Decision Maker: Cabinet

Outcome: Recommendations Approved (subject to call-in)

Is Key Decision?: Yes

Is Callable In?: Yes

Date of Decision: December 2, 2025

Purpose: West Yorkshire Combined Authority has agreed to provide the Council with grant funding totalling £2,023,576.25 via the Government’s Industrial Strategy Zone programme to deliver the Huddersfield Health Innovation Incubator (HHII) programme, in partnership with the University of Huddersfield and the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre.   The HHII programme will create wrap around support for businesses in the health, wellbeing and digital sectors that are seeking to start-up or scale up. It will deliver tailored start-up support, workspaces, events and networking activity and create a thriving community of businesses, academics, clinicians and other professionals focused on supporting and embedding innovation across our health and care systems.   The programme builds on previous, successful UKSPF-funded projects including the Council-led Thrive initiative for health and wellbeing start-ups and will complement and add value to the groundbreaking National Health Innovation Campus programme.   The proposed decision is to   ·       accept external funding of £2,023,576.25 from West Yorkshire Combined Authority   ·       enter into grant funding agreements with the Council’s delivery partners the University of Huddersfield and it’s subsidiary company the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre   ·       facilitate the commencement and award of any related procurement exercises.     A range of stakeholders have been consulted on the extension of the Huddersfield Health Innovation Incubator programme including West Yorkshire Combined Authority. There is ongoing engagement with delivery partners and service users to shape delivery of the programme.

Content: RESOLVED –   1)    That approval be given to the delivery of the Huddersfield Health Innovation Incubator. 2)    That approval be given to accepting external revenue funding of £2,023,576.25 from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to support delivery of the programme, and for the Council to act as Accountable Body for the grant. 3)    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director for Place, in consultation with the Service Director Legal, Governance and Commissioning, to agree all necessary legal agreements with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the flow down grant agreements with the Council’s project delivery partners the University of Huddersfield and 3M Buckley Innovation Centre. 4)    That authority be delegated to the Service Director Legal, Governance and Commissioning to enter into the aforementioned documentation in resolution (3) on behalf of the Council and for the Executive Director for Place to put in place the necessary governance arrangements for the programme. 5)    That authority be delegated for the implementation of the programme to the Executive Director for Place to include the commencement and award of any related procurement exercises and for the Service Director Legal, Governance and Commissioning to enter into the associated legal formalities and documentation on behalf of the Council.  6)    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director for Place and the Service Director Finance to submit grant claims and to undertake related project monitoring and reporting in accordance with the contract procedure rules and finance procedure rules.