News
D2N2 - Seeking investment in Growth and Jobs
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 08:08
If you are looking for investment in your business to create jobs in Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, D2N2 wants to hear from you urgently.
The Regional Growth Fund (RGF) is the Government's flagship programme to support private sector investment to boost economic growth and sustainable job creation especially in areas currently dependent on public sector employment.
RGF offers potential applicants a minimum grant investment of £1m and D2N2 is looking to support businesses seeking to apply to RGF. To request support for your RGF application please email D2N2.
D2N2 also wants to hear from those businesses looking for grant investment to create jobs but whose project may not meet the £1m threshold for the RGF. Jump to Investment Fund survey
D2N2 knows that many businesses across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire are ambitious for growth but do not need to level of support provided through RGF. We recognise the massive impact a lesser level of investment support can provide for firms looking to expand into new markets and create new jobs and the positive impact this can have on the local economy and local people.
D2N2 hopes that with sufficient interest from business we can make a case to Government for funding a growth investment programme for firms in Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire looking for grants of less than £1m. As with any funding application, there can be no guarantee of success, but by working in partnership we want to maximise the benefits of RGF for our area.
We want to hear from all business with relevant projects, but are keen to support businesses in our areas of economic focus - the sectors within Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire that provide the greatest growth potential and competitive advantage for the region. These are:
- Advanced Transport Engineering
- Medical/Bioscience
- Food and Drink Manufacturing
- Construction
- The Visitor Economy
- Low Carbon Goods & Services
If you would like to help us to help your business, please register your details at Investment Fund Survey providing us with brief details of your business, growth aspirations and investment opportunity. D2N2 will respond to you through the most appropriate partner organisation within the partnership.
Initially we would be keen to receive any enquiries by close of Tuesday 22nd May 2012.”
The bank of chice for SME's
Wednesday, 02 May 2012 07:34
Santander have identified a group of businesses that are not getting the support they need. The Breakthrough programme will not only break this deadlock, but also be of tremendous benefit to the wider economy, by allowing high-growth businesses to create jobs, stimulate demand and accelerate recovery within the private sector. Breakthrough is driving growth, both for the businesses that participate and the UK economy as a whole.
The Breakthrough programme consists of a number of key elements:
Growth Capital
- Does your SME have the potential to champion rapid growth?
- Does your medium-term plan involve specific growth projects and initiatives that need innovative funding?
Breakthrough Live
- From inspirational discussions to practical actions plans these events enable delegates get genuinely useful
opportunities to enrich their businesses.
Breakthrough Enternships
- Find out how to raise your company's profile in the top universities and access the brightest and best.
Breakthrough Overseas
- These trade missions aim to help companies conquer the challenges commonly associated with exporting.
Breakthrough Safari Tours
- These visits give entrepreneurs the opportunity to see how other businesses have accelerated their growth.
Breakthrough Responsibility
- Funding is available for initiatives to help SME's benefit their areas by creating jobs and training staff.
Channelling the power of Social Media for New Product Launch
Wednesday, 18 April 2012 17:43
Organisations are increasingly exploring ways by which they can connect and collaborate with users through Social Media to promote innovation. Investment in Social Media is top of the agenda for many businesses both large and small. It is now estimated that more than a billion people use social platforms such as Face book, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter. Trying to identify ways to connect with customers and make profitable use of these web-based applications is a challenge. Most managers understand how to build their business networks but less well understand is how to use these applications to develop, launch and market new products/ services.
Successfully launching and commercializing new products and services is a key driver of business performance. It is simply not sufficient for new products and services to be innovative and appeal to their target markets; they also need to be communicated in the most effective and innovative way. In order to do so companies are experimenting with, and investing more in Web 2.0 tools, but they still need a better understanding of their use and potential benefits.
In order to try and help them we are conducting research into whether or not, and for what purposes Social Media can be used in new product/ service development and launch. If you are involved in new product or service development, and are interested in greater customer participation in your development and launch process using Social Media, we would be pleased to speak to you. To find out more about this opportunity please contact:
Dr Deborah Roberts
Deborah.roberts@nottingham.ac.uk
Tel: 0115 8466562
Ingenuity KnowledgeHub online community – get involved
Tuesday, 10 April 2012 14:01
Ingenuity are pleased to be working with a new research project aimed at extending the ways in which you can find out about University expertise and network with link-minded people.
We are aiming to create a new way to help you:
- find the right person to help you with recruitment, student placements, research projects and other support
- access the expertise and knowledge within the University.
We need your help to shape this community
For the Ingenuity KnowledgeHub to be truly useful to business owners, it needs to meet your needs.
The project team is offering:
- a community where you can quickly find, network and collaborate with link-minded people
- the ability to draw your social media accounts together in one place
- a semantic search facility to allow you to easily find the resources you need
- an expert forum
- the ability to access all this through a mobile app.
But is this what you want? And what else would be useful?
Join our panel
We will shortly be conducting surveys to help shape the way the community will work. If you are interested in helping us, we’d ask you answer a couple of quick questions at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PN6FTGF by the end of April. Many thanks.
Ingenuity KnowledgeHub
Monday, 27 February 2012 12:56
Nottingham CleanTech Centres first tenant
Friday, 17 February 2012 09:28
First tenant at Nottingham CleanTech Centre gives companies unique social media gateway.
Phil Campbell of Fibrecamp is the first tenant to move into the Nottingham CleanTech Centre. He is setting up a social media studio on site for use by other tenants to promote their businesses. This will be a valuable addition to the range of services currently offered by the Centre to clean tech companies including low-cost accommodation, training and mentoring support.
