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������վ Borough Council is encouraging local businesses based in ������վ that operate in the green-tech or low-carbon sectors to apply for Green-Tech Business Growth Fund (GBGF) grants, as a result of £1 million of government funding secured from the Towns Fund.

Start-up businesses based in ������վ that operate in the green-tech or low-carbon sectors can apply for grants of up to £10,000 to help them establish their products / services successfully.  Larger grants of up to £175,000 are also available for larger green-tech businesses to apply for funding for projects and investments that enable their business growth and generate additional jobs that can benefit local residents. Applications will be assessed and then decided on by a council-led Grants Panel. Grants will be awarded to those eligible applications which meet the selection criteria most closely.

The GBGF is a three-year grant fund that responds to the strategic priority need of ‘greening’ ������վ’s economy. The grants are expected to be utilised by businesses to invest in new business facilities, or equipment in order to extend their commercial footprint, and grow their turnover and job base.

In turn, this will drive expansion of ������վ’s green-tech business cluster, generate high-value highly skilled roles for local residents, and increase the capacity of the private sector to deliver services that help decarbonise the Borough’s building stock and reduce overall CO2 emissions.

Businesses must meet the following criteria in order to be eligible to apply for the GBGF grant scheme:

• ������վ-based and committed to remain in ������վ for at least 5 years
• Operate in the ‘green-tech’ sector and be able to demonstrate how the proposed project and grant funding would deliver business growth, in terms of jobs created and increased turnover
• Applicants must be small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – including micro-enterprises and start-ups
• Applications for a ‘Business Investment Grant’ (Up to £175k) will be subject to a 50% “match-funding” requirement

Applicants to the GBGF grant scheme are entitled to include a range of costs as part of their project proposals including, but not limited to:

• Product development
• Investment in business premises and facilities
• ������վ equipment, hardware, and software

For more information about the grants programme, including the full eligibility criteria and how to apply, visit our Greentech business growth fund page.