Business Growth Hub expands with £30m funding

Richard Jeffery, director at Business Growth Hub, part of Manchester Growth Company

Greater Manchester’s Business Growth Hub has been granted £30m to expand its services.

Business Growth Hub brings together specialists with commercial experience in starting a business, accessing finance, increasing sales, using digital technology, upskilling and staff development, business infrastructure and launching new products or services.

The organisation is scaling up its innovation service, which is designed to bring new products and services to market. The Hub will also encourage more collaboration across the network of innovators and partners, whilst harnessing critical research and development opportunities and building relationships with universities and Innovate UK.

It will also be expanding its Executive Development Programme, along with its new Workforce Development Programme, which will support individuals at all levels within a business. The firm will also provide targeted support in low carbon goods and services, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and the digital, creative and technology sectors.

It has also launched the £9.5m Greater Manchester Export Fund which will target grant and short-term funding opportunities that will enable local businesses secure and grow export contracts globally.

Richard Jeffery, director at Business Growth Hub, said: “We’ve been awarded £30m of funding to help support our clients and enable Greater Manchester to achieve its growth ambitions over the next three years. It is inspiring to see the positive impact our work has had and I’m exceptionally proud of what our clients have achieved to date.

“Greater Manchester continues to be a fantastic place to do business, and it is our job to help innovators, business leaders and entrepreneurs thrive and compete on a national and international scale. To strengthen the wider offer to clients in the region, our partner network is critical for growing businesses to draw upon industry specialists and accessing cutting edge technology and research. With our new programmes now in place, I am extremely excited for what can be achieved in the future.”