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A mobility scooter parked outside a cafe in the Grainger Market

16 September 2026

Evidence-based innovation

Get the real-world results you’ve been dreaming of

Jurek Kozyra

Founder CEO of Nanovery

Working with Newcastle University helped us identify gaps in our team and has allowed us to employ more staff and fund PhD students. We have also cemented our relationship with the University's Centre for Cancer.

Read Success Story

Dylan McKee

Co-founder of Nebula Labs

The project went really well because NICD are obviously specialists at what they do and we are specialists at the technology that we work with. So, the two of us coming together was a really good combination and collaboration because we brought our skills from the app sector and they added their expertise in AI, data analysis and machine learning.

Read Success Story

Janine Craig

Shop by Shape Founder

That first conversation with Arrow was a revelation. I hadn’t realised how much help was available from the Universities right on my doorstep. The expertise and brilliant minds at the National Innovation Centre for Data have accelerated my progress in a way I’d never thought possible.

Read Success Story

Louise Thompson

Founder and CEO, Myfolks

I strongly recommend Arrow to any business or project with a scientific need that’s holding them back. My collaboration with the Arrow team wasn’t just about academic insight, it was about creating something meaningful together. Arrow accelerated Myfolks’ progress, provided valuable credibility and turned a daunting challenge into a manageable and rewarding journey.

Read Success Story

Nick Read

Founder, Vita-Rhize

Our partnership with Arrow has provided access to technology and research resources that we were unable to access ourselves and has provides a real-world boost to our business. The project has not only helped us advance our product from Technology Readiness Level 3 to Technology Readiness Level 7, but it has also given us the confidence and resources we need to keep pushing the boundaries of sustainable agriculture. We couldn’t be happier with the outcome, and we wholeheartedly recommend Arrow to any business looking to innovate and make a positive impact.

Read Success Story

Chris Archer

Production Manager, Corehaus

The partnership with Arrow has been a game-changer for us. It’s helped us overcome significant operational challenges and reinforced our commitment to excellence and innovation in the modular housing industry. The insights and support we received have informed strategic decisions that will drive our business forward and, more importantly, improve our ability to make a positive impact on society.

Read Success Story

Mark Bennett

Founder and Owner, Carerflare

Arrow gave me critical support that has significantly boosted Carerflare’s confidence in achieving its objectives. The Arrow project has been pivotal in reducing development time and helping me leap over potential pitfalls. The path to market now looks smooth and we’re eager to get cracking.

Read Success Story

Matt Wilson

Managing Director, Intelligent Gels

Arrow gave us the tools to tackle a complex problem head-on. Their approach has not only advanced our product development, but strengthened our partnership with Durham University, setting the stage for future innovation in the region.

Read Success Story

David Irwin

founder, David Irwin Design

The Arrow team at Northumbria University exceeded every expectation, pushing the project forward in ways I couldn’t have imagined. The Arrow project was a turning point for my business – I really couldn’t have achieved all this without them.

Read Success Story

Roxana Montazerian

CEO and founder, ROXID

The project with Arrow and NICD helped us understand the potential of AI in our field and connected us with world-class experts. Their support was instrumental in shaping our digital application and securing further funding and investment.

Read Success Story

Lee Callender

Founder, WindoWeb

Arrow’s support has been invaluable and arrived just when I needed it most. Their professionalism, speed and enthusiasm helped me transform a ten-year-old concept into a tangible product. I’d recommend Arrow to anyone—there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Read Success Story

Andrew Turner

Founder, Andrew Turner Inventions

The expertise provided by Arrow was incredibly valuable. Their specialised knowledge helped solve a very niche problem, and their support exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend Arrow to anyone needing targeted academic expertise to advance their innovation.

Read Success Story

Vahid Walker

Founder, Walker Subsea Engineering

The Arrow programme has been instrumental in helping us refine our underwater battery technology. Northumbria University’s expertise in fluid chemistry gave us insights that we wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. Beyond technical support, the connections and networking opportunities have been invaluable. This project has opened doors for continued collaboration, and we look forward to working with the University on future innovations.

Read Success Story

Leanne Tweddle

Philanthropy and Marketing Manager, Blyth Star

As an organisation, Blyth Star can be quite complicated to understand, but I feel like the team I was working with really got a handle quickly on who we are, what we do and where our limits lie, which helped them to deliver a project which had practical outputs which would help make a real difference.

