Growing your business

Deciding to hire new staff can feel daunting. We're here to help you get it right.

We offer:

• help finding and employing the right student or graduate
• help with funding new employees
• recruitment events
• employer toolkits

All the above services are available to eligible SMEs in the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire area.

We can also help you with leadership and workforce development.

Whether you are looking to develop yourself as a leader or develop your staff, we have a range of funded programmes for eligible SMEs, including:

• Innovation Management and Leadership: A programme for business owners and senior leaders.
• Innovation Community Lab: A 30-hour course to help develop junior members of staff.

Find out more about leadership and workforce development for SMEs.

We can help you develop products and ways of working that will boost your profitability, efficiency and innovation.

We do this through a combination of:

• our advanced technology and technical facilities
• access to funding and grants
• our student, graduate and academic expertise

See Developing new products and services for more details.

We hold workshops and networking events specifically for SMEs who are looking to innovate, explore new ideas and grow. They cover a range of topics, including:

• financial health
• marketing
• legal advice
• e-commerce.

We also hold events specific to sectors.

These events are free to attend for eligible SMEs in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

See our programme of events for more details.

We offer access to a range of facilities, including:

• Specialist research facilities
• The Hive: support for entrepreneurs
• Future Factory: access to disruptive technology and expert advice

In partnership with the University of Nottingham, we also support life-science businesses:

• BioCity: Providing homes and access to high-end equipment, shared services, training and support
• MediCity: Supporting innovators in healthcare, medical technology, diagnostics and beauty products

Working with partners such as the Department for International Trade (DIT), we are able to offer SMEs support to expand into international trade and advise on key areas around exporting such as:

• how to choose the right market
• finding partner organisations that can help
• opportunities and challenges for businesses

We also hold workshops for eligible SMEs on exporting and international trade, delivered in partnership with organisations such as the Department for International Trade.

Our full-day workshops are fast-paced and led by industry experts. We provide practical insights into areas such as digital marketing, building innovative teams, planning for growth, raising finance, IP and much more.

See our programme of events for more details.

Mentoring is offered via a team of carefully selected creative and digital business specialists. Get advice on a range of business growth areas including: early start issues, scaling up, pivoting, researching, testing and experimenting new business ideas, opening up new markets, marketing and accessing finance.

We can provide grants to subsidise the cost of hiring external expertise or talent for a specific project. Up to 30% of the overall project cost can be provided. Eligible projects could range from hiring freelance coders to build a product to paying for a website redesign.

• The minimum grant is £1,050 and the maximum is £2,250
• The overall project cost should be at least £3,500
• Businesses must be able to pay for the full project spend and cannot use any additional third party loans or grants to pay for the project
• Businesses must have commenced trading to be eligible.