Funding Boost For Small Businesses Looking To European Markets
24th July 2013
FUNDING BOOST FOR SMALL BUSINESSES LOOKING TO TEST THE EUROPEAN MARKET.
Highland Opportunity’s Business Gateway service has received Highland Council and Moray Council backing to launch a new grant scheme aimed at helping small businesses to explore new opportunities in Europe.
The scheme will allow businesses to apply to Business Gateway for a grant which would cover some of the costs associated with attending international trade fairs.
Businesses must show that their attendance at a trade fair is part of their company’s ongoing development and growth programme.
The grant, of up to £400, is being made available – thanks to financial backing from Highland and Moray councils – to businesses that wish to attend a fair as a visitor, but not as an exhibitor.
If you would like to apply for a grant to attend an overseas trade fair of your choice speak to your local Business Gateway Regional Development Officer for further information and download the criteria and application form from the Highland Opportunity website.
Business Gateway Manager, Donald Mackenzie, said: “One of the biggest challenges for businesses who want to explore developing overseas trade is the cost attached to attending and exhibiting at international trade fairs.
“Whilst there is UK Government support for businesses wishing to exhibit internationally there hasn’t been any help available for businesses who want to gauge whether or not an international trade fair is cost effective for their business.”
He added: “The Business Gateway grant will help to reduce the risk to small businesses who want to test the European market.”
The grant scheme is also being supported by another Highland Opportunity service, Enterprise Europe Network. EEN’s European Information Manager, Ilona Warburton is here to help you pick out the correct international trade fair for your business and arm you with all the pre-trip information you need to get the most out of your experience for your business.
She said: “EEN wants to be able to support businesses in terms of their market research prior to attending and seek out potential contacts for them.
“It’s crucial that businesses are supported in the build-up to any international trade event to ensure success and make it a worthwhile experience. EEN can help businesses do that.”
She added: “Thereafter we would hope that businesses who found the experience positive will apply through other funding sources to actually exhibit and start trading internationally.”
The criteria and application form can be downloaded by visiting http://www.highland-opportunity.com/international-trade-fair-funding.htm
For further information contact Business Gateway on 01463 228351.
About Highland Opportunity - www.highland-opportunity.com/
Highland Opportunity Ltd is the Enterprise Trust for the Highlands established in 1986 to stimulate the local economy through business development and job creation. Today a team of 30 staff across Highland and Moray provide a wide range of business advice and support including: business start-up, growth and expansion, access to finance, recruiting staff, exporting and doing business in Europe, winning public contracts and property.
Through its own resources, and in partnership with the local authorities, Scottish Government, EC/SE/HIE and Prince’s Trust Youth Business Scotland, Highland.
Opportunity delivers the following services:
The Highland Opportunity Loan Fund
Community Enterprise Loan Fund
Business Gateway service in Highland and Moray
Enterprise Europe Network service across the Highlands and Islands
Prince’s Trust Youth Business Scotland
Public Contracts Scotland and public procurement support
Ness Horizons Business Centre
Related Articles
Local business support organisations are coming together this month to host a unique event as part of an ongoing initiative to help local businesses find out about, and harness, the support available to do business overseas. This comes after two recent surveys found that Scottish businesses want to grow internationally, but feel that they are held back by a lack of resources.
Three Business Gateway specialist advisers are coming to Thurso next week (Tuesday 2 September 2014) to offer local businesses advice and practical guidance on three topics: Accessing Finance Winning Public Contracts Taking on Staff You can book a one-hour appointment with any or all of these advisers. All appointments will be based at the Naver Business Centre in Thurso.
In the Highlands over the last 3 months 149 employment opportunities have been created through the Council's advisory and business support services. During a meeting of the Council's Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee held today (Wednesday 20 August) members heard that 71 new businesses have been supported by Business Gateway to start up and a further 122 Highland businesses already serving local markets have accessed advice over the last quarter.
Three Business Gateway advisers specialising in helping businesses to develop through accessing finance, winning public contracts, and recruiting staff will be available for one-to-one clinics in Brora, Thurso or Lochinver on 26 August, 2 September and 3 September, respectively. Local small to medium sized enterprises can book one-hour meetings with these advisers throughout these days to get advice and practical guidance tailored to their business.
Entrepreneurs in Highland and Moray are now able to access personal loans to help start their own business thanks to the new government-funded Start-Up Loans scheme which is locally delivered by Business Gateway and Highland Opportunity. For Moray businesses, this is an especially important development.
Highland Opportunity this week hosted 24 delegates at a Round Table event in Inverness as part of StArt-App – a €400,000 project aimed at providing young people and adults with tools to enable them to start up and continue in business in the cultural and creative sectors. The only British partner in the project, Highland Opportunity hosted workshops, research and discussion events, and a reception at Inverness Town House for delegates from nine European project partners from Italy, Greece, Denmark, Hungary, Portugal and Croatia.
Through the financial support of The Highland Council and specialist recruitment advice delivered by Business Gateway Highlands’ Recruitment Service, 170 new jobs have been created in the Highlands over the last 18 months. The Highland Council’s specially designed funding initiatives – the Employment Grant and Graduate Placement Programme – have simultaneously encouraged and supported the growth of local companies, and helped graduates and local people out of work to gain full-time employment that has given them new skills and invaluable experience.
Highland Opportunity are coming to Thurso with a 2 day business Start-up woorkshop open to anyone thinking about starting a new business. Join our two day workshop where you will learn how to develop your ideas into a practical and effective plan to launch your business.
Deputy Harbour Master Jason Hamilton (white hard hat) with new employee Donald McIntyre (blue hard hat). Scrabster Harbour Trust has been able to take on a new member of staff thanks to funding secured via The Highland Council's Employment Grant scheme.
Small firms from across the Highlands will get the lowdown on how to tap into traditional and alternative sources of finance at an event in Inverness later this month. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has joined forces with local business experts Highland Opportunity and their Business Gateway service plus MSP, Rhoda Grant, to host a special event -Accessing Business Finance - at the Inverness Caledonian Thistle Stadium on the 29 April.
