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Funding available

Purchase new products and equipment

The Business Growth and Adaptions Grant is designed to help SMEs purchase and implement new products and equipment, in doing so, increase production of physical, tangible products to drive business growth and expansion.

Applications must help the business to do at least one of the following:

  • increase or improve production
  • start production, including bringing production ‘in-house’
  • adapt to regulatory change related to production practices, enacted in the last three years.

Please note this scheme is not first come, first served. All applications will be assessed after the application window closes.

Funding

How much will I get?

There are two funding streams available for planned future expenditure:

  • Fund 1 is £6,000 - £10,000
  • Fund 2 is £10,001 - £30,000

Check the eligibility criteria below for each pot.

This is a grant and does not need to be repaid. However, the Business Growth and Adaptions Grant is paid on defrayal, this means if you are successful in securing a grant, you must purchase your items and then claim the funding you have been awarded. You must be able to do this within the 3 month claim window.

You will need to be able to provide at least 20% match funding and the project you are requesting funding for should support your operations or processes to maintain or increase your turnover.

Who is eligible?

Please note if you have applied and received funding in a previous round of the Business Growth and Adaptions Grant, you will not be eligible to apply for further funding under this scheme.

Fund 1 £6,000 to £10,000

  • Have a registered and/or trading address in the Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, or South Gloucestershire local authority area
  • Be able to provide a minimum of 20% match funding for your purchases
  • Have traded for at least 1 year
  • Be a sole trader, limited company, limited liability partnership, or a co operative
  • Be a small or medium sized enterprise (SME), this means you must not employ more than 249 people.

Fund 2 £10,001 to £30,000

  • Have a registered and/or trading address in the Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, or South Gloucestershire local authority area
  • Be able to provide a minimum of 20% match funding for your purchases
  • Have traded as a limited company, limited liability partnership, or a co operative for at least 3 years
  • Be a limited company, limited liability partnership, co operative or a registered charitable company
  • Be a small or medium sized enterprise (SME), this means you must not employ more than 249 people
  • Provide your latest full filled accounts with Companies House where the previous year’s figures are also included. These should consist of the Profit & Loss Statement, Balance Sheet Statement and Notes to the Accounts. We will not accept abbreviated or draft accounts.

What can’t be funded?

  • Products that only improve energy efficiency of the business’ own buildings and operations
  • Additive manufacturing
  • The Industrial Internet of Things (sensors)
  • Artificial intelligence and cognitive learning
  • Data and systems integration
  • Robotics and process control automation
  • Virtual, augmented, and mixed realities
  • Industrial cybersecurity
  • Big data and analytics
  • Costs associated with the production and protection of intellectual property
  • Vehicles not used in the production line
  • Pre-production, proof of concept and prototyping activities
  • Video, audio and photographic equipment
  • Printing production equipment for the purpose of printing third-party designs or concepts as a service. See our FAQ guidance for further information about printing equipment
  • Infrastructure, works and products to support the delivery of live performances and events.
  • Kitchen equipment, machines or appliances for the purpose of increasing the service provision of food and drink, that are not required due to change in regulation, enacted in the last three years. See our FAQ guidance for further information about kitchen equipment costs
  • Revenue costs including utilities, rental, existing staff costs, memberships, marketing plans and advertising
  • Personal Protective Equipment
  • Research activities
  • Standalone training
  • Professional qualifications, accreditations/standards
  • Capital works to non-commercial premises
  • Capital works to commercial premises, without a min 5-year lease.
  • Standalone consultancy, salaries/overheads
  • Standalone IT hardware and software
  • Stock
  • Proposals that have the potential to cause environmental or social harm.

Need additional support?

We have support available through our Universal Business Support programme. Please contact EnterpriseGrants@westofengland-ca.gov.uk to speak to our grant team about accessing this.

All support provides advice and guidance only. Accessing any of the grant support provided by us or our partners does not guarantee a grant award.

Email

Please contact us by email at EnterpriseGrants@westofengland-ca.gov.uk with your query and contact details. Please include your business name, the address of your registered offices and telephone and email contact details.

Telephone

We do not have a direct contact number for the grant team. If you need to phone us please contact our Growth Hub team by telephone, 0117 456 6955, between 9:30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday and leave a message. Please ensure you leave a name, phone number, email address and a summary of your enquiry.

Our phone lines may be busy. If you’re unable to reach us immediately, please email us at EnterpriseGrants@westofengland-ca.gov.uk and we’ll arrange a time to call you back.