The Dairy UK guide to sourcing
the finance, equipment, products, training and knowledge
for innovation
The Dairy UK guide to sourcing
the finance, equipment, products, training and knowledge
for innovation
The Business Link Grants
and Support Directory allows you to search for potential sources
of help with starting up or business development. The database contains grant
and support schemes from central and local government as well as private organisations.
Some of the schemes offer financial assistance, while some offer free
or subsidised services ranging from advice through to practical involvement
with projects. While many schemes are available nationally, some are targeted
locally. Depending on your location, type of business and what you need the
funds for, you may be eligible for a number of schemes in the GSD.
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/gsd?r.li=1078381821&r.l1=1073858790
Grantsearch is a computerised database of grants available in the United
Kingdom. Includes over 3,000 grants indexed in 8 categories:
http://www.grantsearch.co.uk/
Annual subscription costs £100.
Llwyn-y-Pennau House, Llantrisant Rd, Groesfaen, Pontyclun, South Wales CF72
8NJ
E-mail: eric@grantsearch.co.uk
Phone: 02920 890770
Fax: 02920 892701
Knowledge Transfer Networks (KTN’s) provide
small and medium sized businesses with an opportunity to promote and accelerate
the transfer of
knowledge. This
can be done through:
http://www.dti.gov.uk/innovation/technologystrategy/technologyprogramme/KTN/page12567.html
The benefits of KTN’s are access to technical and business knowledge and a source of help and advice when a problem arises. Being a member of the network does not automatically mean that confidential information is made available to all and you only need to disclose the information that you wish to.
KTN’s are being set up and to find out if there is one that is relevant to you, you should contact a local Business Link or log on to the DTI’s Technology Programme website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/technologyprogramme for an update on the ones that are available.
Please see next entry for information about the Food Processing KTN.
The Food Processing Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) facilitates
the introduction of new techniques and equipment to increase the efficiency
and quality of
the food manufacturing industry in the UK.
http://www.foodprocessingktn.com/
It also makes use of the full range of grant schemes for research and knowledge transfer, including the Defra LINK programmes for collaborative research.
It is committed to finding the best available funding routes to enable innovation for the UK food and drinks industry and offers a range of funding options for companies wishing to undertake research and development work, including the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, CASE studentships and Grant for Research and Development.
It also offers funding for small research projects conducted at UK universities, the scheme entitled FastTrack has an annual competition with cash prizes awarded to the most promising project. The FastTrack concept has up to £2,000 per project available to support novel work in the academic sector that is of future relevance to the food industry and is within the remit of the Food Processing KTN. Projects are typically carried out by final year undergraduates, masters students or visiting researchers and they are required to produce a poster which is disseminated to industry at an annual Faraday Research Meeting. Successful projects will form the basis of future funding proposals through Faraday, LINK or research councils.
It is also able to access funding for collaborative R & D projects from the DTI, Defra and the EC, through products such as LINK, Collective and Cooperative projects enabling non-competitive industrial companies and leading researchers to work together to develop class leading technology.
Full details of all the available schemes are available by clicking on the funding sources link in the funding section of the website.
Food Processing KTN, Food Processing Faraday Partnership Limited, Innovation
Park, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire LE13 0PB
Phone: 01664 503640
Fax: 01664 503641
Please see the previous entry for more information about KTN’s.
Food LINK Programme
http://defrafarmingandfoodscience.csl.gov.uk/0/programme.cfm?programmeid=23&unitid=2
LINK is collaborative pre-commercial research linking industry and the science
base - typically 50% Government funded. There are two active programme areas:
Advanced Food Manufacturing (AFM)
http://defrafarmingandfoodscience.csl.gov.uk/0/assessment.cfm?programmeid=23&unitid=2&assessmentid=33
This refocused LINK programme encourages collaborative R&D that will strengthen
and improve the UK industry's technical base in process design, process capabilities
and operational efficiency through diagnostics and control.
