Be Central Bedfordshire - Business Newsletter 05.04.22

Date Added: 05/04/2022

Innovate UK new and current funding opportunities

Innovate UK is the UK’s national innovation agency and they help businesses grow through the development and commercialisation of new products, processes, and services. Please see below a list:

Businesses can apply for loans for innovative projects with strong commercial potential to significantly improve the UK economy.
Organisations can apply for a share of up to £4.5 million for innovative skills, talent, and training projects for power electronics, motors and drives.
Businesses can apply for a share of up to £1 billion for capital centric investment projects that help industrialise the electrified automotive supply chain at scale in the UK.
Organisations can apply for a share of up to £25 million for game-changing and commercially viable research and development (R&D) innovation that can significantly impact the UK economy.

Launch of the Bedfordshire SME Business Awards 2022

The awards were launched at a business event on the Linmere Estate in Houghton Regis. Sara Earl from the Sustainability Team at Central Bedfordshire Council was talking about the aim to make the Council carbon neutral by 2030. Both the Council and Green Business Network are supporting this year’s 'Sustainability Award' and encouraging as many businesses to apply.

The closing date for entries is Thursday, 16th June 2022.

Find out more about the awards and for more information on the entry rules.

Net Zero Carbon – how to do it right

Join the Green Business Network event, which will help you to start your Net Zero Carbon journey by helping you to understand the approach, understand where you are now, plan to improve, implement the plan and report on it. Expert speakers from member company Energise will:

explain all the technical terms and what they mean
provide an introduction to Net Zero Carbon Planning and your Carbon Footprint
introduce the Standards relating to these areas and how to implement them.

Date: 7 April 2022

Venue: The Forest Centre, Marston Moretaine

Time: 14.00 to 16.30

You can attend free if you’re a Green Business Network member, Green Connector or a Central Beds-based business. Others are very welcome to attend at a cost of £40 per delegate. Book your place by visiting the website.

Spring Business Network Event

The annual Spring Business Network Event serves to create an opportunity for face to face introductions, between like-minded business people and highlight relevant local issues and maintain a communication network. This event is open to all businesses, all sizes, sectors and trades.

For more information about the event, email the team or call 01525 631918.

Cybersecurity & digital support: Help protect your business from security risks

Sponsored by the Productivity Escalator programme, the University of Bedfordshire's Research & Innovation Service will be holding this informative event on:

Date: Monday, 25th April 2022

Time: 09:00-11:00am

Venue: DoubleTree Hotel, Milton Keynes Stadium

The Keynote speakers will discuss the types of digital support available, with topics to include:

Digital technology skills to futureproof your business
How to assess cyber risks and safeguard your business and intellectual property
Support in your region: Grants; financial subsidy's to support employment of a graduate
Business success stories and what other organisations have used their part-funded support for
Grant writing application: The process & how to write a successful application

Aerospace Technology Institute funding

The Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme funds industrial research and investment aid for research infrastructures to make the UK civil aerospace sector more competitive.

This is phase 1 of a strategic batch competition within the ATI Programme. There are 2 phases to each strategic batch competition. If you are successful at phase 2 you will proceed to final approvals and contracting.

This funding competition is now open for applications and closes on Wednesday, 27 April 2022 at 11:00am.

Express your interest now.

HMRC urges businesses to get ready to move to Customs IT platform

HM Revenue and Customs is working to move to a single UK customs platform called the Customs Declaration Service.

It explains what businesses need to do to comply with the new rules and processes for moving goods between Great Britain and the EU and the rest of the world including:

making sure they have a UK Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number
ensuring they are ready to make customs declarations
checking if their goods are eligible for the preferential zero duty rates
preparing for the end of staged import controls

Find out how to access the support to make import and export declarations.

Green Heat Network Fund launched

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) launched a £288 million Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) which is a 3-year £288 million capital grant fund that will support:

the commercialisation and construction of new low and zero carbon (LZC) heat networks (including the supply of cooling)
the retrofitting and expansion of existing heat networks

The fund has opened for applications and is anticipated to run to 2025. For further information, contact the team.

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