In the Know – May
TDA Businesses monthly news and opportunities round up.
South West Business Connections Lunch
The next South West Business Connections Lunch is being held in Exeter. The format will include plenty of open networking from 1145, 2 course formal lunch with a glass of wine or water and tea and coffee to finish and short 10 minute Speakers Corner slot.
The lunch will finish promptly at 1400, so you can get back to work.
Each table will have a nominated Table Host, whose job will be to help you meet everyone on your table.
The event is taking place Tuesday 29th May 12-2pm at Hotel Du Vin, Exeter.
Laws to protect directors from identity theft now in force
New legislation to protect company directors against identity fraud has come into force. Under the Companies (Disclosure of Address) (Amendment) Regulations 2018, directors can ask Companies House to remove their home address from the company register. Directors must provide a correspondence address as an alternative and the request will be rejected if their home is used as the business address, as the legal requirement for directors to provide their business address still applies. An application fee of £55 is payable.
Read more about the new legislation here
Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund announced
Innovate UK has announced a new funding competition to support business and researchers to develop innovative next-generation services as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. The £20 million funding competition will accelerate the application of new and emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and data analytics, to develop the next generation of services for the insurance, legal and accountancy sectors. Innovate UK is expected to publish further details about the fund and how to apply later in 2018.
Read more about the funding here
‘Micro-business Britain’ Research
The Enterprise Research Centre has been commissioned by the Government to undertake a large-scale survey of micro-firms (with 1-9 employees) which will provide data to identify the specific challenges these businesses face in terms of achieving growth and raising productivity.
New start-up calculator reveals average cost of ‘setting up shop’
New research from business energy comparison company quotemyenergy.co.uk into the average cost of starting a business in the UK has been turned into a user-friendly start-up calculator.
Click here for further information
UK ambassadors announced for Startup Europe initiative
Nesta, the National Association of College & University Entrepreneurs (NACUE), F6S and the Scaleup Institute have been appointed as the UK’s ambassadors for the EU’s ‘Startup Europe’ initiative. The aim of the initiative is to provide everyone in the EU with an equal chance to start their own business. Ambassadors are responsible for providing information about the initiative to start ups in their own country, as well as helping them to access EU-wide opportunities.
Information about the Startup Europe initiative for start ups is available here
More information about Startup Europe ambassadors is available here