Presentation from Keith Hodgkinson, Deputy Director of Innovation Policy at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), at the Centre for Defence Enterprise Marketplace held on 5 February 2015. For more info see: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mod-brings-businesses-together-for-innovative-defence-ideas

1. Government Support for SMEs
Keith Hodgkinson, Deputy Director,
Innovation Policy, Department for
Business, Innovation and Skills

2. Government Support
• Government has taken steps to Improve
business support
• It has listened to what businesses said
they need
• New support has simplified and
consolidated what is available

3. Innovate UK
• Government’s Innovation Agency, tasked
with driving economic growth.
• Works across Whitehall and in
conjunction with other public/private
partners.
• Range of programmes, some aimed
specifically at SMEs

4. Innovate UK programmes – SME Focused
Co-funds pre-start-ups and SMEs to carry out science,
engineering and technology R&D projects.
Government runs competitions for businesses to receive
procurement contracts to research and develop new
products and services.
Fund SMEs to work with an external expert to innovate and
grow
Enable experts in HEIs to help SMEs to improve
competitiveness - by providing academic and business
support.
Provide access to business support, investors and funding
for innovative projects to strengthen & develop clusters.
Help high-tech SMEs develop partnerships with other
SMEs and with supply chain partners in Europe.
Launchpad

5. Other Innovate UK programmes
Centres to help businesses convert research rapidly into
commercial success. They focus on priority sectors (e.g.
renewable energy).
Enable businesses to share knowledge, ideas and
opportunities across sectors.
Organised with UKTI for businesses in priority sectors to
travel abroad to meet potential collaborators, investors &
suppliers
Provide R&D funding which focus on specific priority areas
and aim to help take projects from research to commercial
viability.
Bring partners together to enable large-scale testing of new
products and services in the real world.Demonstrators
Catalysts

6. Other Innovate UK programmes
Help for businesses to test how feasible an innovative idea or
technology is for development for market.
Co-funds projects involving partnerships between businesses
and academia.
Provide a shared space where researchers, customers &
professionals work on commercial applications of emerging
research.
_connect Online portal businesses use to find business partners for
collaborative projects.
Feasibility
Studies
Collaborative
R&D

7. Business Growth Service
• New service introduced in December
2014.
• Designed to make it easier for businesses
to improve and grow.
• Brings together the best specialist advice.
• Will provide support tailored to Business
needs.

8. Growth Hubs
• A local partnership often led by the LEP or
local authority.
• Brings together support so that there is one
access point for business support in each LEP.
• 23 growth hubs are in place and the remaining
16 will follow by March 2016.

9. British Business Bank
• Helps firms access a range of finance options.
• Focus on areas where the markets don’t work
well.
• Aims to improve smaller business finance
markets.
• Reaches a wide range of finance providers
including banks, venture capital funds, etc.

10. Useful contacts
• Business Support:
www.greatbusiness.gov.uk (0300 456 3565)
• Innovate UK:
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/innovate-uk
(0300 321 4357)
• British Business Bank:
www.british-business-bank.co.uk