South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)

South East Business Innovation and Growth

South East Business Innovation and Growth aims to unlock and drive forward, potential in businesses with real growth ambitions through targeted support in order to drive economic growth.

SEEDA is funding a regional network of eight Innovation and Growth Teams (IGTs), managed by local stakeholders. These individual teams make up South East Business Innovation and Growth and will drive business innovation and growth in the South East, by bringing together expertise at a local level to help companies innovate and grow, where innovation is not restricted to new products or technological breakthroughs but includes new services, new business models or processes.

The Innovation and Growth Teams will focus on delivering five areas of support which are part of the ‘Solutions for Business' initiative funded by the Government. These are:

• starting a high growth business;
• innovation advice and guidance;
• coaching for high growth;
• understanding finance for business; and
• business collaboration and networking.

Starting in June 2009 support will be available to businesses in

• West Surrey and Hampshire
• Solent
• Thames Valley Buckinghamshire and
• Milton Keynes .

South East Business Innovation and Growth in these areas will initially run concurrently with support still being provided by SEEDA Enterprise Hubs in other South Eastern counties, notably: Kent and Medway, East Surrey and West Sussex, Oxfordshire, East Sussex & Brighton and Hove.

It is expected that South East Business Innovation and Growth will be introduced into these further areas by the end of 2009.

IGTs will replace the numerous regional and local innovation and growth projects with one integrated regionally consistent and locally delivered business support activity. They will bring together sub-regional and local support alongside new business support activity proposed by SEEDA.

For more information on the support please visit the website.