For a list of current and past projects, please click on this link
Food Quality and Innovation (FQI)
http://defrafarmingandfoodscience.csl.gov.uk/0/assessment.cfm?programmeid=23&unitid=2&assessmentid=53
The programme is designed to help industry meet anticipated technical challenges
across the areas of raw material production, food manufacturing, packaging
and distribution. A major thrust of this programme is in facilitating the
delivery of improved nutritional quality to consumers.
E-mail: foodtech@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Phone: 020 7238 1518
Sustainable
Livestock Production LINKS
http://defrafarmingandfoodscience.csl.gov.uk/
Sustainable food and Farming Programme
lucy.barnard@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Sustainable Livestock Production LINK Programme: Guidance and Evaluation
Criteria
http://defrafarmingandfoodscience.csl.gov.uk/unit/floatingpage.cfm?id=12
The aim of the programme is to initiate collaborative, pre-commercial research
and technological development projects so that UK livestock production
can become increasingly sustainable - with due regard to cost of production,
animal health and welfare, environmental concerns, and product quality
-
thereby contributing to both the wealth and the Health of the Nation.
The key areas include:
E-mail: zoe.davies@defra.gsi.gov.uk or lucy.barnard@defra.gsi.gov.uk
For a list of current and past projects, please click this link
Horticulture LINK
http://defrafarmingandfoodscience.csl.gov.uk/unit/floatingpage.cfm?id=2
Horticulture LINK projects use robust science to solve key problems ranging
from tackling pests and diseases to improving the supply, quality and acceptability
of fresh produce, whilst reducing environmental impacts non-renewable inputs
and production costs. It provides grants to industry for collaborative and
pre-commercial research of between 25% and 75%, dependent on degree of risk
and industrial contributions and aims to support sustainability of the industry
according to government policies in food and farming and the requirements
of the industrial supply chain.
Area 4C, Nobel House, Smith Square, LONDON SW1P 3JR
E-mail: hortlink@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Phone: 020 7238 1543
Fax: 020 7238 1540
Other Farming and Food LINK Programmes
http://defrafarmingandfoodscience.csl.gov.uk/linkprogrammeoverview.cfm
In addition to the three programmes outlined above, there are also other
programmes, such as:
For details of these please click this link
The British Venture Capital Association is the industry
body for the UK private equity and venture capital industry. Its membership
of over 370 firms represents the overwhelming number of UK-based private equity
and venture capital providers and their advisers. It promotes the industry
to entrepreneurs and investors, as well as providing services and best practice
standards to members.
http://www.bvca.co.uk/index.html
An online database can be accessed to find the most suitable funding for your business.
3 Clements Inn, London WC2A 2AZ
E-mail: bvca@bvca.co.uk
Phone: 020 7025 2950
Fax: 020 7025 2951
British Business Angels Association is the new National
Trade Association for the UK’s Business Angel Networks.
http://www.bbaa.org.uk/
The BBAA has a number of roles that include:
Liz Carrington, New City Court, 20 St Thomas Street, London SE1 9RS
E-mail: liz@bbaa.org.uk
Phone: 0207 089 2305 Fax: 0207 089 2301
R&D Tax Credits have been introduced by The Government
to encourage small and medium sized businesses to invest more in R&D.
SME’s are entitled to a deduction when calculating their taxable profits
of 150% of qualifying expenditure and larger companies 125%. If the business
is not in profit, you can get a payable credit of 24p in the pound to help
with cash flow between development and market entry.
http://www.dti.gov.uk/innovation/randd/randd-tax-credits/page11350.html
In order to claim the R&D Tax Credits, the business must spend at least £10,000 in the year on qualifying R&D. The business should have:
For more information, click on this link
NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts)
is the largest single endowment devoted exclusively to supporting talent,
innovation and creativity in the UK. Its mission is to transform the UK’s
capacity for innovation. It invests in early stage companies, inform innovation
policy and encourages a culture that helps innovation to flourish.