Phil’s studio will give tenants and local companies immediate access to video streaming and broadcasting facilities to publicise their businesses across the web. He will also use his own considerable experience of social networks to help them create an effective and profitable social media presence.
Phil says “It’s great to be part of this exciting new venture. I’ve wanted to work with clean tech companies for a long time and offer them something which is unique within an incubator setting. I also want to do my bit to encourage the use of ethical technologies.”
Phil’s green principles have a huge influence on the way he runs his own business and how he lives. He doesn’t own a car, preferring to use pedal power and public transport to get to work. He’s also planning later this year to live part-time in an eco ark in the National Forest with his young daughter.
He’s the ideal first tenant for a Centre with aspirations to become the focal point in Nottingham for developing early-stage businesses involved in clean technologies. The Centre already partners the Nottinghamshire GreenTech Business Network, run by NDE, to provide business support and training to its 900 members. This link, along with its close proximity to the University of Nottingham’s Innovation Park, provides a solid foundation for the creation of a clean tech community.
Linda Slack, Marketing Manager
Tel: 0115 822 1865
E-mail: lindaslack@inntropy.co.uk
Websites: www.cleantechcentre.co.uk www.inntropy.co.uk
Calling manufacturers and innovators - are you the best of British?
Tuesday, 07 February 2012 13:19
The Make it in Great Britain Challenge, a national competition to find the most promising and cutting-edge British pre-market products or processes, is open to inventors, manufacturers, engineers, designers, businesses of all sizes, young people and the general public. It forms part of the Make it in Great Britain campaign, which aims to raise the profile of modern manufacturing.
Judges are seeking entries across five categories that represent the breadth and depth of the manufacturing industry, and highlight the innovation and talent in Britain today.
The winning entries from each category will showcase their creations on a weekly basis at the Make it in Great Britain exhibition at the Science Museum in London, which will coincide with the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer.
Visitors to the six-week exhibition will be invited to vote on their favourite entry. The winners from each weekly vote will feature together in the final week of the exhibit.
To find out more about the Make it in Great Britain Challenge, please visit http://makeitingreatbritain.bis.gov.uk. The deadline for entries is Thursday 5 April 2012.
Follow Make it in Great Britain on Twitter.
Annual Dearing Higher Education Conference
Friday, 06 January 2012 09:20
The Business Growth Benefits of Higher Education will be the focus for the 2012 conference, it will mix talks from top speakers with practical case studies of partnership and collaborative success.
Now in its third year, the Dearing Conference has become an established forum for debate on the future of universities and higher education.
2012 - Rt Hon Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Mr John Cridland CBE, Director-General, CBI, Prof Iain Gray, Chief Executive, Technology Strategy Board and other top speakers from business and higher education will present at this years high-profile event.
Full details of the event, including booking arrangements can be found on the Ingenuity Events Calendar
2011 - Rt Hon David Willetts MP the Minister of State for Universities and Science delivered a keynote address to delegates from around the world at the second Annual Dearing Higher Education Conference, focused on ‘The Globalisation of Higher Education’.
2010 - Lord Mandleson, the then Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills gave the key note speech at the conference, entitled ‘The Future of Higher Education’.
Nottingham Job Fund
Tuesday, 06 December 2011 16:43
With youth unemployment at an all time high, Nottingham City Council is appealing to employers to support its new Jobs Fund.
The Council wants local employers to create vacancies for unemployed young people and will match half the costs of employing them for one year. The Council will also pay for appropriate training.
Nottingham City Council has stepped in to build on the success of the Future Jobs Fund, which was axed by the Government, with a new £1.5 million scheme of its own.
The new Nottingham Jobs Fund will provide job placements primarily to help 18 to 24s, who are finding it particularly difficult to get on the jobs ladder in a difficult economic climate.
The council is inviting interest from all employers, large, medium and small. In addition to covering half of the costs (approximately £5000 per recruit) over a year, an employer will need to commit to ensuring new recruits are given the opportunity to learn new skills and are properly supervised.
Interested employers should contact Kevin Bartlett (Nottingham City Council’s Employment & Skills Officer) on 0115 876 2527 or email kevin.bartlett@nottinghamcity.gov.uk or Bernie Yorston on 0115 876 4485 bernie.yorston@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
UNIP and the Lord Stafford Awards
Friday, 02 December 2011 13:21
The awards recognise, showcase and celebrate the best in collaboration between business and academia.
Built on the site of the former Raleigh factory and adjacent to the University's Jubilee Campus, UNIP opened its first phase in 2008 and has continued to grow ever since with a further three buildings currently under construction.
Bob Scott, UNIP Operations Director, said "Although the concept of UNIP originated from the University, it addresses the need for the East Midlands to create a nationally recognised centre for research and collaboration in key economic sectors.
"This has been vital in ensuring, as UNIP has grown, partners including the East Midlands Development Agency, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, British Geological Survey and private sector bsuinesses have come on board with the university.
"Of course, the key is the involvementof businesses interacting and innovating and UNIP, from the outset, was designed with this in mind."
Lord Stafford, Patron of the Awards, said "In a relatively short period of time, UNIP has become a major research and development centre and has made excellent strides to build links with businesses. It truly is a fantanstic facility and clearly there is still more to come. I wish UNIP and everybody involved all the very best."
UNIP - Runners Up in the Open Collaboration Category
Steve Upcraft - Keith Baker - Bob Scott - - - Lord Stafford
Page 1 of 7
