Thames Valley: £2.16m of EU funding available to drive growth in Berkshire’s SMEs
As part of the European Structural & Investment Funds (ESIF) programme for 2014-2020, a new European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) call has been published by DCLG for initiatives designed to enhance the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in Thames Valley Berkshire.
The call is specifically designed to augment the Berkshire Business Growth Hub service by:
- supporting SMEs to ‘Scale-Up’, through a strong social and economic environment
- helping innovative companies export/export more
- securing more Inward Investment into the area.
It is vital that Berkshire’s small and medium-sized businesses have access to the support needed to realise their full growth potential, particularly to understand how exporting can improve their trade position. The LEP is already seeking to increase the proportion of firms involved in exporting, through its Business Growth Hub service.
Peter Read, chairman of Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), commented: “The LEP recognises the impact of business scale-ups and is determined to enable investment in those activities that will give ambitious business leaders a platform for growth. The LEP’s ESIF Strategy includes direct references to the need for investment in scale-ups, export and inward investment; this call is a golden opportunity for applicants to deliver this.”
To support potential applicants, technical assistance is available.
Contact Thames Valley Berkshire LEP for more information on 0118 945 0200.
Click here for details of the call. The application deadline is September 8.
