïder Projects team and the opportunity to see all the progress that’s been made on this immense building. It’s going to be amazing! Ground floor Starting on the ground floor, work is in the final stages of fitting out the 300-seat food
News17th December 2018 Help wanted – be part of the Sheffield Digital team We're looking for someone to help keep us organised! We need someone who is highly organised and able to commit to carrying these tasks out reliably and consistently. These are important activities that keep our organisation running smoothly and which support our thriving community. We will, of course, provide training and support. You can find a detailed description of what’s required – the budget available
Companies and News19th November 2018 Egress joins Sheffield Digital This fast growing security specialist is our latest enterprise level company member. Who is Egress and what do you do? Egress was founded 11 years ago, by three people who are still with the company today. Our CTO is passionate about supporting the local tech community, as are our staff. We help enterprises protect unstructured data to meet compliance requirements and drive business productivity. Our AI-powered platform
Events and News28th September 2018 Making Sheffield a hub for Legal Technology We find out about the new LegalTech North conference that’s happening here in November. We spoke to Matt Pennington, one of the conference organisers, to find out more. Matt is part of the team at QuoteXpress, based at Sheffield Tech Parks. QuoteXpress is a quote and referral tool for legal matters, which also helps law firms comply with new pricing transparency regulations coming into force at the end of
News and Opportunities27th September 2018 Tech Nation launches Rising Stars and expands Founders Network Tech Nation is actively looking for early-stage digital startups from across the UK to take part in its new Rising Stars competition – applications open until 4 November. Raising the profile of your digital start-up These new opportunities from Tech Nation recognise the power of connection and collaboration when starting up a digital business. Through the Founders’ Network, members can have unlimited access to learning materials, monthly meetups and an online Slack community. Membership is free to join and open to incorporated businesses
News17th September 2018 Sheffield Tech Parks – building Sheffield’s digital community STP manager Tom Wolfenden has a new co-working offer for Sheffield Digital members. This is a guest post by Tom Wolfenden, the manager at Sheffield Technology Parks. Firstly, I should explain who ‘we’ are – I run Sheffield Technology Park (STP) based in the Cooper Buildings on Arundel Street. We’re a non-profit economic development organisation at heart, self-funded by rental revenues from our tech community with a remit
Events10th September 2018 Festival of the Mind is back! There's something for everyone at this year's event, which runs from 20th to 30th September. Festival of the Mind is a unique collaboration between the academic community at the University of Sheffield and the city’s cultural, creative and digital industries. Its last outing in 2016 attracted 50,000 visitors to more than 75 events at 16 venues across the city. FoM has always had a strong digital component and this year is
Opportunities6th September 2018 Enter the Rolls Royce Advanced Manufacturing Hack If you’re up for a high-stakes challenge that could win you £10,000, then get involved on October 15-16. The challenge The challenge for the hack will be to create a model that can cope with the number of fine adjustments required throughout the inspection and measurement process, and potentially automate decision-making. At one of Rolls-Royce’s manufacturing facilities, inspection is carried out to measure the moment weight of rotating components, to determine optimal alignment
Companies12th April 2018 Member profile: Perform Green Perform Green are a strategy and change consultancy that works to improve places, organisations, communities, and people’s lives. Built on strong values and with a mantra of ‘change for the better’, Perform Green recently became a Certified B Corporation® and Living Wage Employer. We sent a few questions to Lara Moloney, the company’s Head of Business Development and Client Partnerships, to find out more about who they are and what they do. What
Companies and News20th March 2018 Irwin Mitchell becomes associate sponsor of Sheffield Digital Read how one of the largest law firms in the UK works with digital and tech companies in Sheffield. Jo Chan-Shaw is a business development manager based in Irwin Mitchell’s Sheffield office. Jo comes from a digital industry background and is keen to get to know the local community better. Why did you want to become an associate sponsor of Sheffield Digital? Working with Sheffield Digital collaboratively felt like a natural fit to aspects