http://www.nesta.org.uk/
Contacts:
Future Innovators email: FutureInnovators@nesta.org.uk
Insight Out email: insightout@nesta.org.uk
Starter for 6 - Scotland
Gillian Easson/Greg Sim, Dundee University Incubator, James Lindsay Place,
Dundee DD1 5JJ
E-mail: starterforsix@nesta.org.uk
Phone: 01382 223288
UK Partnerships
ENGLISH REGIONS
Dr Mo O'Toole, England Partnerships Development Manager, NESTA, Centre for
Life, Times Square, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 4EP
NORTHERN IRELAND
Tanya McGill, Northern Ireland Partnerships Development Manager, NESTA, W5
at Odyssey, 2 Queen's Quay, Belfast BT3 9QQ
SCOTLAND
Scotland Partnerships Support Manager, NESTA, Scion House, Stirling University
Innovation Park, Stirling FK9 4NF
WALES
Richie Turner, Wales Partnerships Development Manager, NESTA, Suite 8, 33/35
West Bute Street, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff CF10 5LH
The Small Firms Loan Guarantee
is a UK-wide Government-backed scheme which provides guarantees on loans
to small firms with viable business proposals which might not be able to obtain
a conventional loan because they do not have assets to offer as security.
It is a joint venture between the DTI and a number of participating lenders,
who administer the eligibility criteria and make all commercial decisions
regarding borrowing.
http://www.sbs.gov.uk/sflg
It provides a guarantee to the lender covering 75% of the loan amount (which can be from a minimum of £5,000 to a maximum of £250,000), for which the borrower pays a 2% premium on the outstanding balance of the loan.
It is available to qualifying UK businesses with an annual turnover of up to £5.6 million and which are up to 5 years old. The Government, through the SFLG, helps by providing a guarantee to the lender that it will pay 75% of the outstanding loan if the loan is not repaid but the business remains liable for the whole amount of the outstanding loan. The Government does not provide loans – it merely guarantees loans from approved lenders.
DTI, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0ET
E-mail: dti.enquiries@dti.gsi.gov.uk
Phone: 020 7215 5000
Protection of Intellectual Property
Intellectual property can include the name of the business, inventions
and designs and are a valuable asset that can lead to increased profits. These
can be protected by patents, trademarks or design registrations, but these
can involve a long and complex process.
Please see the section on Copyright / Trade Marking starting on page 96 for full details.
The Aid-Funded Business Service raises awareness of opportunities
offered by the various multilateral development agencies. These agencies include
the World Bank Group, the European Commission, the United Nations agencies
and the various regional development banks, also known as aid-funding agencies.
It also liaises with the UK Department for International Development (DfID).
https://www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk/ukti/aid_funded_business
E-mail: c.gamage@birminghamchamber.org.uk
Phone: Claire Gamage on 0845 603 0084
The Carbon Trust is a co-investor of choice in the low carbon technology
field. It specialises in identifying and investing in early stage technologies
and credible management teams with the ability to create and deliver 'low
carbon' businesses. The Venture Capital team is strongly supported by in-house
technical and strategy groups as well as a wide network of specialists.
For all venture capital deals the Carbon Trust works with other venture
capital
and private equity firms as co-investors.
http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/commercial/venturecapital/venturecapital.htm
If you have a technology that has commercial potential, can demonstrate
its feasibility and have potential co-investors in place then you may be
eligible. Typically it invests between £250k-£1.5m per deal as
a minority stakeholder alongside private sector investors on the same terms.
The Low
Carbon Technology Assessment (LCTA) indicates where the Carbon
Trust's intervention (funding, coordination and expertise) will have the
greatest material impact. Projects that fall within the 'focus' and 'consider'
areas of the diagram below comprise the core of the investment portfolio
and directly meet our strategic objectives. Individually excellent projects
in the other areas will of course be considered, however an exceptionally
strong case will need to be presented.
