News Funding

South East LEP ‘ESIF’ Grant programme

Posted by Lorraine Smith 17th January 2017

The two latest calls for projects under the South East LEP ‘ESIF’ programme are open until February 17th, 2017.

Firstly, minimum grants of £500,000 are available for projects supporting the shift to a low carbon economy in the South East.

Proposals should demonstrate alignment with local development needs and priorities including:

Sector-focused business support to promote the development and commercialization of new low carbon technologies
Low carbon supply-chain growth programmes
Particular support for businesses with capacity for innovation and those seeking to take advantage of new technology to support resilience to energy and resource constraints
Development and support of clean technology clusters
Development of support for environmental technology businesses, including feasibility
Supporting business to reduce their bottom line costs in terms of energy usage

Secondly, minimum grants of £500,000 are available for projects providing support for research and innovation in the South East.

Proposals should demonstrate alignment with local development needs and priorities including:

Promotion of development and commercialisation of new technologies
Knowledge Transfer between Higher Education institutions and SMEs
Networks for R&D innovation
Developing centres for innovation based on smart specialisation
Innovation support for priority sectors identified in the ESIF Strategy
Alignment with the Growth Hub to link innovation and business growth support
Contributing to the area’s Smart Specialisation work undertaken by Higher Education and Local Authorities

Please get in touch for the calls or a potential project, email international.affairs@kent.gov.uk