Innovate UK has awarded 1284 Communications £55,000 to accelerate development of its CommsTally® platform.

The Create Growth grant will support 1284’s £80,000 project to build a CommsTally® MVP.

The platform will provide 1284 clients with market-leading transparency around their PR campaigns. As such, CommsTally® addresses long-standing productivity challenges faced by creative businesses while simultaneously enhancing client trust.

1284 Communications is an award-winning PR consultancy, based at Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park and specialising in East Midlands innovative growth. The business developed its CommsTally® prototype while participating in the East Midlands Create Growth programme and the Innovate UK-funded AI+ course delivered by Institute and led by Loughborough College.

The six-month MVP project - supported by established 1284 partners including Create Leicester, East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster, and East Midlands Chamber - will create a new role for Operations Director as well as a student internship.

The project commenced in October and runs until March. The platform will be developed by award-winning AI and digital automation specialist Digital Planning with legal support from John Buckby, IP Partner at JMW Solicitors.

George Oliver, Managing Director, 1284 Communications, said: “1284 has been providing comms for innovative SMEs in manufacturing and tech for five years now, but this is the first time we have taken on an Innovate UK project of our own.

“We’re grateful to our supporters for their ideas on writing our application, with particular thanks to our Create Growth mentor Jim Willis, Rob Ricketts in the Innovation team at the University of Derby, and Paul Humphreys at East Midlands Chamber.”

George will be at the AI+ Networking event at Institute in Loughborough today to talk about the project and how 1284 prepared its proposal to Innovate UK.

1284 Communications was founded in 2020 and provides strategic comms to innovative businesses, local authorities, and nonprofits. It was shortlisted for the CIPR’s UK Small PR Consultancy of the Year in 2025 in recognition of its work on East Midlands small business innovation.