Read Success Story

Sam Moody

Business Development Manager, Oracle Drives & Automation

The collaboration with Arrow and Durham University has opened doors, giving us a significant advantage over competitors who focus more on machine upgrades but overlook energy efficiency. The experience was seamless, and a real game-changer that’s given us a tactical advantage in a competitive market. I wholeheartedly recommend the partnership with Arrow to others seeking to boost their innovation journey.

Read Success Story

Paul Marshall

CEO, Rapid Fluidics

Having support from the Arrow team at Durham University has been such a big help. Honestly, it’s been one of the least stressful, grant-driven projects we’ve been part of – just brilliant. And being able to use the grant funding for capital expenses has been invaluable for a company like ours. It’s made everything so much easier.

Read Success Story

Dr Richard Johnston

Founder, Terraligo

Arrow did precisely what I needed them to do—bring academic expertise and genuine enthusiasm to our research. Their support made all the difference, opening the door to further investigation and helping us build the scientific case for biochar’s potential. It’s partnerships like this that truly empower start-ups to tackle climate challenges head-on.

Read Success Story

Ben Fisher

Co-founder, Re:Play Sports Network

Arrow really helped us to understand and validate the environmental impact and social value of our work. There’s no way a small start-up could have funded the three months of research and expert academic input Arrow gave us. It’s really benefited our development and we’re looking forward to continuing our relationship with Northumbria University in the future.

Read Success Story

Lynn Chikosha

Founder and CEO, Kona Clean Teknologies

Having the evidence and data has made my pitch deck much better. It is grounded in reality and having data that has been independently verified by experts from Durham University gives it real credibility.

Read Success Story

Katy Milne

Creative Director, Northern Heartlands

Arrow helped us to feel confident, providing wider evidence to show that our ideas were worth exploring and there is need for our work across sectors. It was a really positive experience that gave us a lot to work with and is helping us to move forward.

Read Success Story

Joe Hinchliffe

Technology Director, Subco

The Arrow support helped us to scope our own project and was amazing in terms of helping us get the project off the ground. The progress was fantastic and the attention to detail and quality of the report was phenomenal. Gavin was very easy to work with, and he really helped me to grasp the problem and the basics I would need to solve it, understanding not just what to do but why you need to do it.

Read Success Story

Ella Bains

Founder and CEO, Eric Knows

The work from Arrow has given me a roadmap and the report was amazing. It was also really timely as I’ve been able to secure some funding to take on three new members of staff to help implement some of the report’s recommendations. The Arrow team have been brilliant, really supportive throughout the project and always on hand to answer any questions I had.

Read Success Story

Katherine Vero

Founder, Slow Shopping

I couldn’t have got this far without the research by Arrow; it’s been a real privilege to be part of it and to have access to that level of expertise. Arrow gave me a clear, rigorous pathway in my thinking about Slow Shopping and access to so many people. I think it’s brilliant the universities are investing in this support.

Read Success Story

Molly Jowsey

Co-founder, Revela Health

The support we’ve had from Durham University has been brilliant and we’re continuing to see the positive impacts as we move forward. Their work has helped us to be really clear and specific about the type of data we need from our hospital partners. It’s also helping us with our applications for funding.

Read Success Story

James Harriman-Smith

Senior Lecturer and Public Orator, Newcastle University

I would encourage colleagues to do an Arrow project as it provides a pathway to interact with local businesses, and a new way of looking at their research.

Ryan Waite

Research Scientist, LightOx

Working with Arrow allowed us to research a topic we wouldn’t have been able to spare the resources for internally. The work was done very well and produced results worth following up on. We would recommend Arrow to others.

Glenda Devlin

Founder and MD, Your Health and Care Ltd

Thanks to Arrow, I was able to realise and better understand specific business and market opportunities.

Dik Barton

COO & Founder, Armatrex

There’s no way as a start up SME commercial entity that we’d be where we are now without the support of Arrow.

Julie Wilson

Co-founder, Settld

Arrow helped us develop our MPV which helped us win two Innovate UK Awards and seed funding. I would definitely recommend working with Arrow

Jo Yuill

Founder, Yu Cook

Arrow has helped us move forward through research into recycled materials, research into energy efficiency, and support to prototype our product. It’s been so, so helpful to move our business forward.

