Twenty five Midland SMEs are being given the chance to take on a skilled intern to help develop new products or services through a scheme being launched by the University of Warwick.

The Project Associate scheme is part of Warwick Manufacturing Group’s Innovation Programme run by the new International Institute for Product and Service Innovation (IIPSI), with the aim of giving West Midlands SMEs access to technology to develop innovative products and services.

The scheme will offer 25 Midland SMEs £1,000 each towards the cost of taking on a person to work on a dedicated project during the summer of 2013.

It is aimed at SMEs already considering recruiting new people or those with a particular innovation requirement to take forward.

Head of SME programmes at WMG Dr Mark Swift said: “Many of the companies we are working with in the West Midlands are eager to progress with new product and service ideas, however haven’t necessarily got the time nor the specialist new skills to move forward.

“We have developed a fund to support businesses to get access to talented individuals who can help them deliver specific product and service development projects.”

A number of SMEs have already benefitted from new resources through the WMG scheme in a range of projects including mobile app development and telematic systems.

Caption Data Limited based in Worcester, took on PhD graduate Dr Sook-Voon Yap to undertake research into humidity sensors over an eight-week project.

Another firm, Simpact, a Warwickshire consultancy specialising in computer-aided design and engineering, benefited from a full-time project associate to develop a testing methodology for sustainable materials, especially composites.

Interested companies can find out more about the scheme at http://bit.ly/WMGTalent.