Introducing our Business and Sector Growth Programme
Our ambition for the North East is to level up the North East economy through increasing:
- the rate of people starting new businesses
- levels of business productivity
- the number of businesses who are scaling-up.
- The number of businesses who export
Raising performance in each of these areas is critical to the creation of more and better jobs. Although gaps exist in each of these areas between the North East and the rest of the UK our business community is innovative, collaborative and ambitious and we can look to the future with confidence. Innovation is central to the Strategic Economic Plan’s long-term ambition to build a more productive North East: stronger innovation delivery will improve our productivity performance and catalyse growth in ‘better’ jobs
The North East LEP’s Business and Sector Growth Programme will continue to nurture an ecosystem that is growth-oriented, dynamic and productive where businesses start, invest, grow and thrive.
Colin Bell
Business and Sector Growth Director
Here’s how the Business and Sector Growth Programme links into the key areas of the Strategic Economic Plan:
The North East Growth Hub offers impartial advice and guidance to North East businesses to start, grow and become more resilient. You can find out more about the North East Growth Hub here.
Scaleup North East works with businesses demonstrating both the hunger and the potential to achieve high levels of growth. Businesses are matched with a Scaleup Partner who will work with them to achieve defined objectives tailored to their business needs.
Supply Chain North East is all about a fresh pair of eyes. Our market experts work with businesses to identify new opportunity that play to the strengths and core competencies of a business to attract new customers and enter new markets and supply chains.
Business support service providers are at the heart of making the North East Growth Hub the success it is today. The provider network plays a vital role in the development of our business community and your continued input helps to shape our business support ecosystem.
Made Smarter Adoption North East is a finance and funding / business support programme that helps manufacturers in the region increase profits, improve efficiency and grow by investing in digital technology.
Businesses taking part in the programme benefit from hands on help to develop a bespoke digital roadmap, grants of up to £20k to access expert technical advice / fund the purchase of new software and/or equipment (up to 50% of the overall cost), and access to a series of workshops and networking opportunities with other manufactures.
Made Smarter Adoption North East is open to SMEs (under 250 employees) working in the manufacturing and advanced manufacturing sectors in the North East LEP and Tees Valley Combined Authority areas.
We are curating an open innovation programme, Challenge North East, based on global best practice and drawing on existing regional strengths. Open innovation is fundamentally about collaboration with people and organisations. Our aim is to grow the culture of open innovation in the region to increase commercialisation and productivity.