Jurek Kozyra

Founder CEO of Nanovery

Working with Newcastle University helped us identify gaps in our team and has allowed us to employ more staff and fund PhD students. We have also cemented our relationship with the University's Centre for Cancer.

Read Success Story

Dylan McKee

Co-founder of Nebula Labs

The project went really well because NICD are obviously specialists at what they do and we are specialists at the technology that we work with. So, the two of us coming together was a really good combination and collaboration because we brought our skills from the app sector and they added their expertise in AI, data analysis and machine learning.

Read Success Story

Janine Craig

Shop by Shape Founder

That first conversation with Arrow was a revelation. I hadn’t realised how much help was available from the Universities right on my doorstep. The expertise and brilliant minds at the National Innovation Centre for Data have accelerated my progress in a way I’d never thought possible.

Read Success Story

Louise Thompson

Founder and CEO, Myfolks

I strongly recommend Arrow to any business or project with a scientific need that’s holding them back. My collaboration with the Arrow team wasn’t just about academic insight, it was about creating something meaningful together. Arrow accelerated Myfolks’ progress, provided valuable credibility and turned a daunting challenge into a manageable and rewarding journey.

Read Success Story

Nick Read

Founder, Vita-Rhize

Our partnership with Arrow has provided access to technology and research resources that we were unable to access ourselves and has provides a real-world boost to our business. The project has not only helped us advance our product from Technology Readiness Level 3 to Technology Readiness Level 7, but it has also given us the confidence and resources we need to keep pushing the boundaries of sustainable agriculture. We couldn’t be happier with the outcome, and we wholeheartedly recommend Arrow to any business looking to innovate and make a positive impact.

Read Success Story

Chris Archer

Production Manager, Corehaus

The partnership with Arrow has been a game-changer for us. It’s helped us overcome significant operational challenges and reinforced our commitment to excellence and innovation in the modular housing industry. The insights and support we received have informed strategic decisions that will drive our business forward and, more importantly, improve our ability to make a positive impact on society.

Read Success Story

Mark Bennett

Founder and Owner, Carerflare

Arrow gave me critical support that has significantly boosted Carerflare’s confidence in achieving its objectives. The Arrow project has been pivotal in reducing development time and helping me leap over potential pitfalls. The path to market now looks smooth and we’re eager to get cracking.

Read Success Story

Matt Wilson

Managing Director, Intelligent Gels

Arrow gave us the tools to tackle a complex problem head-on. Their approach has not only advanced our product development, but strengthened our partnership with Durham University, setting the stage for future innovation in the region.

Read Success Story

David Irwin

founder, David Irwin Design

The Arrow team at Northumbria University exceeded every expectation, pushing the project forward in ways I couldn’t have imagined. The Arrow project was a turning point for my business – I really couldn’t have achieved all this without them.

Read Success Story

Roxana Montazerian

CEO and founder, ROXID

The project with Arrow and NICD helped us understand the potential of AI in our field and connected us with world-class experts. Their support was instrumental in shaping our digital application and securing further funding and investment.

Read Success Story

Lee Callender

Founder, WindoWeb

Arrow’s support has been invaluable and arrived just when I needed it most. Their professionalism, speed and enthusiasm helped me transform a ten-year-old concept into a tangible product. I’d recommend Arrow to anyone—there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Read Success Story

Andrew Turner

Founder, Andrew Turner Inventions

The expertise provided by Arrow was incredibly valuable. Their specialised knowledge helped solve a very niche problem, and their support exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend Arrow to anyone needing targeted academic expertise to advance their innovation.

Read Success Story

Vahid Walker

Founder, Walker Subsea Engineering

The Arrow programme has been instrumental in helping us refine our underwater battery technology. Northumbria University’s expertise in fluid chemistry gave us insights that we wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. Beyond technical support, the connections and networking opportunities have been invaluable. This project has opened doors for continued collaboration, and we look forward to working with the University on future innovations.

Read Success Story

Leanne Tweddle

Philanthropy and Marketing Manager, Blyth Star

As an organisation, Blyth Star can be quite complicated to understand, but I feel like the team I was working with really got a handle quickly on who we are, what we do and where our limits lie, which helped them to deliver a project which had practical outputs which would help make a real difference.

