Supporting Local Business Open Call Fund

Tees Valley Combined Authority has launched a new Call to strengthen and support the start-up and scale-up of micro, small and medium size businesses, across Tees Valley.

The Call focuses on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) Supporting Local Business Investment Priority and TVCA is seeking proposals to deliver activity in Tees Valley under the UKSPF defined interventions as follows:

E23: Strengthening local entrepreneurial ecosystems, and supporting businesses at all stages of their development to start, sustain, grow and innovate, including through local networks; and

E29: Supporting decarbonisation and improving the natural environment whilst growing the local economy. Taking a whole systems approach to invest in infrastructure to deliver effective decarbonisation across energy, buildings and transport and beyond, in line with our legally binding climate target. Maximising existing or emerging local strengths in low carbon technologies, goods and services to take advantage of the growing global opportunity. 

Projects can contribute to both interventions (E23 and E29) or they can contribute to a single intervention (E23 or E29).

The programme is for a duration of 1 year and will deliver throughout 2024-25 (year 3 of the UKSPF programme).

The total value of funding for this call is £5.55m and we expect delivery to take place across several different and complimentary projects which use innovative approaches to support Tees Valley businesses.

The programme specifically aims to level-up the Tees Valley and this Call includes specific activity and innovative & pilot projects and will emphasise:

• the need to define new support proposals for business that do not replicate existing programmes;
• maximise the direct benefit that businesses will receive from the UKSPF programme;
• increase the opportunity for smaller Tees Valley businesses and organisations to provide innovative pilot solutions;
• encourage business-to-business support rather than create formal governance arrangements through partnerships and consortia that take time to establish and potentially delay delivery;
• maximise the financial support to businesses with the available investment; and
• contribute to the overall Tees Valley UKSPF Supporting Local Business outputs and outcomes.

The above will be delivered via a single lot and, to test successful methods of supporting local business, several contracts are expected to be awarded. All successful projects will be awarded within the total funding envelope of £5.55m with a minimum contract award of £100,000. Whilst there is no upper limit defined, there is an expectation that no single proposition will fulfil all programme requirements and provide the range of innovative and pilot solutions we expect to see.

Selection and delivery of projects will be overseen by the Tees Valley Business Board.

All organisations who can provide innovative business development and support services are encouraged to bid, with proposals demonstrating how they will engage and identify SME businesses with the potential for growth, and support those businesses in the development and delivery of high growth, sustainable business plans.