NEW ANGLIA LOCAL ENTERPRISE PARTNERSHIP
GROWTH THROUGH INNOVATION - GRANT FUND
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
(April 2020)
Funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the Growth Through Innovation (GTI) Grant
Fund, is delivered by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (New Anglia) in partnership with
Suffolk Chamber of Commerce and Suffolk County Council.
There is a limited pot of funding available to support companies, so we’re looking for companies to
bring forward innovation projects that will have a significant impact on their business, and grant
applications will be considered on a “first-come, first-served” basis.
To find out more about the GTI Grant Fund and to apply for a grant please contact:
New Anglia Growth Hub
Felaw Maltings (South Kiln)
42 Felaw Street, Ipswich, IP2 8SQ
tel.: 0300 333 6536
e-mail: [email protected]
www.newangliagrowthhub.co.uk
Our expert Business Growth Advisers will work with and provide assistance to enable you to complete
your application. Please note, the services of the Growth Hub are free and impartial.
1. WHAT FUNDING IS AVAILABLE?
The GTI Grant Fund has been designed to provide vital funding for local growing SMEs to help with
research and development projects, innovation aid and process and organisational innovation.
Companies can apply for £1,000 - £25,000 grants to help towards the purchase of instruments and
equipment, software and licences, engagement/secondment of specialist researchers and
technicians, Intellectual Property costs, materials and consultancy. Please note, grants are awarded
on a discretionary basis and are subject to eligibility checks and approval.
You may apply for a grant of up to 50% of the total cost of your proposed project. Your Business
Adviser can confirm the level of grant for which you may apply.
2. AM I ELIGIBLE?
We can confirm this quickly, but if you are a UK registered enterprise and you are an SME (employ
less than 250 people and your turnover is less than EUR 50m/~£43m or annual balance sheet less
than EUR 43m /~£37m) and your business is growing and expanding or has good growth potential,
you may well be eligible.
We will not be able to help you if your business falls into one of the following sectors: primary
agriculture (including processing and marketing of agricultural products), horticulture, fisheries,
aquaculture, restaurants and other food and beverage services, forestry, coal, steel, shipbuilding,
synthetic fibres, retail (including post offices), care sectors, health and medical services, education,
transport, financial and insurance activities; or your business is in financial difficulty, for example if you
are insolvent or you have received rescue funding which has not yet been repaid.
Growth Through Innovation - Grant Fund Frequently Asked Questions - April 2020
3. IS MY PROPOSAL ELIGIBLE?
Your investment project should be based in either Norfolk or Suffolk and you must be able to
implement your proposals as soon as you have been successful with your grant application and
therefore all required permissions, licences, such as a planning permission, for example, must be in
place before submission of an application.
4. WHAT KIND OF MATCH FUNDING IS ELIGIBLE?
The remainder of the funding for the project must come from private sources, e.g. company funds, a
bank, private or personal loan, venture capital investment etc.
Public funding, for example, from UK Government or local authorities, EU funding, National Lottery,
other New Anglia funds or programmes, Asset Finance (including hire purchase and mortgage
agreements) cannot be used.
Please note that all project expenditure must be seen to be paid from your business bank account
(see also section 9).
5. WHAT KIND OF REASONS JUSTIFY MY GRANT PROPOSAL?
You will need to convince us there is a case for using grant funding to support your project, for
example by:
• Demonstrating that the innovation project would not proceed without our help;
• Showing the assistance will enable the innovation project to be undertaken in a shorter
timescale or it can go ahead earlier;
• Describing the technical uncertainties that you are seeking to overcome
• Illustrating how the financing will enable you to do additional things;
• Showing that without funding the proposals would proceed on a lesser scale;
• Demonstrating help is needed because of the risks involved;
• The project is doing something innovative and support would help;
• Illustrating how financial assistance would help you do something different from your current
plans;
• Showing how funding would prove a catalyst - for example by providing confidence to lenders
or investors.
6. WHAT COSTS ARE ELIGIBLE?
The costs of external personnel, researchers, technicians and supporting staff, additional materials
and consumables, costs for instruments and equipment, software and licences and costs for
contractual research, knowledge and patents can all be considered for support if they are required for
a research and development project (support for tangible capital costs, such as equipment, will be
restricted to the depreciation costs corresponding to the life of the project).
The costs of seconding highly qualified personnel to work on research in a newly created function,
and the costs of own staff not previously on the payroll, and engaged 100% of the time on the R&D
project. Highly qualified personnel means staff having a tertiary education degree, and at least five
years of relevant professional training which may also include doctoral training.
You might need expert consultants who can provide crucial, high quality advice to help your business
access innovation and advisory support services in such areas such as knowledge transfer,
acquisition of intangible assets and use of standards and regulations.
