Second phase of £1m business support programme launched
The £1m second phase of a business support programme for small and medium sized companies in Coventry and Warwickshire has been launched.
Business Ready, which is run by University of Warwick Science Park and is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Warwickshire County Council as part of the CW Business: Start, Grow & Scale Programme, will help tech-based SME firms across the area that have ambitions to grow.
The first three-year phase of Business Ready saw more than 70 jobs created and clients were assisted to raise £3.3m in external funding.
Ian McFarlane-Toms, Business Ready programme manager at the University of Warwick Science Park, said: “The first phase of Business Ready was a great success and we are now looking forward to supporting many more companies across the Coventry and Warwickshire area.
“The way we tailor our support, and the Growth Specialists we assign to an SME business, means they get help that really does work for them and we typically provide this support over a long period of time.
“Over the past two or three years, we’ve helped companies to access grant-funding, grow and scale, and recruit the right talent.
“In one case, for a small organisation, we facilitated the placement of internships that led to the development of a brand new product that the company is hoping to take to market very soon.
“So I would urge companies across the region to look into how they can be supported through Business Ready because it can make a very real and tangible difference to their ambitions for growth.”
Dirk Schaefer, Business Ready growth adviser from the University of Warwick Science Park, said: “The range of companies we work with is very broad. Between our internal adviser team and external growth specialists we have expertise in wide variety of sectors and business functions so that businesses can quickly benefit from our support.”
Business Ready is one of a number of support programmes for businesses managed by Warwickshire County Council and the County Council is the lead applicant for the ERDF money.
