Current Grants/Programmes/Webinars
Current business programmes, events and awards that may be of interest to you.
Items in this Edition
1. Rural Business Development Grant Scheme
2. Cluster Acceleration Programme
3. Mid Ulster Jobs and Apprenticeships Fair
4. Ambition to Grow
5. Innovate Tourism Roadshow
6. Net Zero Programme Webinar
7. Go Succeed Events |
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Rural Business Development Grant Scheme
(Grants for up to £4,999)
Do you operate a micro business? (i.e. you employ less than 10 full-time equivalent employees)
Is your business based in a rural area? (a rural area is defined as an area with a population of less than 5,000 residents and outside designated urban areas of Magherafelt, Dungannon, Cookstown and Coalisland).
If so you may be eligible to apply for capital funding under the Rural Business Development Grant Scheme.
This scheme aims to support the sustainability, recovery and development of micro rural businesses across Northern Ireland by providing a small capital grant for the business.
Level of Grant Aid:
The Scheme can provide funding of up to 50% of costs for capital items up to a maximum of £4,999. The minimum grant awarded will be £500. The total cost of the capital project must be a minimum of £1,000 and must not exceed £20,000. Applicants must provide the remaining match funding towards the project.
Applications opened at 9am on 16 October 2024 and close at 12 noon on Friday 8 November 2024.
All businesses intending to apply must attend a virtual pre-application funding workshop. To register for a workshop please email rdp@midulstercouncil.org. Dates and times for the workshops are available through the link below.
Funding for this scheme is provided through the Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation (TRPSI) Programme funded by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, and this grant aid Programme is administered and managed by local Councils.
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Cluster Acceleration Programme
The £11 million Cluster Acceleration Programme (CAP), is designed by Invest Northern Ireland, aiming to boost innovation and productivity among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Northern Ireland by supporting and funding the formation of business clusters over the next ten years.
Businesses will benefit from the programme on two levels:
Phase One Feasibility Study – up to £60,000 for networks of 8-10 SMEs to explore innovative projects.
Phase Two Cluster Project – up to £1,000,000 for selected clusters from Phase One studies.
The programme will also deliver best practice events, cluster manager training, networking opportunities, and interactive workshops.
The deadline for applications is 3pm on Friday 20 December 2024.
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Ambition to Grow- Supporting Women
Invest Northern Ireland has opened applications for their Ambition to Grow- Supporting Women programme. In partnership with Women in Business NI, the programme supports Northern Ireland’s most innovative and ambitious woman-led start-ups and small businesses. It aims to help businesses grow by creating jobs, innovating processes, and selling outside Northern Ireland.
Eligible participants can receive up to £30,000 in funding, broken down as follows:
Participants also have the opportunity to network with other women entrepreneurs.
The deadline for applications is 12 noon on Friday 8 November 2024.
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Innovate Tourism Roadshows
Innovate Tourism launched in February 2024 and Tourism NI is continuing to partner with Innovate NI to host a new series of regional interactive workshops. These workshops are designed to demonstrate the importance of innovation for your business, what innovation means in a tourism context, and how to turn your ideas into tangible added value for your business.
Learn how to drive business growth, improve efficiency, and meet customer expectations. This event will offer you the opportunity to talk to experts on a one-to-one basis. You will be provided with advice and guidance, including what funding support is available, to help you to generate new and exciting ideas to grow your business.
These workshops will run from 10am – 2.30pm*, including a working lunch, and will take place across three locations as follows:
• Tuesday 5th November: Silverbirch Hotel, Omagh
• Wednesday 6th November: Dunadry Hotel, Antrim
• Thursday 7th November: Killeavy Castle Estate, Newry
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Net Zero Programme Webinar- Engaging Stakeholders & Building Partnerships
This online event is focused on engaging stakeholders and building partnerships, with insightful discussions, interactive workshops, and networking opportunities.
Learn from industry experts and connect with like-minded individuals who are passionate about collaboration and community engagement. This event is designed to inspire and equip you with the tools you need to effectively engage stakeholders and forge meaningful partnerships
Date: Thursday 24th October 2024
Time: 1pm
Location: Online
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Please note that Mid Ulster District Council have a dedicated Business Support Section established on its website providing up-to-date information the business community. https://www.midulstercouncil.org/business
Friday 25th October 2024
10am – 12.00pm
Cookstown Enterprise Centre
InterTradeIreland is hosting a series of free export drop-in clinics to help businesses across the island to grow through trading cross-border.
The clinics are aimed at businesses considering trading across the border for the first time or seeking to increase cross-border sales but don’t know where to start. If this is you, they would like to talk to you at their next drop-in clinic and help you on your journey.
Clinics are taking place over the coming months in various locations across the island to provide you with assistance in all areas of your cross-border export journey including; creating an export plan, building sales techniques and navigating cross-border trade requirements.
These are informal clinics where staff will be available during the advertised times for you to drop in, grab a coffee and have that all important initial chat.
You’ll also find out more about the range of fully funded support offered by InterTradeIreland to succeed and grow your business.
Cookstown Clinic: Cookstown Enterprise Centre, Wednesday 20th November 2024, 10.00am -12.00pm
Explore Enterprise
Helping individuals discover their full potential.
The Northern Ireland (NI) Explore Enterprise Support Service is a new initiative delivered by Enterprise Northern Ireland in partnership withThe Princes Trust NIwhich provides self-employment or employment support to economically inactive individuals across Northern Ireland.
