The next window for Wolverhampton businesses to submit expressions of interest for the West Midlands SME Grant, and the West Midlands Net Zero Grant, funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, will open on Tuesday 2nd July and remain open for at least two weeks. 

These are competitive grant programmes whereby successful applicants will need to show a strong business case and economic or environmental impact. In this round we will prioritise grant support to significant capital equipment investment projects.

Examples of significant capital equipment investment projects could include chromic acid extraction systems, tube forming machines, vertical turning lathes, air source heat pumps, and solar panels.

Details of the grant programmes can be found here

What do we mean by innovation, how can your business be more innovative, what difference does an innovative mindset make, what support and funding is available? To answer these questions and more we are working with Innovate UK Business Growth to deliver a programme of free workshops and one-to-one sessions.

Join us for the latest in our programme of free breakfast workshops on Friday 19th July at 9am at the Technology Centre, Wolverhampton Science Park, WV10 9RU. For more details and to book a place please click here

This event will demystify the funding packages available to support product and service development, and will help you develop a roadmap to underpin your innovation journey. You will learn about their funding programmes, how they facilitate collaboration between business and academia, and the resources available to help your ideas reach their full potential. A great opportunity to hear first hand about the support available, connect with Innovate UK advisors, and network with colleagues.

Business Growth West Midlands (BGWM) organise a programme of business support webinars - here are a couple coming up early next month

Sales Negotiating

Monday 1st July  10am - 11.30am

This dynamic webinar will unlock the art of sales negotiation techniques - for navigating tough conversations, handling objections - and achieving mutually beneficial outcomes. This webinar will empower you with the tools and strategies needed to negotiate with confidence and finesse. Don't miss this chance to enhance your sales game and drive success through strategic negotiations. To book a place please click here

Top tips for turning more website visitors into customers

Tuesday 2nd July  12:00pm - 1:30pm

From refining your service benefits to using persuasive language and adjusting page layouts, learn how to maximize your website's potential to convert visitors into customers. With real-world examples and proven results, this webinar will provide actionable insights that require minimal effort and zero cost to implement. Don't miss out on this opportunity to turbocharge your website's conversion rate and drive greater business success. To book a place please click here 

For details of all BGWM events please click here

We all have a part to play in the resilience and emergency response within our communities. What if there was a flood? A power outage? Another pandemic or terrorist attack? Are you part of a Business Network, if so how prepared are the businesses in your network to withstand and recover from these emergencies, and how could they support their communities in response? New national research led by the Greater London Authority and delivery partner Business in the Community - aims to gather the views, insight and experience of business and enterprise networks/ groups about key risks that concern their businesses, their experiences of emergency planning, and what support they may find useful to help their businesses to respond, and assist their local communities, in the event of an emergency incident.

If you are a representative of a business or social enterprise network, group or body (based anywhere, with any focus), or could share with anyone who is, then Bonnie Hall at BitC  would welcome any insights and experiences.

Contact for more information: bonnie.hall@bitc.org,uk

The Net Zero Innovation Programme has recently been launched by the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG). WMG will bring the delivery of their September programme to Wolverhampton.

This free programme offers a cohort-based approach to understanding what net zero would mean and look like for your business. It includes a net zero readiness assessment, a net zero roadmap, collaboration events, a best practice visit, a technical innovation project, and the opportunity to apply for grant funding toward an energy efficiency project (this can be additional to the council's Net Zero grant funding).

For more detail and to register your interest please email Jonathan.Rackley@warwick.ac.uk    and business.development@wolverhampton.gov.uk

with the heading Net Zero Innovation Programme - Wolverhampton cohort

BlackRook Academy is partnering with City of Wolverhampton College to offer a 'day release' industry bootcamp aimed at developing digital skills in business - 148 hours of industry coaching and mentor support in Social Media Content Creation for a little over £300. If you're interested in building an audience online for your products and services contact Alan Rook now - email alan@blackrookacademy.com  or call 07801522800

The Small Business Competition is jointly provided by accountancy firm Sage, and The Hundred Cricket Competition. Through the initiative, small businesses in the UK can win a cash prize and funded promotion opportunities to boost their commercial operations. This year, Sage is giving away £50,000 in business grants to ten small firms. Winners will receive:

• A £5,000 grant to help meet business goals
• Four tickets for the final match of The Hundred 2024 on 18 August 2024
• 12-months' free Sage software
• 12 months' subscription to accounting and payroll software

Entrants must run or be decision makers in a small or medium-sized business and/or accountants with fewer than 50 employees. All entrants must have at least two years of trading activity, and the closing date is 12 July 2024. For more information and to apply click here

West Midlands based companies with clean technologies can apply now for a new business support programme targeted at the Indian market. Successful applicants will be able to: 

• Explore new collaborations with stakeholders in India
• Apply for a share of £80,000 to carry out trials or product development
• Join two market visits to India

The Diatomic India Accelerator is looking for eight small-to-medium-sized enterprises developing clean technologies to address pressing climate issues.

The 3 challenge areas for this programme are the future of energy, the future of mobility, and sustainable urban areas. There is an applicant support webinar on 9 July, and the closing date for applications is on 24 July 2024. For more information please click here

If you have any queries relating to business support, growing your business, or some of the challenges you are facing then please call the council's Business Support helpline on 01902 555572 or complete the online enquiry form here

To support your business enquiry and growth our team is more than happy to carry out a free business diagnostic - to ensure we can connect you quickly to the right support.