£15m funding boost for new university; £40m grant scheme for farming, agri-food and countryside business; North West Relief Road video fly-through

An update from the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership

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£15m funding boost announced for NMiTE university

Up to £15 million of new funding to help support the establishment of a new 'greenfield' university in Herefordshire specialising in high-quality engineering courses.

The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership has welcomed the investment in the New Model in Technology & Enterprise (NMiTE), announced by Universities Minister Jo Johnson.

NMiTE aims to address the growing need for engineering talent in sectors such as advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and cyber-security. More...

Regional lender BCRS Business Loans has been announced as a fund manager for the Midlands Engine Investment Fund.

BCRS will manage the Small Business Loans fund in the Marches, overseeing the delivery of £17 million to small and medium sized businesses. Loans will be available from £25,000 to £150,000 for a wide range of projects, including start-ups and working capital, expansion projects and leasing commercial premises. More...

Food processors, agri-tech businesses and farmers are being invited to apply for a slice of a £40 million funding scheme for investment in cutting edge technology and new equipment.

Under the Countryside Productivity Scheme, grants are available to help improve farm productivity through investing in new technology, such as robotics. Call the Marches Growth Hub on 0345 6000 727 for more information.

A consultation has begun on plans for a multi-million pound Innovation Park on the outskirts of Newport that could create 950 new jobs. The plans are for proposed development on land south of the A518 on which work could begin next year.

It follows a successful bid via the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership for £6.3 million funding from Government. The remaining funding would come from Telford & Wrekin Council, from the Council’s Land Deal with the Homes & Communities Agency and developer contributions. Make your views know here

There's also only a week to go before the public consultation on plans for the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road (NWRR) comes to an end. Shropshire Council is on target to deliver a refreshed outline business case for the road to the Department for Transport (DfT) by December 22 this year. The £1m funding for the business case was applied for, and supported by, the Marches LEP. You can see a fly through of the proposals above, and respond to the consultation here.

Aston Centre for Growth is looking for entrepreneurs who are ready to take their early-stage business to the next level. The programme offers nine one-day workshops delivered over six months; one-to-one support to help you tackle your business challenges and SME case studies from business leaders talking about their growth journey.
Deadline for applications is November 6 2017. To find out more click here.

More than 150 business support products, schemes and programmes are now available to search on the Marches Growth Hub directory. The Marches Growth Hub is your single point of access to business support information across Hereofordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.

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