With digital becoming ever more important the EU and British government are wanting businesses to take up the digital transformation programme. Due to this they have set up a grants scheme which will allow businesses that meet the criteria to get up to £5,000 towards a number of digital services.
Who can get the grant?
As mentioned above businesses must meet strict criteria to apply for the grant which include:
- Business
- Under 250 employees
- Under €50 million turnover per annum
- Balance sheet total not exceeding €43 million
- Operating in an eligible business sector for support – which excludes primary sectors (agriculture, fishing and mining), retail and financial services i.e. no B2C sectors.
- Not received State Aid above €200,000 over the past 3 financial years.
By applying for the grant the proposed investment must be made with the goal to have one of the following economic impact:
- Create new jobs
- Increase turnover
- Increase profitability
- Increase in productivity or competitiveness
- Increase in the speed of your digital connectivity
- Lead to the development of new products or services
Location Requirements
The Digital Enterprise Grant is available to businesses within the Leeds City Region which includes:
- Leeds
- Bradford
- York
- Selby
- Wakefield
- Kirklees
- Calderdale
- Craven
- Harrogate
What you can use the grant towards
- Website Design
- Website Development
- Digital Marketing Campaigns
- IT Infrastructure
- Internet Access (leased lines)
- New Hardware including, PCs, Laptops, Macs and Servers
How does the grant work?
If you are looking to invest in digital then you will need to get 3 competing quotations for the service/services you are looking for. Once 3 quotes have been obtained you fill out the application for and send them in with your preferred choice.
When the application form is processed and if you are accepted you will need to pay the invoice form the service provider before claiming 40% back.
Why should you invest?
Research has been carried out and a few key points are highlighted below of why your business should take up this great opportunity.
- SMEs that use digital technology as part of business processes have 22% higher revenue and estimated 10% increase in productivity
- 53% of businesses which had invested in technology in the last year said it helped them better target customers
- 62% said it helped them better target existing clients
Why is the grant available?
The grant is available because the digital industry is growing faster than any other and employers across all sectors will soon require digital skills. The digital industry in the North of England is creating jobs 10 times faster than other sectors and by encouraging businesses to adopt a digital transformation this should continue.
The ambition of the project is to:
- Increase the digital and technology companies within the Leeds city region to 8,500 that employ approximately 70,000 staff
- To create an additional 15,000 jobs by 2025
- To assist businesses in the moving to the digital age
How to apply
Get in touch with Blue Digital who will guide you through the process.