Essex Innovation Programme
Providing practical support for pre-start, start-up and established innovative businesses looking to grow in Essex
What’s available?
The Essex Innovation Programme could give you access to a free of charge range of specialist services to enable you to start-up or grow your business.
Practical, meaningful advice from an assigned specialist mentor could include:
· Help to understand the market need and/or demand for your technology/product and assistance in establishing a strategic marketing plan
· Assessing the strength of your business plan
· Advice on securing finance to develop your business strategies to protect your idea and future profits
· Advice on diversifiying and winning business in niche markets, both at home and abroad
· Guidance on how more effective use of design might strengthen your business offer to customers
· Approaches to developing new products and services
· Assessing current processess and understanding where they could be leaner and save money.
· How to better promote your company and win new business
· Brokerage of support for R & D activities
· Making the university sector work for you
· Introducing you to good strategic partners.
In addition the Essex Innovation Programme team will assess your suitability for other business support and will make the necessary introductions such as;
· Property finder service
· Registration on the Funding and Investment service for regular updates on available grants
· BEST Growth Hub
· Accountants, IP services and other business services
Subject to eligibility, there are options for mentoring support to be over either intensive (over 3-6 months) or over a longer period (6-12 months on average). Places are limited to no more than 100 businesses during 2016/17.
Eligibility
Firstly, you must live or work in Essex (including Thurrock and Southend). Then eligibility is dependant on the nature of your business development proposal, and a demonstration of genuine commitment to the programme.
We envisage that Participants might be active in a range of sectors such as advanced engineering & manufacturing, transport, logistics & distributions, advanced technologies including ICT, automotive, defence and health, low carbon industries and financial and business services etc, but this list is by no means exhaustive. We recognise that ‘innovation’ is not limited to sectors which focus on technology-based businesses; innovative new ways of delivering services and solutions over a wide range of sectors will be equally interesting.
Application Process
Informal Discussion
Applicants are welcome to contact us at any time for an informal discussion to explore eligibility and whether the programme is likely to be beneficial.
Application
All Applicants complete an Application Form to provide outline information about their business, their aspirations, and the possible areas of assistance that will be valuable.
Applicants are invited to provide technical, business or financial information to support their application. It is recognised that full information may not be (indeed is likely not to be) available for early stage ideas, but we do need to understand the basis of the proposed business evolution, its goals, aspirations, sustainability and growth potential, and other compelling reasons why you think the ideas are likely to succeed.
This information enables an initial assessment of the alignment of the proposal with the programme goals.
Face to Face meeting
Applicants are invited to meet two members of the Innovation Team to explain their proposal in more depth so that your suitability can be confirmed and you can be paired with the most suitable mentor. During this session (normally around 45 minutes) we will discuss:
· What is the fundamental concept that underpins your business idea?
· What makes it innovative?
· What is the expected impact on you / your business? Who will be interested (market)? Is there any competition?
· Do you possess the right skills (eg. technical, management, commercial, etc) to develop your business in the direction you wish? What support do you envisage that will benefit you most to achieve this?
· What support have you received so far?
Programme Development
Successful Applicants will be invited to an initial scoping meeting with a Business Mentor, who will propose a specially tailored programme of support and mentoring, with appropriate goals, objectives, and development work which will be covered over a set number of hours.
Subject to approval and completion of administrative details (including agreement to certain terms and conditions), the agreed programme is implemented.
Reporting and follow-up
Participants will be expected to demonstrate their commitment to the programme by diligently following up on the guidance and recommendations arising from discussions with their Mentor(s), and completing any agreed interim assignments. Reports will be requested at certain points during the programme, and at its conclusion. If non commitment becomes a problem this will then be reviewed by the Innovation team and can lead to termination of support.
Confidentiality
Discussions during any part of this process can be subject to a Confidentiality Agreement if required by the Participant.
For more information about the programme, please contact:
Helen Quinnell
Email:
Tel: 07918 904941
Web: www.essexinnovation.co.uk
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Updated: 24th April 2013
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