New European Funding Call Open for Specialist Support for the Manufacturing Sector

The European Regional Development Fund call offers up to £500,000 to organisations to deliver specialist business support for the manufacturing sector.

The Gloucestershire Local Enterprise Partnership European Structural and Investment Funds Strategy states that, by 2022, “Gloucestershire aims to be a hub of world class companies with a diverse business portfolio”. To enable this vision the strategy notes that Gloucestershire needs to retain and expand its productive high value-manufacturing sector.

Gloucestershire has retained a significant manufacturing sector, the largest sector in the county in terms of output (19.7%) and the second largest sector in terms of employment (11.7%). Gloucestershire has the highest proportion of employment of all Local Enterprise Partnership regions in high and medium technology manufacturing (6.7%).

However, as identified in the Gloucestershire Local Enterprise Partnership European Structural and Investment Funds Strategy, there is evidence that productivity has stagnated and growth has slowed. To overcome this issue, the strategy outlines an opportunity to exploit Gloucestershire’s manufacturing sector. Gloucestershire is home to 2,515 manufacturing businesses. The sector employs 40,100 people and is worth £2,306 billion to the Gloucestershire economy.

This call predominantly seeks to invest European Regional Development Funds in activities that will provide specialist business support to SMEs in Gloucestershire’s manufacturing sector, to develop the sectors supply chain and to encourage growth and increased productivity. More information about this closed call can be found here

The value of the funding available is up to £500,000 at a 50% match rate (so a total project value of £1,000,000).

Presentation slides from the Technical Assistance workshop are available to view here.