SME's Offered Support Through £20m Programme

Small businesses in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire can now access free innovation support through a new £20.3m programme being run by three local universities.

‘Enabling Innovation’ is a three year collaborative programme involving the University of Derby, Nottingham Trent University and The University of Nottingham, which will provide support to over 2,000 local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) over three years.

£10.1m funding is being awarded to the three universities via the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), using funds secured by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), with an additional £10.2m being invested in the project by the universities.

The programme will focus on attracting investment into the area by developing and driving innovation through supply chains in key sectors of particular relevance to the D2N2 LEP area including life sciences, creative and digital industries, transport equipment manufacturing and food and drink manufacturing. Focusing on ‘enabling technologies’, it aims to stimulate an innovation ecosystem designed to commercialise cutting edge R&D, while supporting support product and process innovation within SMEs.

Dr George Baxter, Director of Research, Enterprise and Graduate Services at the University of Nottingham, commented: “Small businesses right across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire will be able to benefit from Enabling Innovation and tap into the expertise offered by three universities. This wide-reaching programme really has the potential to enable local businesses to make a step change in the way they work, giving them a competitive advantage in their marketplace and helping them to grow and create new jobs.”

Businesses interested in finding out about the support offered through Enabling Innovation should contact the D2N2 Growth Hub on 0333 006 9178 or visit www.d2n2growthhub.co.uk