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Growth Through Innovation - Grant Fund Frequently Asked Questions - April 2020
We can also support costs relating to the use of data banks, libraries, market research, laboratories,
testing and certification for the purpose of developing more effective products, processes or services
The cost of purchasing or protecting your Intellectual Property can be expensive and the cost of
patents, trademarks and copyrights are eligible for support.
Unfortunately this scheme is unable to support premises costs and this includes purchase,
refurbishment, improvements or extensions of your premises. Other ineligible costs include additional
project overheads, commercial vehicles, marketing, website development or trade fair participation.
Please note, expenditure on routine services, such as routine tax consultancy, regular legal services
or advertising, or costs that are required to comply with national or EU standards, or costs related to
this or other grant funding applications are not eligible.
7. HOW DO I APPLY FOR FUNDING?
To apply for a grant please contact the New Anglia Growth Hub (see the contact details on page 1).
A Business Growth Adviser will arrange a meeting with you to discuss your business and proposal
and help you to complete an application form.
If you require less than £10k of funding we operate a fast track process which means a decision
within ten working days. For grants over £10k, we aim to provide a decision within three weeks. The
processing time may be affected by your own ability to supply the full information we need in
order to make you a grant offer.
Please see the chart below showing the grant application stages.
8. HOW ARE GRANT APPLICATIONS ASSESSED?
Once you submit your complete application to the Growth Hub we will start processing it. We will
undertake a detailed assessment of your proposal based on the Application Form and the supporting
information (including evidence of value for money*) that you provide. You may be asked for
additional information during this process, to enable an assessment of, for example, eligibility,
financial viability etc.
*Expenditure item/contract value above £25,000 will require procurement evidence (further advice will
be provided). Please note, minimum value per invoice/receipt/contract is £250.
Your application will also be assessed in terms of the wider marketplace for your products and/or
services and the implications that grant support might have on any competition.
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Growth Through Innovation - Grant Fund Frequently Asked Questions - April 2020
Once assessment of your grant application has been completed, the document along with a relevant
report will be submitted to the Grant Panel who will take a final decision on your proposed project.
The grant decision will be relayed to you at the earliest opportunity. Please be aware, full compliance
with the eligibility criteria does not guarantee that your application will be successful, as grants are
discretionary, and there is no right of appeal against the grant decision. If your grant application is
rejected, an explanation will be provided.
9. HOW DO I CLAIM THE GRANT?
If your grant is approved, Suffolk County Council (SCC), our delivery partner, will send you a formal
Offer Letter that will include information about your grant and eligible project costs, conditions of the
offer and information on how to claim the grant.
Once you have formally accepted a grant offer, you can begin expenditure on the project. It is
important to note that costs incurred in any way before the acceptance of the offer cannot be
supported.
To claim your grant you will need to submit a Claim Form and provide supporting documentary
evidence:
• Expenditure spreadsheet (a template will be supplied by SCC);
• Copies of invoices and bank statements of the applicant business confirming payment
(documents must be certified as true copies of the original documents, dated and signed);
• Completed Asset Register (e.g. a form will be sent by SCC) for assets with a value in
excess of £1,000.
Where jobs have been created as a result of the support provided you will be asked to confirm details.
Where a new product/service was introduced, you will also be asked to provide evidence of this, e.g.
a screenshot from the website, a copy of a catalogue/brochure offering the new product/service etc.
You will also be asked to promote the Growth Through Innovation grant you received, you will be
provided with guidelines for this.
Please note, you are allowed to make only one claim for the whole grant value afer you have
spent all the planned project costs.
Progress on your project will be monitored by SCC and or New Anglia throughout - and possibly
beyond the period of its delivery. We reserve the right to visit any grant recipient to ensure the grant
has been used for the purpose stated in the Grant Agreement, inspect records to show that costs
have been evidenced and make a formal assessment of the impact of the project. Grant recipients are
obliged to cooperate with this process.
10. WHAT SHALL I DO IF MY APPROVED PROJECT COSTS CHANGE?
If your approved project costs are going to change and you will now be expecting to pay more/less
than the approved amount, please contact your Grants Officer at Suffolk County Council as soon as
possible to discuss steps forward to ensure your current/revised grant offer is/will still be available to
you.
11. MAY I APPLY FOR ANOTHER GRANT?
If you have already been successful with the Small Grant Scheme (SGS) or the Growing Business
Fund (GBF), which are also New Anglia grant programmes, and would like to apply for funding from
the GTI Grant Fund, then this will be acceptable but you will need to wait for any other grant
application (SGS or GBF) to have been fully completed as confirmed by SCC. You may apply for
subsequent GTI grants, but only after 12 months have elapsed following the successful completion of
the previous GTI grant, again as confirmed by SCC.
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Growth Through Innovation - Grant Fund Frequently Asked Questions - April 2020
In the event that available grant funding is oversubscribed, priority will be given to new applicants.
Delivered in partnership by
Funded by
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