South West Business Expo – 20 November Westpoint Arena, Exeter
The 8th South West Business Expo takes place this month. Free to attend it offers attendees the networking opportunities, plus the chance to gain free business advice and support from organisations and speakers.
The event will include 280+ exhibitors, 6 keynote speakers and 25 seminars and workshops.
Tickets are still available at:
Back Her Business – Free Initiative from Natwest.
Natwest has launched a campaign to get more female entrepreneurs starting up their own business (whether for profit or not for profit) and providing funding support via a partnership with Crowdfunder.co.uk.
The campaign encourages women to “Turn your idea into a side-hustle and your side-hustle into your main-hustle!” ‘Back Her Business’ from NatWest Business and Crowd Funder includes; funding, mentoring, workshops, crowdfunding coaching and events. The event is open to women across the UK and will be providing certain match funding of up to 50% towards a crowdfunding target via Natwest Pledges for certain selected projects.
Full details of the campaign here>
Developing Your Creative Practice up to £10k Funding
The development fund from the Arts Council England supports independent creative practitioners to ensure excellence thrives in the arts and culture sector.
Round 7 is about to close as applicants have until 14 November to apply.
The fund offers between £2k and £10k to invest in research, time to create new work, travel (including international working), training, developing future ideas, networking or mentoring. The term ‘creative practitioners’ includes dancers, choreographers, writers, translators, producers, publishers, editors, musicians, conductors, composers, actors, directors, designers, artists, craft makers, and curators
Apply and find out more here >
Funding for Projects to Improve SME Productivity
Trials to encourage smaller businesses to adopt technologies to help with back office functions and boost their productivity are being awarded up to £400k grants. Proposals for the third round of the Business Basics Programme have now gone live and expressions of interest must be submitted by Wed 4 December.
The Business Basics Fund supports the projects selected under the Programme following open competitions. It is delivered in partnership with Innovate UK and the Innovation Growth Lab at Nesta.
Smart Ageing Prize Focuses on Senior Enterprise
The Smart Ageing 2020 Prize launched in November by AAL and Nesta aims at increasing the number of older adults participating in entrepreneurial ventures.
The Prize pot will be split into three awards and the winning entries will support solutions that empower and inspire older adults to engage in entrepreneurship. This could be through the creation of inter-generational teams and skills-sharing, or digital solutions to help bring to life the entrepreneurial ideas and energy of the 60+ age group.
Find out more about the AAL programme
£15.4m Funding Scheme for England’s Fishing and Seafood Businesses
The new £15.4 million Maritime Fisheries Fund is provided by the Government and administered by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). The fund will run from 24 October 2019 until March 2022. English fishermen and those working in the seafood sector can apply to the Maritime Fisheries Fund and is open until March 2022.
The fund is proposed to drive innovation and take up of new technology, improve port infrastructure and processing fisheries and aquaculture products, and support lifesaving vessel safety measures so that the industry continues to thrive once the UK leaves the EU.
Applications are to be made on the
Maritime and Fisheries Fund scheme management system >
Maximise your Digital Impact Event: Producers, Makers, Artisans – 26 November, Dartington
A free workshop especially for businesses that make, produce and retail goods. If you are based in Devon or Somerset this FREE event will help you to improve your online presence and find more customers. The course will include top tips on SEO and the role of social media on making your business a success online.