Skills5th March 2018 More progress on software developer apprenticeship at Sheffield College Here's the latest update on this important new skills offer. In February, a group of local digital employers got together with the team at the College to discuss progress. The main focus of the meeting was to look at the structure of the programme, including the idea of a two week bootcamp before the course proper starts. About the bootcamps The main aims of the
Opportunities20th February 2018 Brilliant international growth opportunity Make sure your company is part of a new directory that will be shared with Chinese businesses. Respond by 7th March. While it might seem like a distant and somewhat random choice for growth, business links between China and the city region have been increasing over recent years and those links flow in both directions. Get on the directory If you’re tempted, we need you to fill in a quick survey and the information will be
Events13th February 2018 Book your place on the Connected Manufacturing Workshop Learn how manufacturing businesses work and what opportunities there are for digital companies to collaborate. The aim was to help people working in digital to get a feel for how digital is being applied in advanced manufacturing and to think about how they might develop products or services for manufacturers. How do manufacturing businesses work? After the visit, many people mentioned that they would like the opportunity to find out
News17th November 2017 IOT Tribe North accelerator programme IoT Tribe are working with Barnsley DMC on a programme for 10 early-stage IoT start-ups. European accelerator programme IoT Tribe is coming to our neck of the woods, thanks to an ambitious campaign by the team at Barnsley Digital Media Centre (DMC) and funding from Innovate UK. About IoT Tribe and the IoT North project IoT Tribe is an organisation that has already supported over 130 IoT companies across Europe.
Events25th October 2017 “Digital Meet Manufacturing” speed networking event A great opportunity for local companies to get in front of some major manufacturers. The Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) and the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) Factory 2050 are partnering up with some of the biggest global names in manufacturing who are keen to meet SMEs who can help them innovate and transform to meet future manufacturing needs. A speed networking event on 16th November at Factory 2050 will give
Companies and News24th October 2017 Sheffield start-up selected for GCHQ Cyber Accelerator Ioetec Limited is one of nine companies hoping to produce the next generation of cyber security leaders. Sheffield cyber start-up Ioetec Limited is one of just nine companies to join the second programme of the GCHQ Cyber Accelerator, powered by Wayra UK. Ioetec provides a plug-and-play cloud services solution to connect Internet of Things devices with end-to-end, authenticated, encrypted security. The companies will now begin an intensive acceleration programme that will help their
Skills23rd October 2017 4 ways to get involved with our University Technical Colleges Share knowledge and build links with the talent of the future. Here in Sheffield, we have two thriving University Technical Colleges, both with programmes relevant to the digital industries. UTC City Centre covers Creative and Digital Media, whilst UTC Olympic Legacy Park covers Computing. Between them, they have students learning about everything from design, animation and games development to robotics, Internet of Things and big data.
Skills23rd October 2017 Employers and the UTC – how to get involved with Creative & Digital Media University Technical College Sheffield City Centre provides school students with specialist education in Creative & Digital Media, here's how employers can get involved. UTC Sheffield City Centre was the first UTC to open in Yorkshire and Humber, in September 2013. All students complete a technical qualification in one of two industry specialisms, either Engineering & Advanced Manufacturing or Creative & Digital Media, in addition to GCSEs and A Levels. Our students develop good industry skills on highly effective