This is a free service that provides an insight into starting a business or allows you to take the first steps to gaining employment. You do not need to have a business idea to join.
The NI Explore Enterprise Support Service offers mentoring and training at a pace tailored to your needs and you have the opportunity to work towards achieving a level 2 qualification.
Our experienced Business Mentors will support participants through a range of activities including:
- One-to-one tailored mentoring and guidance
- Workshops and Level 2 training
- Support from the wider ecosystem
To be eligible for this service you must be:
- Aged 16 or over
- Economically Inactive (those not in employment who have not been seeking work within the last 4 weeks and/or are unable to start work within the next 2 weeks)
This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Go Succeed
Go Succeed is the new go-to source for expert business advice led by Northern Ireland’s eleven local councils.
Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur thinking of starting out; are looking to grow your business; or are planning to scale up; a team of advisors will provide tailored support and guidance to help you achieve your business goals.
Go Succeed – Start Up
You have a great idea but you’re not sure how to turn it into a business, or you have already started out in business and require mentorship on your next steps. Our Go Succeed Start experts will help you to create a business plan, seek funding and put all the foundations in place to get your business up and running
Go Succeed – Grow Your Business
Your business is already established and is now ready to expand, but growth is slow and you’re not sure how to progress. Our Go Succeed Grow experts have seen it all before in just about every sector, so they’ll provide tailored support to help shorten the journey to business growth.
Go Succeed – Scale
Your business is ready to go to the next level locally and internationally, but you need guidance, support or resources to achieve your ambitions. Our Go Succeed Scale industry experts will help tailor your plans to penetrate new markets, identify investment opportunities and scale up your operations.
To apply visit: Go Succeed or call 0800 027 0639.
Go Succeed also has a range of online and in-person events coming up for new business starts and businesses seeking to grow. For more details and to register visit: Go Succeed events
Watch this space…..Coming 2025
info@cookstownenterprise.com
August GO SUCCEED NI workshops are LIVE!
These FREE workshops cover a variety of topics to help you on your business journey, get registered now!
For the full list of upcoming events go to https://go-succeed.com/events/ and click the ‘Start’ option in the business stage dropdown!
Here’s a look at what’s coming up:
In-person
Relationships: The Key to Business Success
Tue 30 July, 10.00am
LEDCOM
gosucceed.glistrr.com/e/267
Getting Results through LinkedIn
Wed 21 Aug 2024, 10:00am
NDDO Business
enterprisesupportseries.glistrr.com/e/299
Building Smart Relationships and Analysing Business Performance
Thu 22 Aug 2024, 10:00am
Ards Business Hub
gosucceed.glistrr.com/e/300
Presenting Yourself and Your Business
Wed 28 Aug 2024, 10:00am
Ards Business Hub
enterprisesupportseries.glistrr.com/e/303
Online
Social Media for Beginners
Tue 30 July, 12:00PM
gosucceed.glistrr.com/e/283
Show Up with Purpose (Women Entrepreneurs Only)
Tue 30 July 2024, 12:30PM
gosucceedwib.glistrr.com/e/189
Marketing Planning for Online Success
Wed 31 July 2024, 12:00PM
gosucceed.glistrr.com/e/281
Go Succeed in Marketing Your Start Up Business
Wed 31 July 2024, 6:00PM
gosucceed.glistrr.com/e/132
Go Succeed represents a significant investment in local entrepreneurs and businesses, funded by the UK Government.
Please note our office is closed from Monday 08th July 2024 reopening Monday 15th July 2024.
We will reply to all correspondence on our return.
Enterprise Support Clinic
Friday 21st June 2024
10am – 2pm
Cookstown Enterprise Centre
Click the links below to register
Refining Your Business Idea
Monday 3 June
6pm – 8pm
Online
Business Set Up and Financial Planning Fundamentals
Tuesday 4th June
10am – 12pm
Online
Explore My Business Idea
Tuesday 4th June
11am – 1pm
Generating Impactful Content for Start Up Success
Tuesday 4th June
4pm – 6pm
Online
Selling Online with Shopify
Tuesday 4th June
6.30pm – 8.30pm
Show Up with Purpose (Women Entrepreneurs Only)
Wednesday 5 June
10am – 12pm
Online
Accessing Finance for Establishing Start Ups
Wednesday 5 June
6pm – 8pm
Online
Exporting – Let’s Get Growing!
Thursday 6 June
10.30am – 12.30pm
Online
Social Media for Beginners
Thursday 6 June
1pm – 3pm
Online
Financial Planning and Forecasting for Developing Start Ups
Thursday 6 June
1pm – 3pm
Online
Exporting – A Smarter Way to Start!
Thursday 6 June
6pm – 8pm
Online
Enterprise Support Clinic
Friday 21 June 6
10am – 2pm
Cookstown Enterprise Centre
Go Succeed represents a significant investment in local entrepreneurs and businesses, funded by the UK Government and powered by the UK Levelling Up Fund. Enterprise Northern Ireland have partnered with the 11 local councils to deliver Go Succeed Start Up business support across Northern Ireland.
Cookstown Enterprise Centre recently made its annual Christmas donation to two locally based charities.
This year we donated £250 to SVP Cookstown and £250 to The Hub Cookstown. This was in lieu of sending Christmas cards.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, Trevor Wilson Chairman and Directors of Cookstown Enterprise Centre present cheque donations to SVP Cookstown and The Hub Cookstown.
