Introduction According to recent research from Lloyds Bank, 70% of UK surveyed businesses expect their turnover to increase in 2025, up from 62% when questioned in the same confidence survey 12 months ago. 73% of businesses are also expecting to see increased profitability levels as they feel more optimistic about their growth prospects. Businesses are … Read more
It’s not getting any easier for business owners to access the grant funding that will help develop their businesses and increase UK growth and productivity. With Innovate Smart Grants not happening for 2025 there has been some disquiet and uncertainty about what if anything will replace them. There is some good news in that the … Read more
Introduction According to new analysis by HSBC Innovation Banking UK and Dealroom, UK innovation businesses were estimated to be worth a combined value of around £1 trillion at the end of 2024. This figure represents a 20% increase year-on-year when compared with 2023 and an overall increase of 9 times (900%) over the past 10 … Read more
During recent discussions with the grants community it has become apparent that there are specific sectors and industries that align well with grants. If you take an example such as artificial intelligence, grant funding could be used in many different ways some of which may be less obvious than you might think. The obvious application … Read more
Introduction According to the January 2025 Business Insights and Conditions Survey published by the Office for National Statistics, around 1 in 5 (21%) of UK businesses with 10 or more employees reported that they had exported goods or services in the last 12 months. 18% of these exporting businesses reported they exported more in December … Read more
There have been a few changes in the grant funding environment in the UK recently. Nothing on the scale of those seen in the US, but still they present a challenge for grant consultants and businesses alike. Change is a constant theme – take the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) which by and large disappeared, being … Read more
Introduction Deloitte’s 2024 Regional Crane Survey, which tracks construction activity in Belfast, Birmingham, Leeds, and Manchester, revealed a significant slowdown in new construction starts. Only 47 projects broke ground in 2024, compared to 63 in 2023. This survey is a key indicator of UK-wide construction and property development trends. The primary reason for this decline … Read more
Introduction According to a recent survey from Purbeck Insurance Services, UK SMEs are increasingly seeking business loans for working capital to keep their business going. Demand for small business loans jumped by 45% year on year in 2024 versus 2023 with 33% of all loans within the final quarter of 2024 being for working capital … Read more
It is an ongoing topic worldwide with many countries struggling to find growth and productivity improvements and the UK is no exception. Poor historic GDP growth and no improvement in sight means that the new Chancellor is under increasing pressure to produce the goods. A May 2024 government report outlining the decline in innovation will … Read more
Introduction According to a recent survey by ManpowerGroup the number of UK businesses that are struggling to find skilled workers has dropped for the first time in a decade. Currently, 76% of businesses looking to recruit are experiencing a skills shortage, down from 80% a year ago. The most in-demand skills in the UK include … Read more