THE University of Greenwich at Medway has secured £1.7m to fund new business innovation hubs at its campus at Chatham Maritime.

The money, secured from the Government’s Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF), will finance four new hubs that work closely with local businesses to deliver innovative support designed to enhance business competitiveness and profitability.

The university is also a partner in the successful Thames Gateway Knowledge Exchange, which has received a further £1m of innovation funding. The Knowledge Exchange is part of a national network of 22 new centres of best practice in skills development, training and linking small and medium-sized businesses to university expertise.

Pauline Forrester, head of the Research, Enterprise and Regional Affairs Office at the university, said: “This is all part of our ongoing strategy to build strong and productive connections between our academic and research expertise and businesses in the region, in particular across Kent and Medway.

“It is our declared ambition to become a leader in knowledge transfer activities in the Thames Gateway.”

The university aims to have the four hubs operational from September, when work will begin with business leaders and key stakeholders to develop new partnerships, building the network of collaboration with local and regional business through schemes such as the DTI-sponsored Knowledge Transfer Partnership.