AI-Ready Yorkshire to connect small businesses with University AI expertise
A new programme will connect businesses across Yorkshire with University of Huddersfield expertise in Artificial Intelligence, helping improve productivity, decision-making and innovation, while preparing the next generation of AI professionals.
AI-Ready Yorkshire is designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises explore how AI can be applied within their organisations. Many recognise the potential of AI but lack the time, expertise or resources to test how it could improve their operations.
The University of Huddersfield project will connect firms in the region with talented students and recent graduates from the University’s AI and Computer Science courses.
Funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, it will support at least 60 student placements and graduate traineeships over three years, enabling participants to work on practical AI projects that address real organisational challenges.
By bringing together the University, businesses and regional partners, AI-Ready Yorkshire aims to strengthen the region's AI talent pipeline, support AI adoption among SMEs, and contribute to a more productive and innovative digital economy across Yorkshire.
It is part of the Government’s flagship tech skills initiative, TechFirst, and the University of Huddersfield’s successful bid brings with it funding of about £300,000 over three years from the £7.8 million TechLocal programme, delivered by Innovate UK. TechLocal is a regional grant fund which aims to help innovators and small businesses in the region find skilled people, connecting them to roles that create growth.
Professor George Bargiannis, Professor in Artificial Intelligence within the University of Huddersfield’s Department of Computer Science, and Co-Director of the University’s Institute of Applied Artificial Intelligence, is leading the successfully funded project.
He commented: “AI-Ready Yorkshire is about creating a practical bridge between AI education and business innovation. Students and graduates will have the opportunity to apply their skills to real organisational challenges, while SMEs will gain access to emerging AI talent and academic support. This is particularly important for Yorkshire, a region with a long history of industry, enterprise and practical innovation. Our aim is to help local businesses take their first or next step with AI, while strengthening the region’s talent pipeline and retaining more technology skills locally.”
AI-Ready Yorkshire will enable students to undertake part-time placements linked to their final-year undergraduate or Master’s project, while graduates will take part in structured traineeships within participating organisations.
Each project will be designed in collaboration with the host business and supported by academic mentors from the University who are experts in AI and its real-world applications across multiple industry sectors. This approach will ensure that participating businesses benefit from fresh ideas and emerging AI expertise, while students and graduates gain valuable experience applying their knowledge to real-world problems.
The programme will focus particularly on supporting SMEs across Yorkshire that are interested in exploring areas such as data analysis, automation, predictive modelling and AI-enabled decision-making. For many organisations, this may represent their first opportunity to test AI technologies within a real operational context.
Businesses in the region are being invited to the AI-Ready Yorkshire launch event which is being held on Wednesday 23 September 2026 at the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre, Huddersfield. To book, visit the Eventbrite page.
Or to find out more about AI-Ready Yorkshire, you can contact the project team at ai-ready@hud.ac.uk