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
HMRC asks Self Assessment customers in Yorkshire and the Humber ‘What’s your filing style?’
With less than two months until the Self Assessment deadline, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is asking people filing their tax return for the 2024 to 2025 tax year ‘What’s your filing style?’ and encouraging them to start now.
Autumn Budget 2025 – How will it impact your business?
The language used by Chancellors during the delivery of such a Budget can often be headline grabbing, assuming you can hear them over the general noise in the House of Commons. But what filters out over the following days and weeks can regularly feel somewhat different to the words you heard during the budget speech.
Create your winning Marketing Plan for 2026: Workshop
Free one-day training for Tourism businesses across York & North Yorkshire - with sessions across Skipton, Scarborough, Northallerton, York and Harrogate. It’s a tough market and costs are rising all the time for hospitality and tourism businesses. This means that you need to increase revenue, and smarter marketing is one definite way forward.
Events
05th December 202510:00 am - 11:30 amFREE
🟣 Steps into Digital: Data Governance & Compliance
Every business is responsible for how it uses data, with legal and ethical obligations under GDPR and ICO guidance. This session provides a business first overview of compliance and governance, ensuring data is managed responsibly without stifling innovation.
11th December 202512:00 am - 1:00 pmFREE
[FULL] Social Media Ads & Paid Campaigns: Tadcaster
Join us for 📢 Social Media Ads & Paid Campaigns in Tadcaster on Thursday 11 December. Ready to scale up? If you’re already active online and want to reach more customers, this is for you.
31st December 20259:30 am - 12:15 pmFREE
[FULL] Export Roadshow: Harrogate
This roadshow is a great opportunity to network with other businesses looking to grow and ask questions of the experts. It will provide you with helpful advice, routes for support beyond the event, including the UK Export Academy, and information about other funding opportunities.
Resources
Webinar Series: How to Run a Pop-Up
From pop-up department stores to kitchen takeovers, cool things are popping up and popping off everywhere. In this exciting project, you’ll get to meet some of the teams behind these pop-ups and get their top tips for running a great pop-up.
Webinar Recording: 🟢 Data Protection Essentials
In this engaging and practical webinar series, Privacy Protect Group Ltd will guide you through everything you need to know to build a confident, compliant, and resilient approach to data protection in your business. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your practices, each session is designed to build your understanding step-by-step.
Webinar Series: Data Analytics for Smarter Decisions
Data Analytics for Smarter Decisions, is a nine part online workshop series designed to help businesses at every stage of their data journey, from those just starting out to those ready to explore artificial intelligence and compliance. Each session is practical, jargon free and grounded in real business use cases, ensuring participants leave with tools and knowledge they can apply immediately.