Funding available in your area:

• Bromsgrove District £2,500 to £20,000
• Malvern Hills District £2,500 to £15,000
• Redditch Borough £2,500 to £20,000
• Worcester City £2,500 to £15,000
• Wychavon District £2,500 to £15,000
• Wyre Forest £2,500 to £20,000

Grants are awarded on a competitive and match-funded basis, meaning the SME will need to provide at least 60% of the total cost of the project. Amounts available is subject to change.

The research and development grant can only be used to fund activities directly related to the development and/or introduction to market of innovative products or services, including, but not limited to:

• new tooling and equipment
• creating a prototype
•  product testing and certification
• IP/ trademark protection
• external market research
• new marketing materials
• product launch

To receive support through the programme, your business must:

• be a SME*
• be registered to an address in Worcestershire
• be below the Subsidy Control threshold of £315,000 over the previous 3 years, including the value of the support
• businesses developing innovative new or improved products or services – a product or service is new if the enterprise has not previously made this innovative product or novel service available to the market before or/and
• businesses introducing new to market innovative product(s) – a product is new to the market if there is no other innovative product available that offers the same functionality; or the design or technology that the new product uses is fundamentally different from the design or technology of already existing products

*The definition of an SME eligible for grant funding is as follows:

• has fewer than 250 employees;
• has either (a) an annual turnover not exceeding €50 million or (b) an annual balance sheet total not exceeding €43 million
• 25% or more of the capital or the voting rights are not owned by one enterprise, or jointly by several enterprises falling outside this definition of an SME
• does not own more than 25% of the capital or voting rights in an enterprise falling outside of this definition of SME

Excluded sectors not eligible for support include:

• Primary agriculture 
• Schools
• Public sector funded organisations

This project is part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Worcestershire County Council. 

The programme is managed and delivered by Worcestershire County Council on behalf of Bromsgrove District Council, Malvern Hills District Council, Redditch Borough Council, Worcester City Council, Wychavon District Council and Wyre Forest District Council.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit UK shared prosperity fund prospectus.

In this section add in: To apply, please submit an expression of interest via email at grants@worcestershire.gov.uk. You will then receive guidance on the full application processes and a link to the online application portal.

All grant applications are subject to a competitive process and are evaluated against programme and eligibility criteria by a grant appraisal panel.