Apply for Innovating for Growth

Applying for small business support with Innovating for Growth

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Please note that the next deadline for applications is 22 September 2013. Please send your application in good time to ensure that you are considered for the next programme group.

Would you like to receive free support for your small business?

If you are an ambitious and innovative SME looking to grow your business but aren’t sure of the next steps, Innovating for Growth can help you.

All you need is a good idea.

Eligibility for our small business support programme

You should be a small business* registered or trading in a London borough or the City of London
You should have been trading for a minimum of a year and have proven sales
Your financial declaration must show that your current turnover covers your salary and the cost of at least one other employee
You want to grow your business by 25% over 2 years and generate employment
You need to demonstrate how our support would overcome your barriers to growth, by helping you develop new products, services, processes or markets
You must be prepared to share information about your business in order to participate, including financial information. All information will be kept strictly confidential
It is critical that you commit to the face-to-face training and mentoring provided, which is a minimum of 12 hours across 3 months
You must be committed to providing evidence of implementing your growth strategy on completion of the programme

*Your business has an annual turnover less than £45m, employs less than 250 people and is not more than 25% owned by a large enterprise

N.B. Retail businesses are not eligible for business support as part of this programme. If you are unsure whether you fit in this category, please contact us at Innovating@bl.uk

Application Form

Please complete the short Application Form and return the completed form to Innovating@bl.uk

Innovating for Growth Application form - Word document 182.0 KB

Innovating for Growth Application Form - PDF format 100.92 KB

The application form should only take a maximum of 30 minutes to complete and should be completed by the business owner or equivalent accountable person for the business.

If you have any questions or would prefer to speak to someone in person about our small business support programme, please call 0207 412 7252 or 0207 412 7253

How to apply

1. Please check that you meet the Innovating for Growth criteria

2. Download an application form

3. Complete the application form. The form is very short and should only take 30 minutes to complete

4. Return the completed application form to Innovating@bl.uk

How we assess your application

1. The application will be assessed by our panel of external business advisors

2. You will be contacted within 2 weeks and informed of the progress of your application

3. If you are successful, you will attend a preliminary meeting with your dedicated Relationship Manager and a business expert to work out your tailored three month growth programme together.