A cohort of up to 25 businesses will be selected to take part in the Amazon Innovation Accelerator, a free programme which will highlight the latest trends and strategies on everything from tech adoption to leadership and management – with best in-class guidance from Amazon, Amazon Web Services and the GBCC.

Participants will also have the opportunity to network with like-minded peers as well as Amazon teams across a range of different fields.

The Accelerator programme is open to businesses with operations in the West Midlands that are in the manufacturing, engineering, logistics, retail or related industries and employ 50 plus members of staff or have a turnover of over £1 million.

Interested firms are also required to commit to a senior member of staff participating in the full programme (two all-day workshops at Amazon: Friday June 7 and Friday June 28 2024, along with participation in a 90-minute, virtual masterclass webinar).

The programme’s core workshops will take place at Amazon’s state of the art Sutton Coldfield robotics fulfilment centre which opened last year.

Over the course of the Accelerator programme, participants will develop knowledge and skills on a range of topics, including creating a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, data, digitalisation and robotics, sustainability and social value and the regional business support and innovation ecosystem.

They will also take part in interactive workshops that will challenge them to apply their learning to their business and operations.

Previous participants in the pilot programme of Amazon Innovation Accelerators reported significantly improved digital readiness and innovation capability as a result of their participation.

GBCC CEO Henrietta Brealey said: “The Amazon Innovation Accelerator programme is tailored for SMEs to help them implement innovative practices to deal with a rapidly evolving technological landscape as we emerge from a period of economic uncertainty.

“We have a brilliant cohort of businesses that have already applied and stand to benefit from this best in class programme – there’s still time left to apply and I would encourage firms that meet the criteria to submit their application for this fantastic opportunity.”

To apply for the Amazon Innovation Accelerator please complete the form below. Successful applicants will be notified by May 17.