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** Secure your place at the Air Festival STEM Village
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Bournemouth Air Festival 2024 is hoping to inspire budding engineers with an enhanced STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Village on the beach. Following its success since 2021, the innovation-inspired village will feature unique demonstrations and displays from industry-leading companies, both local and national.
If you are a business or organisation that wants to increase the UK STEM talent pool, Bournemouth Air Festival attracts over 500,000 visitors, who come from all over the UK.
Find out more
** National Manufacturing Day 2024
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Make UK has announced the date of its 3rd National Manufacturing Day which, this year, will take place on Thursday 26 September 2024.
Following the extremely well attended event last year, Make UK will once again work closely with UK manufacturers as they open up to their local communities, schools and colleges, giving behind-the-scenes access to a sector of global importance. A sector that plays a pivotal role in the economic life of local communities across the UK.
The day itself will be a national celebration of UK manufacturing and a chance to raise the profile of the sector.
Businesses will put on a variety of tours, demonstrations of what they do, and give people the chance to talk to their apprentices and members of staff about the job opportunities on offer and what it is really like to work in modern manufacturing. Showcasing roles that pay more than the national average and, throughout someone’s career, provide constant opportunities for training and retraining – so work never becomes dull.
Find out more
** Business grants up to £20,000 now available
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Apply online for UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Rural England Prosperity Fund grants for SME, Startup, and rural businesses.
Applications welcome for grants of between £2,000 and £20,000, towards:
* digital technology and innovation
* research and development
* business growth and exports
* rural enterprise and diversification
* Startups (businesses in 1-36 months of trading)
Example grant awards include purchase of new equipment, software development and implementation, adaptations, automation, or robotics, Intellectual Property (IP), patents, trademarks, design copyrights, capital funding for new machinery for product development or for the progression of new services or new to the market products.
Find out more
** Farming Recovery Fund expanded
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Further support for farmers hit by flooding and exceptional wet weather over this winter has been made available as part of the Farming Recovery Fund, with £50 million to cover farms of all sizes across the country.
The new eligibility criteria opens up the scheme to thousands more farmers who have suffered significant damage to their land as a result of prolonged and extreme wet weather and flooding, and will help support UK food security.
Read more
A major package of measures to support farmers and grow the UK’s farming and food sector has been announced.
The package will support domestic food production, boost innovation in the sector supporting it to reach its economic potential, and recruit the next generation of farming and food leaders.
This includes a new Blueprint for Growing the UK Fruit and Vegetable Sector
, setting out how industry and government can work together to increase domestic production and drive investment into this valuable sector which is worth more than £4 billion to the UK economy.
** Funding Boost: Dorset LEP & Focused For Business Team Up
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If you’re a startup or small business in Dorset looking to raise investment, help is at hand. Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Focused For Business have joined forces on an exciting initiative to help Dorset-based businesses secure vital funding to grow their businesses.
Dorset LEP has agreed to generously fund two-thirds of the cost for eligible local businesses to join Focused For Business’ renowned Funding Accelerator programme
. This means more Dorset companies can access excellent advice and support in their journey to securing investment for their business.
But you’ll need to act fast – funded places on the Accelerator are limited. Dorset LEP will sponsor a total of 10 businesses on a first come, first served basis. Subject to eligibility and availability, it is anticipated that 5 businesses will be invited to participate in the September 2024 cohort, and another 5 in the January 2025 intake.
Find out more
** Expanded and improved Sustainable Farming Incentive offer for farmers published
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Full details of the expanded and improved Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI)
offer available to farmers from July have been published.
The expanded SFI offer will be open to new entrants for the first time and will initially comprise 102 actions, designed in collaboration with the agricultural sector, including over 20 new options to support more sustainable food production, – with payments for precision farming, agroforestry, a new and expanded offer for upland farmers and more actions for tenants on short-term contracts. Sticking to the plan for agriculture, the new actions will help farmers to reduce input costs and boost yields.
In addition, further new actions will support flood preparedness, helping businesses to become more resilient to the changing climate and challenging weather conditions.
Read more
** Strongest Long Reach Robot in the World Delivered
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Friday 17th May 2024 marked a special day in the history of Loop Technology with the delivery of two Fanuc M-2000iA Series robots to the Loop Technology Centre. What started as a single robot in a living room over 25 years ago has led to the strongest long reach robot in the world arriving in Dorchester.
The day was filled with excitement and enthusiasm as onlookers witnessed the culmination of many months of planning and logistics. The M-2000iA 1700L was the first to arrive – weighing 12.5 tonnes with almost 4.7 metres of reach and a payload capacity of 1.7 tonnes, it is a substantial piece of equipment to manoeuvre and install. The 900L offers the same reach and a payload capacity of 900 kg.
Read more
** £15m funding boost in nutrient management
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Effective nutrient management is vital for farmers and growers as it can significantly boost productivity while minimising environmental impact.
By maximising the efficiency of nutrient use, farmers can achieve better crop growth and yields, ultimately improving their bottom line.
The £15 million ‘farming futures research and development fund nutrient management‘ competition is offering funding. This will develop solutions which address the challenges related to nutrient management in soils and water associated with agricultural livestock and crop production.
The funding opportunity opened on 29 May 2024, with funding for both feasibility studies and industrial research projects.
Read more
** Ocean Tech Expo: 26 - 27 June 2024
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The Ocean Tech Expo will build on the success of three previous events and will showcase leading technical capability and near market innovation capable of decarbonising and increasing productivity across a range of offshore activity.
The event will feature 70+ speakers across 2 days, with 2 lecture theatres running concurrently. The event will focus on applications to the most relevant market opportunities for the SW region demonstrating technologies with cross cutting applications across markets including: offshore wind and renewables, defence, aquaculture and fishing and the decarbonisation of the wider maritime sector.
Find out more
** The King's Awards for Enterprise
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The UK is full of exciting and innovative businesses and the King’s Awards for Enterprise is a great way of celebrating their success. Whether a small business with a great innovative product or service, or a larger company running an impressive social mobility programme, the awards are a prestigious way to recognise your contribution to enterprise.
The King’s Awards for Enterprise are awarded to businesses for outstanding achievement in four categories; International Trade, Innovation, Sustainable Development and Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility), to recognise businesses who promote social mobility.
Find out more and apply
Horizon Scanning Service
Dorset LEP provides a fully funded, horizon scanning service to help more Dorset entrepreneurs, SME’s and projects to identify government funds to power their business growth, increase collaborations and drive innovation. The funding landscape is vast and can be difficult to navigate. Dorset LEP’s horizon scanning service will assist business owners and senior leaders in identifying suitable funding competitions for their businesses to bid into. Your business can also take advantage of the fully funded bid writing support service once a suitable funding competition has been identified.
Bid Writing Support
Dorset LEP provides a fully funded, specialist bid writing support service to help more Dorset entrepreneurs, SME’s and projects access government funds to power their business growth, increase collaborations and drive innovation.
Apply for Horizon Scanning Service or Bid Writing Support
Dorset Growth Hub - Latest events
Innovate UK KTN - Latest Funding opportunities
Latest Innovate UK KTN Events
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