September 2015
South Cambridgeshire
OPEN FOR BUSINESS Issue 11
In this edition
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Funding available for women led business
Exporting Inspiration - exporting can help your business grow
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Have your say on the apprenticeship levy
Join our business register for even more support and information. www.scambs.gov.uk/ businessregister
To unsubscribe from this mailing, email ‘unsubscribe’ to openforbusiness@ scambs.gov.uk
Could your business benefit from a share of £75.2 million? Organisations working with small firms in the Cambridge area can benefit from a share of a £75.2m development fund for the region. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) will support innovation, boost businesses and create jobs across local economies. The Greater Cambridgeshire and Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership will be playing a key role in how the money is allocated. As a priority, the partnership will be looking for applications that support sector development and enterprise and developing the workforce within the Greater Cambridge area. The main priorities of the ERDF programme are research and innovation, supporting and promoting small to medium sized enterprises and the creation of a low carbon economy.
The application process is now open. For more information visit
www.gcgp.co.uk/how-we-can-help/european-funding and select the ‘How can we help’ tab
South Cambridgeshire - OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Welcome
Welcome to ‘Open for Business’ September. In this edition you can find out whether your business could benefit from a share of £75.2m fund for the region. We have details on how your business can get involved with Parklife 2016, news on more funding which has been announced for women led businesses in Cambridgeshire and information on grants available from Agri Tech East. Following the success of a South Cambridgeshire company Management Process Systems Limited (MPS), who moved to Cambourne in 2000, we are highlighting opportunities in finding overseas business. Other features include tips for growing your business and keeping it simple, and how you can help Government shape the apprenticeship levy. If you know any other business who would like to receive tailored business news please encourage them to sign up to our business register by visiting www.scambs.gov.uk/content/signbusiness-support-news-and-information We would also like to hear from you if you would like to feature as our local case study in the next edition. Cllr Nick Wright Cabinet member for planning and economic development
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Opportunities for your business at
Parklife 2016
Parklife is a family fun day which we have run for local residents, free of charge, since 2009. The event has grown significantly over the years and has now become an established brand and we’re keen to carry on delivering this service. We’re now looking to local companies for sponsorship. We have plenty to offer potential supporters of Parklife and we are willing to work with partners to incorporate their own ideas to create a package that meets both theirs and our needs. If you would like a copy of our sponsorship package contact Alexandra Ellwood on the details below.
For highlights of the day visit YouTube and search for 'SouthCambsDC'
Please contact Alexandra Ellwood for further information Alexandra.Ellwood@scambs.gov.uk 01954 713063
South Cambridgeshire - OPEN FOR BUSINESS
There is more funding available for female led business in Cambs Women across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are being offered extra help to grow or set up their own businesses by gaining digital skills and taking up faster broadband.
Connecting Cambridgeshire has been awarded a further ÂŁ49,300 funding from the Government Equalities Office to continue providing practical help for women-led businesses and female entrepreneurs to make the most of technology through its Destination Digital project. The Women and Broadband Challenge Fund award will be used to launch a county-wide roadshow this autumn offering drop-in clinics with digital advice and training for women who want to run their own businesses or to work more flexibly. It will also help businesswomen get better broadband to support their work. Destination Digital has already helped hundreds of businesses get grants and advice to improve their broadband connections and use digital technology. It has provided digital training courses, helped women to return to work, join business networks and attend events, as well as supporting business networks. The project is working closely with local councils, the Chamber of Commerce and business organisations to highlight digital opportunities for businesses. For more information visit www.destinationdigital.info
Finance and support for your business Find Government-backed support and finance for your business, including; - grants - finance and loans - business support e.g mentoring and consultancy - funding for small and medium-sized businesses and start ups. Customise your search by location, size and activity www.gov.uk/business-finance-support-finder
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South Cambridgeshire - OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Case Study:
Are you interested in finding overseas contracts, tenders and business opportunities? Following the success of a South Cambridgeshire company Management Process Systems Limited (MPS), who moved to Cambourne in 2000, we’re highlighting opportunities to find overseas business. MPS has used the Cloud computing to deliver services throughout the UK and as far away as New Zealand. The innovative business model they have used has been based on using the internet to improve contract management. MPS has developed a Contract Change Management system (CCM) to support the CCM of construction projects. The contract management system can greatly improve contract administration efficiency, provides project teams with remote access to financial and time delivery status of a contract on a real time basis. This can be particularly beneficial for project teams based at different locations and away from a site. It is also an environmentally friendly, paperless system with flexible arrangements for project stakeholders. MPS have used this pioneering cloud technology to deliver projects in a variety of different sectors and places. Some examples include:
roads transport infrastructure in Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Barnsley, Lincolnshire, Kent, Surrey and London
motorways smart infrastructure in Birmingham M6, Bristol M4/M5, Surrey Hampshire M3 and Manchester M60 M62
rail infrastructure in London, Edinburgh and Kent
flood prevention and harbour works in Dundee, London, Glasgow and Northamptonshire
energy in Cumbria, Wrexham, Blackpool, Stansted, London and Rossshire
education in Cambridge and London.
