 Aquamare Marine Ltd Opens New Waterside Refit Centre at Yacht Haven Marina
Aquamare Marine Ltd, a leading provider of specialist refit, repair, and maintenance services for yachts, is excited to announce the grand opening of its new waterside refit centre at Yacht Haven Marina in Mount Batten, Plymouth. The new facility marks a significant expansion of Aquamare’s capabilities and provides enhanced services for clients across the South West and beyond.
Located in the heart of one of the UK’s most prestigious marinas, the state-of-the-art refit centre offers a full range of services for both motor and sailing yachts. From routine maintenance to extensive structural repairs, Aquamare’s expert team of engineers, painters, and craftsmen will ensure vessels are maintained to the highest standards.
New Hospital Programme: Confirmation for Derriford Hospital
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust is delighted that following the government announcement of the New Hospital Programme review outcome, the new Emergency Care Building at Derriford Hospital can now proceed at pace.
The new state-of-the-art facility will replace the Trust’s current Emergency Department, which is not fit for purpose, by creating space to care in a modern healthcare environment that our community has long required.
Plans for an improved Emergency Care Building for the south west peninsula’s major trauma centre have been in the pipeline for several years with a huge amount of hard work and dedication from everyone involved, as well as strong support from the local community, including cross party support from local MPs.
£30 million to clean up sea travel and turbocharge coastal economies
Funding will boost growth and create jobs throughout the UK, as well as move towards an era of zero-emission shipping.
Coastal communities and businesses across the country will benefit from £30 million of new decarbonisation funding, helping to drive economic growth and create jobs – delivering on the government’s Plan for Change.
The funding comes from the latest round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC6). CMDC is designed to support clean maritime technologies including electric, hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, wind power and more.
Government launches AI Opportunities Action Plan
The Prime Minister has unveiled the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, committing £14 billion in investment into ‘game-changing’ artificial intelligence and creating 13,250 jobs.
The plan is based on 50 recommendations from Matt Clifford, the founder of startup incubator Entrepreneur First and chair of the government’s Advanced Research and Innovation Agency.
Clifford was commissioned to work on the plan after the July 2024 UK general election, and the government has said it will adopt all 50 recommendations.
Devon Business Awards 2025
Have you entered the Devon Business Awards 2025 yet? The Devon Business Awards is the county’s biggest awards ceremony recognising the extraordinary achievements of businesses across a wide range of fields. The 2025 awards are now open for nominations and entries by the county’s leading entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes.
This year, for the first time, applications are open to all businesses operating in Devon – not just Devon Chamber members. Categories include start up of the year, small business of the year, creative business, community champion and many more. The awards ceremony will take place on Friday 16th May 2025 at Crowne Plaza Plymouth.
Womble Bond Dickinson's ethnicity network nominated for British Diversity Award
Womble Bond Dickinson's ethnicity network, WBD Reach (race, ethnicity and cultural heritage), has been shortlisted in the Outstanding Ethnicity Network of the Year category at the prestigious British Diversity Awards 2025.
The awards, promote diversity, equity and inclusion by recognising individuals and organisations who continually strive to make workplaces, and society, more inclusive for all.
Trident Gym set to redefine fitness with new opening at The Barcode
A brand-new, state-of-the-art gym, health and wellness centre will be opening on Saturday 1st February at The Barcode, Drake Circus.
The comprehensive facilities will include premium weight machines, functional fitness equipment, saunas, ice baths, and much more.
The exciting new addition of saunas and ice baths will elevate Plymouth's wellness and recovery offerings, aligning with a rapidly growing trend across the UK.
The combination of sauna bathing and cold plunging offers numerous health benefits, including increased energy levels, reducing stress and anxiety, relieving pain and inflammation, fat burning, and improved sleep quality.
 Business Spotlight: Yacht Solutions Europe
The Invest Plymouth Team recently took a trip to Turnchapel Wharf to meet with Paul Eccles and Dave Watson, Directors of Yacht Solutions Europe Limted.
