Delegates from across Shropshire were given reasons to be cheerful at a flagship business breakfast event held at The Shrewsbury Club earlier today (Tuesday 17 October 2023).
Business leaders got together to look at what Shropshire could look like in 2050, how the quickly developing world of AI will shape our future, and heard the latest updates on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), part of the Government’s levelling up agenda.
Andy Begley, Shropshire Council’s chief executive, opened the event by committing to taking the ‘Sh out of Shropshire’ and by embracing partnerships across the private and public sector. He explained that the council is very much open for business and alive to the opportunities around major infrastructure projects, particularly in relation to transport and the built environment.
Other talks during the event included a panel discussion, where Calvin Lord-Latham from Shrewsbury Town FC Foundation spoke about the inspirational Shropshire Sports Collective, a joint project between the Foundation, Energize STW, Shropshire Cricket Board, Embrace Education Trust and Bright Star Boxing Academy.
Lezley Picton, Leader of Shropshire Council, closed the event by saying she was encouraged by meeting delegates at the event and was not only cheerful but confident about the future. She said there had never been a better time to start, grow or invest in a business in Shropshire, and that the council will build on its relationship with the Government and decision makers to drive action that will bring in funding for the county.
Reasons to be cheerful for Shropshire businesses - Shropshire Council Newsroom
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Innovative, ambitious businesses can benefit from the facilities and expertise provided by Catapults and Research & Technology Organisations (RTOs) through Innovate UK EDGE (if decided it is appropriate as part of a client's advisory support from a specialist and not as stand alone application).
RTOs are specialised not-for-profit knowledge organisations dedicated to the development and transfer of science and technology to the benefit of the economy and society. They include hubs, laboratories, testbeds, factories and offices for cutting edge R&D. The Catapult network of technology and innovation centres established by Innovate UK supports businesses to transform great ideas into valuable products and services.
We can offer applicants with a suitable project who are currently benefiting from our growth advisory support a grant for 100% of eligible costs to a maximum of £15,000.
Funded access to Catapults and RTOs to support growth & scaling | Innovate UK EDGE (ukri.org)
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HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is today (17 October) urging Self Assessment customers to be on the lookout for scam texts, emails and phone calls from fraudsters.
HMRC has advised that fraudsters will prey on customers by impersonating HMRC. The scams take different approaches. Some offer a rebate; others tell customers that they need to update their tax details or threaten immediate arrest for tax evasion.
Customers can register and use HMRC’s online checking tool on GOV.UK to quickly assess whether they will need to complete a tax return. And they can use the step-by-step guide to check what they need to do to file their first Self Assessment tax return.
HMRC has a wide range of resources to help customers file a tax return including a series of video tutorials on YouTube and help and support guidance on GOV.UK.
An acceleration programme for innovative SMEs to grow and scale through exploring the potential of global markets.
Are you ready to scale your business globally?
To successfully scale your business globally you need to understand the requirements of different markets and build the necessary partnerships, collaborations, and networks. The Global Incubator Programme supports cohorts of up to 8 innovative UK SMEs to spend time working with world-leading incubators abroad to accelerate their global growth.
Our structured and intensive programme encompasses three-stages to tackle the challenges that most innovative companies face when entering global markets. The programme provides businesses looking to scale globally with access to world-class mentors and programming, helping to reduce the barriers and the risks.
The programme currently operates with four countries: the USA, Canada, Singapore, and Australia.
Global Incubator Programme for SMEs | Innovate UK EDGE (ukri.org)
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UK registered organisations can access grants for projects resulting in new solutions to address bias and discrimination in AI systems.
The aim of this Innovate UK (IUK) competition is to drive the development of novel solutions to address bias and discrimination in artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
The objectives are to:
- Encourage the development of socio-technical approaches to fairness.
- Test how strategies to address bias and discrimination in AI systems can comply with relevant regulation, including the Equality Act 2010, the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
- Provide greater clarity about how different assurance techniques can be applied in practice.
Proposals must address bias and discrimination in one of these use cases:
- Provided healthcare use case
- Open use case
Up to £400,000 has been allocated to fund innovation projects in this competition. Each project’s total costs can be up to £130,000 (100% funded).
This competition is open to single applicants only. To lead a project an organisation must be a UK registered business of any size, academic institution, research and technology organisation (RTO), charity, not for profit, or public sector organisation.
Applications are open between 16 October 2023 and 13 December 2023.
Competition overview - Fairness Innovation Challenge - Innovation Funding Service (apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk)
Adopting a coaching approach can be the key to unlock your team’s potential, encourage new ideas/perspectives and ultimately increase engagement.
This short session will provide a taster of how to apply practical coaching skills to develop employee performance.
Who is this course for?
This session is for managers, supervisors, team leaders who want to develop coaching skills as part of their day-to-day management practice.
Venue: Shrewsbury venue to be confirmed
Breakfast Briefing - Coaching for Success, 31 Oct 23 - TLC Shrewsbury (yarringtonevents.co.uk)
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