4 February 2014 11:06

North West businesses will have opportunities to gain a clearer understanding of how to capitalise on Government and European funding thanks to two special workshops run by Lancaster University Management School.

The events, which are fully funded for SMEs through Lancaster University Management School’s Karim Project, aim to help the region’s businesses gain access to special support funding, enabling them to retain and improve competitiveness.

On Tuesday, February 11, the Technology Strategy Board’s Dr James Clipson will explain the different innovation grants available from the UK Government and EU Commission – such as Innovation Vouchers, SMART funding, the Small Business Research Initiative and EUROSTARS.

On Thursday, February 13, the ICT Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) will provide an introduction and update on Horizon 2020 – a €71 Billion flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe’s global competitiveness. Speakers include Eddie Townsend, of the ICT KTN, Fiona Castela, of Enterprise Europe Network, and Peter Walters of the ICT National Contact Point.

This event will give explanations of new simplified rules, how businesses can have up to 100 per cent of their research and development costs covered, as well as receiving an overview of the Horizon 2020 programme, guidance on submitting proposals and opportunities for business and university collaborations.

Sheila Kelly, Lancaster University Management School project manager of the Karim Project, said: “These two events are fantastic opportunities for the region’s businesses to find out more about how they can discover, and access, a variety of UK Government and EU funding streams to help their business grow, as well as hearing from experts who will explain how to make the process of tapping into the funding pots easier.

“There are significant amounts of funding being made available to help business, we want to make sure our region’s SMEs are not losing out and are able to take their fair share.”

Both events, which are being hosted and delivered by the Lancaster University Management School’s Institute for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development, will also include opportunities for networking.

For more information on the events, or to register a place, contact Joe Round on 01524 510730 or email ieedprojects@lancaster.ac.uk

For more information on the Karim Project visit http://www.lums.lancs.ac.uk/departments/Entrep/Projects/KARIM/