Business Innovation & Funding
Business innovation should be an accessible goal for organisations of all sizes and does not always have to revolve around technology.
There are many ways in which businesses can think creatively about how they adapt to the rapidly evolving needs and tastes of their audience.
However, businesses are often restricted by a lack of finance, resources, time or know-how to get ideas off the ground. Plus, unpredictable world events can make it difficult for businesses to think about business innovation.
Our growth managers can work with you to refine your plans and, with strong links to partner organisations and educational establishments, help you find a route through any barriers that you may be facing.
In addition, we can provide innovation advice to organisations that are looking to relocate to York and North Yorkshire. Whether you are a foreign-owned or UK business looking to expand, relocate or invest, Invest in York & North Yorkshire can help.
We can help with:
- Cultural barriers
Challenges with cross-cultural communication, especially for businesses looking to expand into international markets.
- Structural barriers
Tackling natural or tactical barriers that arise preventing new entry into your market.
- Financial Barriers
Wanting to make change but lacking the funds to accomplish these goals
- Business communication
Improving internal and external practices and reducing errors by sharing information in the right way.
Fund your business innovation with Made Smarter
If you’re a manufacturing business that is looking to increase the use of technology and expand your business capabilities, the Made Smarter programme could help you access advice, support and even grant funding.
Whether you are completely brand new to digital technology, or you have already started your digitalisation journey, you will be able to receive bespoke advice on anything from skills and leadership to innovation strategies.
Adopting new technology can be daunting, but the Made Smarter scheme will enable you to get the best advice and support from the pioneers and experts in national and local industry bodies.
Made Smarter is encouraging the UK’s next industrial revolution by giving you the competitive edge in a rapidly-growing industry. The programme aims to bring the best out of the UK manufacturing industry by upskilling and encouraging collaboration and innovation – keeping us ahead of the competition in the global manufacturing stage.
Find out more about Innovation
To find out more about how we can help with Business Innovation, get in touch.
Articles
York coworking space launches International Women’s Day competition giving female entrepreneur £1,500 workspace boost!
The winner will receive a dedicated desk for six months in Blake House’s tranquil 13-desk coworking studio - an intentionally small workspace designed to create a genuine business community, offering a calm and focused alternative to the large, impersonal workspaces that many entrepreneurs reportedly experience.
Farm Business Support Programme
This programme is a planned schedule of practical workshops designed to help farm businesses understand where they are now, where they want to be next, and how to make confident decisions in a fast-changing industry. The focus is simple: real world, farm focused business skills that can be applied straight back at home.
New business fund tackles biggest barrier to growth
The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire has invited businesses to apply for a new programme to help overcome one of the biggest barriers to growth. Get Funded, part of the Mayor’s Business Innovation Fund and backed by £200,000 in funding, launched today and will run for the next two years until December 2027.
Resources
Introduction to Carbon Literacy Training for SMEs
Individuals or teams working within Small & Medium Sized Businesses (SMEs) within the York & North Yorkshire regions. This is a great opportunity to learn, with colleagues and peers, about the causes and impacts of Climate Change as well as the actions SMEs can put in place to reduce emissions and help secure a Net Zero future.
Communications for Small Businesses Series: Webinar Recordings
This webinar series will guide you through the steps needed to embrace communications for your business, in an authentic and impactful way.
Webinar Series: Set Up for Success with Google Business Tools
This series explores the free tools available from Google to help small businesses increase their online presence. Plus, you’ll learn how to leverage Google’s paid advertising platform for scalable growth without feeling like you are just wasting money. Participants will leave feeling confident to start using Google Tools to Improve their visibility, generate leads and make more sales online.