http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/technology/technicalsolutions/lcta.htm
8th Floor, 3 Clement's Inn, London WC2A 2AZ
E-mail: customercentre@carbontrust.co.uk
Phone: 0800 085 2005 Fax: 020 7170 7020
Investment Enquiries:
Phone: 020 7170 7000
Fax: 020 7170 7020
The Carbon Trust in Wales
Mike Batt, Albion House, Oxford Street, Nantgarw, Cardiff CF15 7TR
E-mail: contactwales@carbontrust.co.uk
Phone: 01443 845944
The Carbon Trust in Scotland
John Stocks, The Technology Centre, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park,
East Kilbride G75 0QF
E-mail: scotlandoffice@carbontrust.co.uk
Phone: 01355 581810
The Carbon Trust in Northern Ireland
Geoff Smyth, Unit 9, Northern Ireland Science Park, The Innovation Centre,
Queen's Road, Queen's Island , Belfast BT3 9DT
E-mail: geoff.smyth@carbontrust.co.uk
Phone: 02890 737912
The HGCA Enterprise Award is run twice a year and is a grant
scheme which supports innovation with grain by providing funding of up to
£50,000 on a match-funded basis. Funding can be used to support the
final stages of product development and marketing activities.
http://www.hgca.com/minisite_manager.output/1065/1065/HGCA
Enterprise Awards/HGCA Enterprise Awards/About the Awards.mspx?minisiteId=13
There are two main award categories; food & drink and industrial uses and (non-food).
Food and Drink
Designed to support innovation with grain across the food & drink sector,
this award is divided into three sub-categories. These are:
Domestic Food & Drink (Main Award) - Your application must demonstrate
the potential to generate new and sustained demand for cereals (wheat, barley,
oats, rye) or oilseeds by a minimum of 500 tonnes (or 250 tonnes for oilseeds)
over the life of the project.
Export - For businesses that are looking to develop new export markets
for their grain-based product(s).
Start-Up - This award is open specifically for newly formed businesses
that are company registered and have begun trading.
Roz Battye, Market Development, HGCA, Caledonia House, 223 Pentonville Road,
London N1 9HY
E-mail: roz.battye@hgca.com
Phone: 020 7520 3975
Industrial Uses
For original ideas for using grain in alternative ways
Dr Mairi Black, Market Development, HGCA, Caledonia House, 223 Pentonville
Road, London N1 9HY
E-mail: mairi.black@hgca.com
Phone: 020 7520 3937
The objective of Collaborative Research & Development is
to assist the industry and research communities to work together on Research
& Development projects in strategically important areas of science, engineering
and technology, from which successful new products, processes and services
can emerge. It also primes the flow of the latest knowledge and thinking
from the UK’s science, engineering and technology base to business.
Collaborative Research & Development projects must involve two or more
collaborators, at least one of which is from industry.
Grants to cover 50% of direct R&D costs of industrial partners, subject
to EU state aid rules, are available. Funding is awarded through open competition,
with calls for proposals focusing on technology areas of importance to UK
business under the DTI’s Technology Programme.
http://www.dti.gov.uk/innovation/technologystrategy/technologyprogramme/CR&D/page11705.html
The Small Business Research Initiative is designed to increase the success
of smaller businesses in obtaining contracts from Government bodies to
conduct research and development.
http://www.sbri.org.uk/about.shtml#a_one
The Research and Development (R&D) procurement programmes of Government Departments and the Research Councils are being made more accessible to smaller businesses. The Government Departments involved will aim to buy at least 2.5% of their R&D requirements from smaller businesses.
The Research Councils, although not Government Departments, are supporting a specific Small Business Research (SBR) scheme that recognises the specific nature of Research Council funding. The Research Councils will move to meet the same 2.5% R&D targets over time giving the total target of £50 million worth of Government research to be bought from smaller firms.
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is the
UK’s principal funder of basic and strategic biological research.
http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/
Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1UH
Phone: 01793 413200
Fax: 01793 413201
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funds research
and training in social and economic issues.
http://www.esrc.ac.uk/
Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1UH
Phone: 01793 413200
Fax: 01793 413201
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funds world-class
science in universities and research centres that increases knowledge and
understanding of the natural world.
http://www.nerc.ac.uk/
Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1UH
Phone: 01793 411500
Fax: 01793 411501