Are you the owner of a new business looking for support to help get your company off the ground? If so, a unique opportunity to get vital help and grant funding is now on offer.
The Business & Intellectual Property Centre (BIPC) Cambridgeshire & Peterborough's Jumpstart programme is back for 2022 and bigger and better than ever!
BIPC Jumpstart will offer a grant pot of up to £25,000, seven-week support programme, and part funded trade mark grants, all designed to help start-up businesses get set and grow. With the top BIPC Jumpstart grant sitting at a sum of £10,000, it could make a dramatic difference to start-up businesses across the county. This specific grant is open to start-up businesses that registered in Cambridgeshire or Peterborough on or after 1 November 2021, or those that will be registered and trading in Cambridgeshire or Peterborough within two months of receiving a grant.
To be eligible, business owners need to fully engage in at least three BIPC sessions from the live seven week programme, before submitting their BIPC Jumpstart application form and responses to the five critical questions.
Once all grant applications have been received, judges will invite a shortlist of applicants to submit further financial information before deciding who will go through to pitch their business to the BIPC Jumpstart judges in November 2022. Winners will be announced at the start of December 2022.
Applications are open from Monday 12 September until Friday 28 October.
Whilst the Jumpstart grant has specific eligibility criteria, everyone is welcome to participate in the seven week support programme running alongside it. A full programme of free webinars and workshops and one to ones has been devised with the aim to equip small business owners with the knowledge and skills to set-up sustainable businesses.
BIPC Cambridgeshire & Peterborough is also working with intellectual property attorney Venner Shipley LLP to offer a small number of part-funded trade mark grants. Venner Shipley recommends that all new business owners think hard about the distinctiveness of their brand at the inception to ensure it works from a marketing angle and that it can be readily protected and enforced. For more top tips from Venner Shipley and further information on the grants please click here.
Councillor Steve Allen, Deputy Leader of Peterborough City Council and Cabinet Member for Communication, Culture and Communities, said: “New businesses are key to the success of our local economy, so I would encourage those businesses which registered this year, or will be registering in the coming months, to get in touch with the Business & IP Centre Cambridgeshire & Peterborough and find out about the support available.”
Councillor Tom Sanderson, Chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion Committee, said: “The Business & IP Centre Cambridgeshire & Peterborough is committed to supporting new businesses at every stage of their start-up journey. We’re delighted to confirm that BIPC Jumpstart is back as an additional support tool and are excited to bring this unique opportunity to new start-up businesses in the local area.”
More information about the new BIPC Jumpstart programme and downloadable entry forms are available to view at www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/BIPCjumpstart
As part of Cambridgeshire Council’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions, new businesses are being made aware of the Low Carbon Business Support initiative, which offers fully-funded support to help organisations cut energy use and costs and prepare for a low carbon future. Find out more here: https://lowcarbon.deytonbell.com/