Skills23rd October 2017 Employers and the UTC – how to get involved with Computing University Technical College Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park provides school students with specialist education in Computing, here's how employers can get involved. Sheffield’s second UTC opened at the Olympic Legacy Park in 2016 with a mandate to provide specialist education in Computing, Sports Science and Life Sciences alongside traditional GCSEs and A-Levels. The flagship £10-million-pound building provides a unique experience for students to study adjacent to elite athletes and professional sports people. At the UTC itself, we
Companies13th October 2017 Sheffield’s digital economy – some thoughts from an expert Scott Burkinshaw from Shorts give us his perspective. We’ve been talking a lot recently about how Sheffield’s digital industries are “on the cusp” of a growth explosion. But how does our industry look to someone who works with our businesses, rather than in them? We talked to Scott Burkinshaw, Tax Partner and Head of Innovation Taxes Group at Shorts accountants, to get his
News and Skills2nd October 2017 The Sheffield College joins Sheffield Digital This key education provider wants to build stronger links with digital employers. The Sheffield College is the latest education provider in the city to formalise its relationship with Sheffield Digital. The College has become an Associate Sponsor, joining Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield in recognising the importance of forging closer links between education and digital businesses in the city region. The College’s current digital
Skills30th September 2017 Developers don’t grow on trees. How to get involved in Sheffield College's plans for apprenticeships to help grow the talent pool. That’s one thing we know for sure – there’s a shortage of programmers in our area and not just programmers, a whole range of technical roles. So how do you find the talent you need? Well, perhaps you can grow your own. Apprenticeships are the tried and tested way to grow your own talent and
Events and News6th September 2017 Emerging and Enabling Technologies Competition Round 3 of this Innovate UK funding is now open. As part of the Innovate UK Delivery Plan, Innovate UK is to invest up to £15m* in innovative projects in Emerging and Enabling Technologies and up to £10m for Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. Technologies within “Emerging and Enabling Technologies” include: emerging technologies: defined as technologies that are progressing in, or have recently emerged from, the research
Skills28th August 2017 Young people’s project seeks Java advice Help shape IdeasInc's resources for young entrepreneurs. IdeasInc is a project run by Canadian-turned-Sheffielder Kathy McKay. Kathy is passionate about encouraging young people to improve their employability, digital skills and entrepreneurship and to explore the career opportunities available to them through digital. Kathy describes IdeasInc as an enterprise accelerator for young people aged 13 to 24. Groups of students work together to
News15th August 2017 Sheffield City Council joins Sheffield Digital Regional Partnership paves the way for closer collaboration. We’re delighted to announce that Sheffield City Council is joining us as a Regional Partner. Sheffield Digital has always had a good working relationship with the Council, but their decision to formalise that into a Regional Partnership is really encouraging. It shows that the Council recognises the importance of the sector and is keen to
Companies and News27th June 2017 Pimoroni goes international European expansion for booming tech firm. Sheffield tech company Pimoroni Ltd is to go international, opening a German branch in only its fifth year of operation. Pimoroni GmbH will be based in Essen, providing European customers with improved, faster postage and local support. The move comes as the company, which designs, manufactures and supplies components and accessories to fans and users of
Events and News14th June 2017 CMC Playground returns Where kids can get hands on with digital creativity. After it’s highly successful first appearance last year, Playground returns to the Children’s Media Conference from 4th to 9th July at the Cantor Gallery. Playground is an exhibition of digital art which you can interact with, plus there’s a Maker Space were you can make your own digital art. You’ll get to explore interactive digital
Companies5th June 2017 Company Spotlight: Evoluted Helping businesses see there's more to digital than social media. Evoluted is a company that actually conforms to the stereotypical tech business story. Managing director Ash Young started making websites while he was at Sheffield University studying software engineering. He set up Evoluted as soon as he graduated in 2006 and the company began with Ash and colleague Gareth Davies working out of a bedroom.
