NatWest report shows East Midlands leads England on innovation exits, scale-ups

• NatWest analysis found the East Midlands led English regions on innovation commercialization, with 13.1% of grant recipients achieving exits.
• Recognized scale-up growth reached 8.6%, above UK averages of 10.4% for exits and 6% for scale-ups.
• Outperformance put the region ahead of London, the South East, the East of England on converting public innovation support into outcomes.
• Report counted 1,333 innovative businesses, including 663 public innovation grant recipients, indicating a sizable pipeline for further commercialization.
• 42.4% of grant-backed firms stayed active without follow-on funding, an exit, or scale-up growth, versus a 38.1% UK average.

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