Yacht Solutions Europe does it all, from gorgeous aesthetics including retrofit & custom carpentry, Teak decks, Backlit yacht names, Underwater lights and superior quality Interior & exterior upholstery, through to Engineering solutions, thruster & stabiliser systems, GRP, 3D design, A/V upgrades to everything in between, they really can provide a solution for everything. Covering all sectors, leisure and workboats Paul and David support projects all over the world as well as locally in Devon and Cornwall.
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships business information sessions
The University of Plymouth’s Innovation Funding Team together with Enterprise Solutions are hosting a series of free, business-information sessions.
These online events will show how different businesses can benefit from a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project and explore other services for business that are available from the University.
Join this event to discover how to use KTP to supercharge your business but also to find out more about different ways to work with our University.
Date: 31 January 2025 (Online)
Time: 12:00 – 13:00
Tech South West Annual Survey 2025
Take the Annual Survey 2025 and be entered to win two free tickets to the Tech South West Awards 2025!
All information provided via the survey will remain anonymous. and will help to continue pushing for greater investment, policy attention and talent initiatives in the South West tech ecosystem.
Make Your Business Greener with Free One-on-One Support
Business Information Points (BIP) are offering tailored, one-on-one support to help businesses on their journey to net zero.
From simple changes like switching to renewable energy, upgrading lightbulbs, or sourcing products locally, to comprehensive carbon audits through their partnership with Carbon Sense, this free support is designed to meet you where you are and guide you towards practical, achievable green goals.
A dedicated local advisor will help you identify quick wins, set long-term goals, and foster a greener mindset within your team. There are limited spaces left so don’t wait—start your transformative journey today with a free initial chat.
Kick off in Business
Kick Off in Business course is a no jargon approach to teaching you everything you need to start your own business in just two weeks. This online course covers all aspects of running your own business including:
- Enterprise Skills
- Principles of social media for business use
- Understanding the importance of business planning
- Understanding the legal structures for business
- Understand how to market your business
In order to receive funding for the course you must be over the age of 19 and interested in exploring self-employment or starting a business.
New Health and Wellbeing Trends Guide 2025
Support your employees' physical and mental wellbeing by knowing what health and wellbeing trends are key to explore in 2025. Benenden Health’s workplace health and wellbeing trends guide details 6 of the key areas of interest this year – and how you can roll these into your health and wellbeing strategy.
Download your FREE Guide below.
 Ultra Low-Carbon Building Materials: CobBauge, Natural Insulation and Living Walls
Curious about the latest breakthroughs in ultra low-carbon building materials? Join the University of Plymouth for a FREE online event exploring groundbreaking approaches such as CobBauge, natural insulation, and living wall systems which have contributed to more sustainable construction and restoration. Open to everyone—whether you're a built environment professional, academic, student, or just passionate about sustainability—this event is not to be missed!
Date: 29 January 2025 (Online)
Time: 14:30 – 17:00
Digital & Leadership Skills Bootcamp (Devon)
Don't miss out on the opportunity to join these fully funded Skills Bootcamps starting in January with bootcamps available in Digital Marketing, Leadership and Management and Digital Business Skills. These 10-week courses are designed to help you enhance your digital marketing techniques, refine your business acumen, or develop strong leadership abilities.
Open to residents of Devon aged 19 and over, the courses are delivered primarily online, making them accessible to fit around your schedule.
Enterprise Nation Lunch and Learn - Five sales strategies to confidently grow your business
In this FREE Lunch and Learn, you will take away actionable sales strategies that you can implement right away to start building lasting customer relationships and growing your businesses.
This session will break down five simple yet effective sales techniques, focusing on relationship building, effective prospecting and presenting irresistible offers.
