IN4.0 with The Landing partners with Barclays

IN4.0 with The Landing, the MediaCityUK-based digital and innovation hub, has extended its relationship with Barclays, as the bank becomes a Pioneer Partner.

The new partnership with IN4.0 Group, which also has offices at UCLan's Media Factory, will see Barclays continue to support the entrepreneurial community in Greater Manchester, bringing the bank’s innovation expertise and its network to The Landing’s ongoing activities.

The latest collaboration is a continuation of the partnership with the bank’s entrepreneurial network, Barclays Eagle Labs, which established a site at The Landing in 2016. The partnership will support Greater Manchester entrepreneurs with innovation knowledge transfer, mentorship and technology enabling activities.

Barclays will also support activities facilitated at IN4.0 with The Landing’s Connected Cities Innovation Lab, joining fellow Pioneer Partners including Siemens, Vodafone, GM AI Foundry and the University of Salford.

The activities include a range of programmes and virtual events; from specialist accelerators such as the GCHQ Co-Labs AI and the Engineering disruptive innovation accelerator to the STEAM Engine at Skills City, which is creating fairer access to a digital future for people from the region’s most disadvantaged communities.

In addition, Barclays will also share IN4.0 with The Landing’s commitment to bridging the gender gap in technology and enterprise through Skills City, where The Landing is targeting 50 per cent female tech trainees in order to drive gender parity.

Barclays will also have input in the IN4.0 Business growth and Innovation programme – a one-year intense incubation and acceleration programme for start-ups across the EdTech, Cyber, AI and Data Science, Mixed Reality and eSports sectors.

Mo Isap, CEO of IN4.0 Group, said: “Barclays has been a massive supporter of the work we are doing at The Landing, which is to ensure innovation is inclusive and accessible for businesses and individuals across our great regions. 

“Our Pioneer Partners are leaders in innovation and inclusivity, and we are privileged to have such pedigree within our network.”

Jon Hope, director of Barclays Eagle Labs, said: “By becoming a Pioneer Partner, we look forward to engaging more with the programmes and the work of IN4.0 with The Landing. The maker community at The Landing has matured greatly since we first partnered in 2016, so it is great to continue to collaborate and further support the entrepreneurial network in Greater Manchester.”