Collaborative Innovation Programme launched to West Lancashire SMES
- West Lancashire Borough Council partner up with Edge Hill University and UCLan to launch programme to supporting SMEs
- Scheme is fully funded from the Council's UK Shared Prosperity Fund
- Initiative includes a Leadership for Growth programme
A collaborative innovation programme was launched on Wednesday May 8 to support West Lancashire SMEs (Small and midsize enterprises) helping address challenges and opportunities for business scale-up.
West Lancashire Borough Council have partnered up with Edge Hill University and UCLan, to launch the programme aimed at boosting profitable growth, enhancing productivity, developing new products, and adopting business technology for impactful results.
The scheme is fully funded from the Council's UK Shared Prosperity Fund until the 31st of March 2025. The primary focus is to support SMEs who have the potential to scale up through innovative ways of working.
The programme includes a Leadership for Growth programme to help develop the capabilities of existing managers and leaders within scale-up potential SMEs, to improve business performance, productivity, and resilience.
Businesses taking part in the 60-hour programme have the potential to achieve an average turnover growth of 29% whilst becoming accredited by the Chartered Management Institute.
Councillor Yvonne Gagen, Leader of West Lancashire Borough Council, said: "We are delighted to be working in partnership with Edge Hill University and UCLan to offer this fully funded programme for West Lancashire SMEs.
“The aim of this programme is to help them scale-up through innovation, gain leadership for growth skills and contribute towards economic prosperity across our borough".
Professor Simon Bolton (Edge Hill University) added: "Today was a great opportunity to bring together local SMEs to showcase the fully funded support available from the UKSPF programme to scale up potential SMEs.
"We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with West Lancashire Borough Council and driving this excellent collaborative programme together."
The main objective of the programme is to make a positive impact in the local community and drive meaningful change throughout West Lancashire through effective collaboration.
If your business is looking to grow through innovation, or new product development, email the Productivity and Innovation team at Edge Hill University here: pic@edgehill.ac.uk
