What business support and funding can you get for your SME in Leeds City Region?

Posted on: 28/05/2019

Are you running an innovative SME in the Leeds City Region? Did you know you could get business support and funding to take your business to the next?

Smarter innovation to drive growth – business support

To find out all about how local and national organisations can help you, sign up for our free Smarter Innovation Business Support event on Monday 10th June in Leeds.

In the meantime, here is an overview of the local and national organisations that can help you grow your business. They will all be present at the Smarter Innovation event in Leeds.This means you will have the opportunity to ask all your questions directly to their representatives on the day.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
UK Research and Innovation launched in May 2018. UKRI brings together the seven Research Councils, Innovate UK and Research England.

UKRI works in partnership with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, and government to create the best possible environment for research and innovation.

Since its launch in May 2018, UKRI has:

  • awarded approximately 4,600 Research and Innovation grants
  • supported 52,000 individuals (24,000 through grants, 1,400 through fellowships, 27,000 studentships)
  • supported over 4,000 organisations (134 higher education institutes, and in excess of 3,500 private companies)
  • has participated in around 5,000 project partners, contributing ¬£1bn

Innovate UK
Innovate UK is the UK’s Innovation Agency, tasked with growing the UK economy through
supporting innovation. The Innovate UK Family includes the Knowledge Transfer Network
(KTN), Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) and the Catapult centres.

The Innovate UK family helps companies to grow through developing innovation capacity,
linking to expertise and access to funding. The family can help you with:

  • Sectors
  • Cross-cutting capabilities
  • Commercialisation
  • Internationalisation
  • Access to funding and finance
  • Collaboration with the research and science base

Enterprise Europe Network (EEN)
The Enterprise Europe Network helps businesses innovate and grow on an international
scale. It is the world’s largest support network for small and medium-sized enterprises with international ambitions.

Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN)
The Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) is a UK wide innovation network. It can help your business get the best out of creativity, ideas and the latest discoveries. KTN links new ideas
and opportunities with expertise, markets and finance through its network of sector
experts, businesses, researchers, funders, and investors.

KTN also offers Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP). If you have an idea for your business but do not have the expertise needed to develop it, a Knowledge Transfer Partnership may be the answer. It’s a three-way collaboration between a business/not for profit organisation, a UK university/research organisation, and a suitably qualified graduate – to help realise a strategic innovation project.

Leeds City Region Growth Hub
The Leeds City Region Growth Hub enables businesses in Leeds City Region to grow, creating jobs for local people, encouraging businesses to locate in the region and helping the local economy to thrive. They support local small and medium-sized businesses like yours to find the funding and expertise they need. They also help companies attract investment.

Their new LEP growth service is a one-stop-shop, helping small and medium-sized businesses in the Leeds City Region to find the right support and funding to realise their growth ambitions. Businesses can find information online quickly and easily. You can also speak to their business growth team who can connect you with the right support.

Nexus
Nexus is a community of innovators located on the University of Leeds campus and based in a new £40m state-of-the-art building, providing easy access to the University’s research and expertise. Their team of Relationship Managers become an extension of your team and help businesses to unlock the potential of their ideas and achieve their chosen outcomes; developing a deep understanding of your business need, before connecting your business to the right partners and developing relationships. You’ll have access to specialist service providers, investors, mentors, business advisors, graduate talent and networking opportunities with other entrepreneurs who are part of the Nexus community.

If you would like to find out more about the support all these organisations can offer, get your free ticket for our business support event in Leeds on Monday 10th June.

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