£4.6m worth of funding to boost digital enterprise

Digital Enterprise has secured £4.6m funding from the Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

This is to encourage ambitious businesses in West Yorkshire to take a technological leap to improve productivity, performance and competitiveness and achieve sustainable growth by investing in digital.

The clock is ticking for businesses to access the support they need for growth. This third Digital Enterprise (DE3) programme will end in March 2025, giving businesses just over 12 months to apply for cash.

Digital Enterprise has two levels of grant funding available. Eligible businesses considering a digital investment between £2,000 to £25,000 can apply for a Digital Accelerator Grant for up to 50% of the project costs, with a ceiling value of £10,000.

Suzanne Bradbury

New for DE3 is a limited number of High Impact Grants for substantial and transformative digital projects. Eligible businesses can receive up to 50% contribution, (capped at a maximum value of £35,000) towards new digital projects costing between £25,000 – £100,000.

High Impact projects will take longer to complete, further reducing the time businesses have to apply for this next level of funding.

Businesses will receive impartial advice and support from their dedicated Digital Advisor, who will be on hand throughout the application process to help them make the best use of digital solutions.

Digital Enterprise programme manager, Suzanne Bradbury, said: “We know businesses are facing a myriad of challenges and are increasingly having to do more with less in order to survive.

“Technology can play a key role in overcoming those challenges, and we are here to provide businesses in the region with the advice and financial support needed to help them progress and grow.”

Since its launch in 2016, Digital Enterprise has provided over £12m in funding and helped over 2,700 businesses through its grant funding and business support programme, including Leeds-based businesses White Label Loyalty and VTR North.

Digital innovation and customer engagement specialist and ex-professional footballer, Achille Traore, is recognised as one of the top 100 Retail Technology Entrepreneurs in the UK.

His business, White Label Loyalty, received a Digital Enterprise grant of £8,000 towards bespoke software development.

Traore said: “The financial grant support from Digital Enterprise and the advice we received from our Digital Growth Advisor allowed us to accelerate and achieve significant growth in White Label Loyalty and deliver a great experience for our customers.

“In our case, grant funding helped us to simplify the build process to make it more user-friendly, as well as speed up the implementation and on-boarding of new clients. Without a doubt, this has led to increased productivity at White Label Loyalty and created more jobs.”

Achille Traore

VTR North is a TV production company, which was able to achieve its growth goals with support from Digital Enterprise. The firm wanted to expand into the world of audio podcasts.

With a Digital Enterprise Award of almost £10,000, the company completed a studio fit out equipped with the hardware and software required, such as vision mixers, cameras and microphones, to give it the ability to live webcast and produce high-quality podcasts.

Spencer Bain, managing director, said: “The new podcast service has created a real buzz with existing clients and new opportunity for us.

“Being able to offer this podcasting service creates another revenue stream which is instrumental for the continued growth of the company, as well as hopefully creating a few more jobs.”

West Yorkshire businesses can learn more about eligibility and apply for a Digital Accelerator Grant or High Impact Grant by visiting: https://www.digitalenterprise.co.uk/