Growth Grants

£1,000 Growth Grants are available to assist your business to invest in projects that will help your business grow.

Whether you are considering investing in a project to increase sales, productivity and profitability or improve business processes, this grant can potentially fund up to a maximum of 25% of the total cost.

Grants have previously been awarded to support market research, website design, re-branding, marketing collateral, and customer relationship management software.

If you would like to know more about Growth Grants, please contact our business support team on 01494 927130 or at BusinessSupport@bbf.uk.com.

£150 training vouchers

£150 training vouchers are available via Buckinghamshire Skills Brokerage, which has been developed to up-skill employees within small and medium-sized businesses in Buckinghamshire. The programme offers a bespoke solution for businesses comprising:

• The Virtual Adviser® - an online business diagnostic tool developed by Buckinghamshire Business First to identify skills gaps
• The support of Adviza’s specialist Skills Advisers to help find suitable training and development opportunities
• A voucher for £150 to contribute towards the cost of workplace training for businesses to develop new skills or up-skill existing employees

Read how The Works in Aylesbury benefited from a training voucher >

For more information, call our business support team on 01494 927130 or email BusinessSupport@bbf.uk.com.

Innovate UK funding - Infrastructure systems

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £19 million for innovation projects in infrastructure systems, under an Innovate UK programme. Projects should target opportunities for significant changes in productivity and in cutting-edge innovations with potential for encouraging growth in one or more of the four priority areas: smart infrastructure; energy; connected transport and urban living.

The deadline is 31st January 2018.

Read more information on this Innovate UK funding >

DIT Global Growth Programme

Department for International Trade (DIT) has launched a new pilot programme to support mid-sized business to develop their overseas sales potential. In addition to a more structured export support plan, the Global Growth Programme offers businesses up to £3,500 matched funding (maximum project value £7,000) to utilise the support of specialist private sector service providers. The client can choose their own provider or DIT can help point them in the right direction.

Examples of the type of support the businesses can buy-in include:

• Market research
• Sales prospecting
• Market entry strategy
• Due diligence
• Legal advice
• Intellectual property advice
• Translation services
• Product development and localisation 

To be eligible, the company must:

• Employ fewer than 250 people
• Have an annual turnover of £5m - £40m
• Have not received government or ERDF grant or ERDF export related business support in last 18 months

The programme is time limited, so get in touch with our business support team and they will help you through the next steps. Call 01494 927130 or email BusinessSupport@bbf.uk.com.

Cut your energy bills with grant funding

Low Carbon Workspaces offers grants of between £1,000 and £5,000 to help businesses install energy efficiency measures in the workplace. These measures can include new boilers, LED lighting, insulation, double glazed windows, and much more.

Read about a business that will save hundreds of pounds a year after installing LED lighting with the help of a £1,100 Low Carbon Workspaces grant.

Contact the Low Carbon Workspaces team on 01494 927131, or at info@lowcarbonworkspaces.co.uk. Visit the project website for more information.

Need funding for your rural business?

The LEADER Programme delivers grants to rural businesses to help them create jobs and grow. Grants of between £5,000 and £180,000 are available across six priority areas:

• Support for Increased Farm Productivity
• Support for Micro and Small Enterprises and Farm Diversification
• Support for Rural Tourism
• Support for provision of Rural Services
• Support for Increasing Forestry Productivity
• Support for Cultural and Heritage Activity 

Read all of the LEADER case studies for inspiration >

Contact the LEADER team on 01494 927131 or email info@leader-programme.co.uk. Visit the LEADER website for more information.

After different types of funding opportunities?

Check out the Funding and Finance section of the Buckinghamshire Business First website for more examples of available financial support.