Account managers Christian Hubbard and Franck Manville at MPS use The Cloud to manage relationships with customers as well as deliver a service. It enables a local company to successfully develop a market presence throughout the UK without any physical or cost constraints. If you are interested in overseas business opportunities UKTI can help you find overseas tenders and contract opportunities which can be tailored to your company’s needs. Each month hundreds of business opportunities are published across market sectors and in over 100 markets. You can register for free and find out more about UKTI services by visiting their website. www.businessopportunities.ukti.gov.uk Visit www.mpsprocess.com to find out more about this South Cambridgeshire business.
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Exporting Inspiration Whether you make products or sell services - exporting can help your business grow. In total, goods account for 61% of UK exports, with services making up the remaining 39%. To help inspire you to Get Exporting local businesses like Taylor Vinters and LeMark group have given an insight into how they make the most of exporting. www.gcgp.co.uk/exporting-inspiration
South Cambridgeshire - OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Growth programme: £8 million for rural businesses Rural businesses in South Cambridgeshire looking to expand will be able to benefit from new funding to help unlock the huge potential for growth in the countryside. From rural events such as the Latitude festival to farm shops, a range of rural businesses looking to expand and promote tourism in the region are encouraged to apply for grants. The new funding will provide a real boost for the rural economy in South Cambridgeshire. The programme is a competitive process and funding will be directly targeted at initiatives that will bring the biggest benefit for local areas. Find out more at www.gov.uk/government/collections/growthprogramme-grants-for-the-rural-economy
Agri-Tech grants up for grabs
The Eastern Agri Initiative has been set up to support the development of new and innovative ideas within this important sector.
There are two main funds that businesses located in within Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Rutland, North Hertfordshire, Uttlesford, South Holland, Norfolk or Suffolk can apply for: The first is an Agri Tech Growth Fund, which provides grants between £10,000 and £15,000 to support product development and improve agricultural productivity. The second is a Research, Development and Prototyping Fund which helps to support research and development of new products and processes with grants between £10,000 and £60,000. You can find out more about the funding available by visiting the LEP website www.gcgp.co.uk
Please note: calls for project proposals for the current grants programme will close on 31 March 2016.
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South Cambridgeshire - OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Tips for growing your business and keeping it simple It is often said that the simplest ideas are the best. Innovation can be fired by the simple desire to sell an idea, to make a difference, to provide a service or meet customer demand.
ACAS - promoting employment relations and HR excellence - has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in employment law and helping employers get the best out of their staff. ACAS resources have been specially designed to help small firms grow:
Help for small firms - a package of tools specially tailored to help SMEs recruit, draw up contracts of employment, settle in new staff, manage and improve their performance, and deal with any problems
Simple, ready to use forms and policies
Acas Model Workplace - check your policies and practices using a free interactive tool.
Help shape the apprenticeship levy The apprenticeship levy will give employers real ownership over how they develop skills.
This consultation invites you to comment on the Government’s proposal to introduce an apprenticeship levy to enable employers to choose and pay for the apprenticeship training. The consultation seeks views on: paying the levy how the levy should work for employers who operate across the whole of the UK how to make sure that employers paying the levy have the opportunity to get more out than they put in how best to give employers control of apprenticeships. They would particularly welcome views from employers, business organisations and training organisations. Have your say. www.gov.uk and search for ‘Apprenticeships Levy’
Editorial information This newsletter is produced for local businesses by South Cambridgeshire District Council. Editorial enquiries should be emailed to openforbusiness@scambs.gov.uk The opinions and views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of South Cambridgeshire District Council. All data is accepted in good faith at the time of going to press.
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