UKSPF – SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESS

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Supporting Local Business

UKSPF funding will be invested in activities to support businesses in the North of Tyne area to succeed and grow, through innovation and R&D, specialist advice and support, access to finance, and targeted support for businesses in key sectors, rural areas, and local communities.

A total of £18.3m UKSPF funding is available to invest in support for local businesses in the North of Tyne area up to March 2025, of which £13.8m is revenue and £4.5m is capital. The funding will support projects and activities in three programme areas.

Programme Areas Activities Total UKSPF available Raise innovation levels to boost productivity in key sectors Connecting businesses with collaborative innovation opportunities with universities, Catapults, and major investment projects; accelerating innovation in key sectors; encouraging SMEs to become innovation active; and signposting businesses to innovation advice and investment. £5.1m Start-ups, social enterprises, and rural businesses Business start-up support; social enterprise growth support; investing in incubators and co-working spaces; support for rural business growth; and place-based enterprise support targeting communities and high streets. £4.3m Drive business growth and improve energy efficiency Business growth accelerators and scale-up support; access to finance; supporting growth of business clusters and supply chains in key sectors; signposting to business growth advice and investment; and energy efficiency and carbon reduction advice and support for businesses. £8.9mLocal business support activities will deliver the following UKSPF outputs and outcomes:

  • Jobs created and safeguarded
  • Businesses supported
  • New businesses created
  • Entrepreneurs are business ready
  • Businesses increasing revenue / turnover
  • Businesses active in R&D and / or adopting new products and technologies
  • Businesses developing decarbonisation plans

Key headlines

  • NTCA has allocated funding to the above programme areas on the basis that we want to ensure similar types of support continue to be available to local businesses up to March 2025, after the current European Union funding ends in June 2023.
  • In addition to the planned UKSPF funded business support activities identified above NTCA is providing millions of pounds in additional funding, through the North of Tyne Investment Fund, for other local and regional business support programmes including: tourism and events; high streets recovery; rural stewardship and growth; digital sector growth and infrastructure development; digital adoption and 5G innovation; and cluster and market development in areas of global economic opportunity including ageing, offshore wind and net zero transition.
  • This means that total investment in local business support in the North of Tyne area up to March 2025 will be significantly greater than the £18.3m available through UKSPF alone.

Approach to allocating UKSPF funding

The available UKSPF funding has been earmarked to support the following projects and activities in each Programme area, as described in the North of Tyne UKSPF Investment Plan approved by Government. For each project / activity, the approach to allocating the funding and the timescales for interested organisations to submit bids is shown.

Raise innovation levels to boost productivity in key sectors Project / activity description Approach Timescales Innovation Programme - Supporting businesses (including SMEs) to innovate through specialist advice and funding Mini-competition open to organisations qualified on relevant Lots/s of DPS Business Support Provider Framework Mini-competition open Spring 2023 Driving Up Innovation and R&D - Collaborative research and innovation between universities, RTOs, Catapults and businesses. Call for projects open to universities, RTOs and Catapults only. Joint call covering North of Tyne and County Durham. This call for bids closed on 14th March 2023Start-ups, social enterprises, and rural businesses Project / activity description Approach Timescales Start-Up Support - Encouraging and supporting new business start-ups, including pre-start entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses Mini-competition open to organisations qualified on relevant Lots/s of DPS Business Support Provider Framework Mini-competition open Spring 2023 Social Enterprise Support - Promoting social enterprise as route to inclusive growth (support for existing social enterprises and new starts) Mini-competition open to organisations qualified on relevant Lots/s of DPS Business Support Provider Framework Mini-competition open Spring 2023Drive business growth and improve energy efficiency Project / activity description Approach Timescales Ecosystem Support - Coordination of business support ecosystem including information, brokerage and signposting (both general business support and support for key sectors). Open call or mini-competition open to organisations qualified on relevant Lots/s of DPS Business Support Provider Framework Call open Spring 2023 Growth Support and Scale-Up - Targeting high-growth potential / scale-up businesses (with advice, access to growth finance, mentoring, leadership, incubation and acceleration) Mini-competition open to organisations qualified on relevant Lots/s of DPS Business Support Provider Framework Mini-competition open Spring 2023 CAPITAL Grants for Business Growth - To encourage and de-risk capital investment by businesses in equipment, technology, and facilities for growth. Mini-competition open to organisations qualified on relevant Lots/s of DPS Business Support Provider Framework Mini-competition open Spring 2023 REVENUE Grants for Business Growth - To encourage and de-risk businesses accessing specialist consultancy advice to support growth (e.g. product development, accessing new markets, IP). Mini-competition open to organisations qualified on relevant Lots/s of DPS Business Support Provider Framework Mini-competition open Spring 2023

In addition to the above, further commissioning of other UKSPF business support projects / activities may be undertaken in due course. Information will be posted on this page at the appropriate time.

Information for organisations interested in delivering UKSPF funded business support

  • The main route for organisations interested in bidding to deliver the above projects is via the Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) Business Support Provider Framework. For more information about how to register on the Framework, follow this link.
  • Providers qualifying on the DPS Framework will be sent relevant opportunities to bid.
  • Specifications for any of the above projects / activities to be commissioned outside the DPS will be published on this page in line with the timescales shown above.
  • Updates about forthcoming opportunities will also be provided via NTCA’s social media channels.

If you have questions or comments about the information on this page, please contact ukspf@northoftyne-ca.gov.uk