Companies1st June 2017 Company Spotlight: Hive IT Meet the company that was our first company member. Hive IT are one of the newer arrivals on the Sheffield digital scene – the company was started in 2014, when founder Jonny Rippon decided he could “do it better” and left Technophobia to set up on his own. Today, Hive IT employs 18 full time staff and, with contractors, can have up to 30
Events and Skills23rd May 2017 Call for businesses to get involved in the first Digifest New event to introduce young people to the digital sector. Digifest, which takes place on Tuesday 4th July, is a new event designed to celebrate digital learning activity and inform young people and their families about the exciting opportunities in the digital sector. The event will be held in Sheffield Hallam University’s brand new STEM centre opposite Sheffield station. It will combine taster sessions and
Companies and News23rd May 2017 Tutora named amongst 100 Hottest UK Startups More success after smashing their latest crowdfunding target. Just two months after raising their latest round of funding, Sheffield startup Tutora are celebrating ranking 77th on the Startups 100 List. Heralded as the ‘longest running index of the best new UK businesses’, the Startups 100 List is highly competitive, highlighting the head-turners of the entrepreneurial world. Previous Startups 100 lists have featured the likes
Events1st May 2017 Celebrate with us at The Platform – 18th May. We've got some fantastic speakers lined up for our 2nd birthday party. Two years ago, Sheffield Digital was just an idea. Today, it’s a vibrant community organisation that’s busy connecting, representing and promoting Sheffield’s digital community. Come and hear about what we’ve achieved so far, and our plans for the future, as well as from some of the people and firms who are shaping the Sheffield tech scene right
News1st May 2017 Year three – join us today! Why we need you to become a member. Sheffield Digital turned two years old on 21st May. Now we have launched a campaign to significantly increase Sheffield Digital’s membership. Why? Because we need to put the organisation onto a sustainable financial footing so that we can make plans for the future and put some proper resources in place to do the work. But, just as
Events30th April 2017 Children’s Media Conference 2017: 4 – 6 July This excellent conference brings media people from all over the world to Sheffield. The Children’s Media Conference is the UK’s premier gathering for the kids’ media and entertainment industry – and it happens in Sheffield. Last year, the conference welcomed over 1100 delegates from television, radio, film, games, interactive media, magazine and book publishing, the licensing and toy sectors and the arts and culture sectors. This year’s conference
Events27th April 2017 Startup Weekend Sheffield returns After débuting their first event way back in 2012, the team behind Startup Weekend Sheffield are gearing up for a special 10th edition of their weekend long entrepreneurial extravaganza. Taking place on 2nd – 4th June at the University of Sheffield’s Diamond building, Startup Weekend sees participants progress from pitching an idea to launching a
Companies and News16th April 2017 Plusnet joins Sheffield Digital as company member We’re delighted to announce that Plusnet is the latest business to join Sheffield Digital as a company member. We spoke to Digital Transformation Consultant Liam Dyson to find out more about Plusnet’s Sheffield operation and their plans for the future. Set up nearly 20 years ago, Plusnet’s Sheffield office now has more than 1,200 people,
Companies and News11th February 2017 Local tech start-up goes global. Sheffield based digital agency Appt is launching an office in Kunming, China Appt, a digital agency specialising in the design and development of bespoke mobile and web based apps, is opening a new office in Kunming, China. Their mission is to help companies navigate the complex differences between the digital landscapes of China and the West. Chinese developer Yingzhu (Joy) Quan, a Sheffield University graduate, will be returning
News1st February 2017 Tech North initiative to help address the gender imbalance in tech. Northern Voices will train people and find speaker opportunities. Tech North has just announced Northern Voices, a six-month programme to help address the diversity challenge in tech/digital. The first course is designed specifically for women, and non-binary people who do not identify as men, to address the gender imbalance at conferences and in media appearances, in turn making digital jobs a more attractive career
Events and Skills31st January 2017 SHU launches Digital Industry Day for students and employers. Uni careers day on 22nd Feb is open to local digital companies. The department of computing at Sheffield Hallam University is inviting local digital employers to take part in an inaugural Digital Industry Day and promote their career opportunities. The event is called STACK and will be a combination of students’ work with a careers event. The University is inviting employers to come and see all the great