Date: 30th January 2025 (Online)
Time: 12:00 – 12:30
Business Information Point - Automating Your Business with Microsoft Power Automate
Discover how Microsoft Power Automate can transform your business by automating repetitive tasks. This FREE online session covers everything from creating automated flows to sending automatic reminders and moving business data between systems.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn to create automated workflows using Microsoft Power Automate.
- Understand how to automate business processes and reduce manual workload.
- Gain insights into improving accuracy and efficiency in business operations.
Date: 4 February 2025 (Online)
Time: 13:30 – 15:30
R&D Solutions Fund 2025 is now open
The Enterprise Solutions Team at the University of Plymouth, is delighted to announce a latest round of R&D Solutions Fund, focused on developing research and development opportunities.
Awards of up to £20,000 are available to support collaborative R&D initiatives and can provide access to specialist technical support, facilities, and equipment. The funds can support early-stage research, feasibility studies, or project implementation, and can be used to cover academic, and/or business partners research time. Call 8 closes at 5 pm on Monday 17th March 2025. Anyone interested in applying will need to register their interest via the link below.
Innovate UK innovation loans future economy: Round 19
Innovate UK is offering up to £25 million in loans to micro, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Innovate UK innovation loans are for highly innovative late stage research and development (R&D) projects with the best potential for the future. There must be a clear route to commercialisation and economic impact.
Closes: 18 March 2025
High Growth AI Accelerator Programme - Accelerate AI in the construction industry
The High Growth AI Accelerator for BridgeAI is a 14-week accelerator programme for UK-based startups, scaleups and SMEs to help them validate and develop ethical and desirable AI and ML deep-tech solutions.
Companies can apply for a share of up to £2m for AI solutions to develop AI competencies and support AI upskilling in construction. Funding requests must be between £50,000 and £100,000.
Q&A sessions: 31 January; 7, 14, 21, February 2025
Closes: 23 February 2025
Travel support for UK businesses to attend European events
Innovate UK is offering travel support for companies to attend consortia-building events in Europe. Up to £700 is available to help cover travel and subsistence costs.
European event travel awards are currently available in the following sectors: -
- Sustainability
- Agriculture
- Transport
- Electronics & Digital
- Energy
- Health
Find a grant
Find a grant is a service that allows you to search government grants.
You can use this service to:
- access government grant funding
- search and filter to find a grant that matches your needs
- find out if you are eligible to apply for a grant
- find out how to apply for a grant
 Big Creative UK Summit: Investment in Cornwall & Devon!
Join the Creative UK team in Plymouth for a celebration of the Create Growth Programme and a showcase of the region's Creative Industries.
The day will consist of bold conversations with industry-leading speakers, dynamic pitching, an exhibition of the creative companies supported by Creative UK, and insightful networking.
Register for your free ticket today. Spaces are limited so early registration is advised.
Date: 7th February 2025
Time: 9:30am-6pm
MUKSW Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition
MUKSW Clean Maritime Drop In Session – Special event for the “Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 6 DFT Briefing”
Department For Transport and Innovate UK will brief attendees on the £30M competition, followed by a Q&A and an opportunity for businesses to network and pitch their ideas, gain support via the MUKSW network of Innovation Advisers.
Date: 30 January 2025 2025 (Online)
Time: 14:00 – 16:00
Climate Mingle
The first Climate Mingle of 2025 will be at Theatre Royal Plymouth's production and learning centre, TR2. The first speaker will be Theatre Royal themselves, sharing their Net Zero journey and speaking on how recent productions have sourced local and waste materials.
Plus, there will be a chance for nibbles and networking, with more speakers to be announced.
Date: 30th January 2025
Time: 18:00 – 20:00
Location: TR2, 12 Neptune Park, Cattedown, Plymouth, PL4 OSJ
Plymouth Culture Creative Leadership Network Event
At this FREE networking event you will meet other creative leaders within a supportive environment. There will be facilitated activity as well as the chance for a relaxed mingle. There will be tea/coffee provided.
Date: Thursday 30 January 2025
Time: 6pm-7:30pm
Location: The Box, Plymouth
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