Read Success Story

Sam Moody

Business Development Manager, Oracle Drives & Automation

The collaboration with Arrow and Durham University has opened doors, giving us a significant advantage over competitors who focus more on machine upgrades but overlook energy efficiency. The experience was seamless, and a real game-changer that’s given us a tactical advantage in a competitive market. I wholeheartedly recommend the partnership with Arrow to others seeking to boost their innovation journey.

Read Success Story

Paul Marshall

CEO, Rapid Fluidics

Having support from the Arrow team at Durham University has been such a big help. Honestly, it’s been one of the least stressful, grant-driven projects we’ve been part of – just brilliant. And being able to use the grant funding for capital expenses has been invaluable for a company like ours. It’s made everything so much easier.

Read Success Story

Dr Richard Johnston

Founder, Terraligo

Arrow did precisely what I needed them to do—bring academic expertise and genuine enthusiasm to our research. Their support made all the difference, opening the door to further investigation and helping us build the scientific case for biochar’s potential. It’s partnerships like this that truly empower start-ups to tackle climate challenges head-on.

Read Success Story

Ben Fisher

Co-founder, Re:Play Sports Network

Arrow really helped us to understand and validate the environmental impact and social value of our work. There’s no way a small start-up could have funded the three months of research and expert academic input Arrow gave us. It’s really benefited our development and we’re looking forward to continuing our relationship with Northumbria University in the future.

Read Success Story

Lynn Chikosha

Founder and CEO, Kona Clean Teknologies

Having the evidence and data has made my pitch deck much better. It is grounded in reality and having data that has been independently verified by experts from Durham University gives it real credibility.

Read Success Story

Katy Milne

Creative Director, Northern Heartlands

Arrow helped us to feel confident, providing wider evidence to show that our ideas were worth exploring and there is need for our work across sectors. It was a really positive experience that gave us a lot to work with and is helping us to move forward.

Read Success Story

Joe Hinchliffe

Technology Director, Subco

The Arrow support helped us to scope our own project and was amazing in terms of helping us get the project off the ground. The progress was fantastic and the attention to detail and quality of the report was phenomenal. Gavin was very easy to work with, and he really helped me to grasp the problem and the basics I would need to solve it, understanding not just what to do but why you need to do it.

Read Success Story

Ella Bains

Founder and CEO, Eric Knows

The work from Arrow has given me a roadmap and the report was amazing. It was also really timely as I’ve been able to secure some funding to take on three new members of staff to help implement some of the report’s recommendations. The Arrow team have been brilliant, really supportive throughout the project and always on hand to answer any questions I had.

Read Success Story

Katherine Vero

Founder, Slow Shopping

I couldn’t have got this far without the research by Arrow; it’s been a real privilege to be part of it and to have access to that level of expertise. Arrow gave me a clear, rigorous pathway in my thinking about Slow Shopping and access to so many people. I think it’s brilliant the universities are investing in this support.

Read Success Story

Molly Jowsey

Co-founder, Revela Health

The support we’ve had from Durham University has been brilliant and we’re continuing to see the positive impacts as we move forward. Their work has helped us to be really clear and specific about the type of data we need from our hospital partners. It’s also helping us with our applications for funding.

Read Success Story

James Harriman-Smith

Senior Lecturer and Public Orator, Newcastle University

I would encourage colleagues to do an Arrow project as it provides a pathway to interact with local businesses, and a new way of looking at their research.

Ryan Waite

Research Scientist, LightOx

Working with Arrow allowed us to research a topic we wouldn’t have been able to spare the resources for internally. The work was done very well and produced results worth following up on. We would recommend Arrow to others.

Glenda Devlin

Founder and MD, Your Health and Care Ltd

Thanks to Arrow, I was able to realise and better understand specific business and market opportunities.

Dik Barton

COO & Founder, Armatrex

There’s no way as a start up SME commercial entity that we’d be where we are now without the support of Arrow.

Julie Wilson

Co-founder, Settld

Arrow helped us develop our MPV which helped us win two Innovate UK Awards and seed funding. I would definitely recommend working with Arrow

Jo Yuill

Founder, Yu Cook

Arrow has helped us move forward through research into recycled materials, research into energy efficiency, and support to prototype our product. It’s been so, so helpful to move our business forward.

Ready to innovate?

See all success stories

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18 June 2026

Arrow innovation expands reach to support more North East businesses

13 March 2026

Arrow helps over 300 North East organisations bring innovative ideas to life

30 October 2024

Arrow shortlisted for Team of the Year 2024 at Knowledge Exchange Awards

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