Companies and News25th January 2017 Sheffield startup raising second round. Tutora is returning to Crowdcube, this time for £350k. Unrelenting in their explosive growth throughout the UK, EdTech startup Tutora are gearing up to launch a second round of crowdfunding to continue their expansion into the £6bn UK private tuition industry. Founded by Scott Woodley, a former teacher fed-up with the difficulty parents faced trying to find a tutor for their children, Tutora helps
News and Reports23rd January 2017 Turning the spotlight on Sheffield’s creative digital economy. We know you get asked to complete loads of surveys, but this one’s important! Over the past 18 months, the University of Sheffield’s City and Cultural Engagement department has been working with different partners to create a series of “Snapshot Reports” which highlight a particular aspect of Sheffield’s creative and cultural economy. These reports are being used to highlight the things that make Sheffield distinctive, to raise Sheffield’s profile
Companies and Events and News22nd January 2017 Paper launches legup.social Mark Goddard writes about the studio's new community initiative. legup.social is a collaborative way to help small businesses with digital. It was born out of an idea to do good things outside of the ordinary day-to-day running we undertake at Paper. It’s a no-catch exercise of pro bono work to find out if the people of the digital industry could help small businesses, social
Events and News20th January 2017 Flying the flag at Prolific North Live Along with Creative Sheffield, we’ll be in the Media Partner Zone, shouting about digital in Sheffield. Now in its second year, Prolific North Live is a media, marketing and creative industries expo showcasing the latest innovation in digital, broadcasting, PR, web, publishing, tech, marketing and advertising from across the North. The first event was a great success, so this year it’s been expanded to two days, taking place on February 15
Events and News20th January 2017 Game Over celebrates 2nd birthday Head over to Bungalows and Bears on 1st Feb for some snakey fun with Sumo. Game Over is a popular Sheffied-based events company focused on retro and current generation gaming. They hold monthly mixers at City Centre venues that host casual and competitive gaming with tournaments, raffles, and local game devs. They’ll be celebrating their 2nd birthday event on February 1 at Bungalows and Bears. Sumo Digital will also be part
Skills19th January 2017 An update on SHU’s Digital Degree Apprenticeships Get involved now for September 2017. A great deal of work has been going on behind the scenes to get the Digital Degree Apprenticeships ready to accept students this September. We’ve been working alongside Sheffield Hallam University to inform local digital companies about the programme and to provide a way for these employers to feed back into its development. Now is
Skills19th January 2017 Digital Degree Apprenticeships – an update Updated 10th March - the latest information about Sheffield Hallam University’s Digital Degree Apprenticeships. Sheffield Hallam University has now officially launched its “Digital and Technology Solutions Professional” degree apprenticeship, with delivery starting in September 2017. The programme is designed to take three years, leading to a BSc Honours degree. The course content is based on a government approved standard which was developed by leading tech employers. It is accredited by
Companies11th January 2017 Company Spotlight: Databowl In two years, this company has gone from being a digital agency to a multi-million, global software business. In the vast quantities of data that companies collect every day for marketing, how do you tell the good from the bad, and maximise the performance of the good? For advertisers that rely on a constant flow of fresh leads, the task of filtering out the fraudulent, invalid or out of spec data is a
Companies and News8th January 2017 Bunnyfoot opens state-of-the-art usability labs in Sheffield And you can visit them for a look round on their open day on 26th January. User experience research company Bunnyfoot has converted the Old Chapel on Mortimer Street into high-tech labs to allow companies to “climb inside your customers’ heads and find out what they really think about your website or app”. Companies like Waitrose, Sky and Sheffield City Council are already using the labs to watch their customers do
News22nd December 2016 Season’s Greetings from Sheffield Digital! It's been quite a year . . . This time last year, the Sheffield Digital elves were hard at work on our new identity and website, with the goal of going live at the start of 2016. It ended up being mid-January, but we were pretty pleased with the end result. Since then we’ve: served up 42,356 pages to 9,452 unique visitors published
Companies and News14th December 2016 Pimoroni partners with Google on launch of Android Things. Sheffield's Maker heroes are the only European partner for Google's new IoT platform. Android Things, an Internet of Things (IoT) platform from Google Inc, was launched this week with supporting kit from hardware providers worldwide. Pimoroni, the only European hardware kit partner, have launched a new HAT (Hardware Attached on Top) alongside a complete starter kit for people looking to try Android Things on the Raspberry Pi. With it, they