Help at hand for companies to develop international markets 

June 14, 2022

Companies across the Marches are being urged to take advantage of a fund to help them develop their international markets. 

The Department for International Trade (DIT) has launched its new Internationalisation Fund for eligible businesses in England. 

Match-funded grants of between £1,000 and £9,000 will be available to help support companies which want to develop and expand their international operations. 

To secure a grant, companies will need to fund a proportion of the costs themselves. This will be either 40 or 50 per cent of the total cost. 

The funding can be used to help meet the cost of: 

  • Market research 
  • Intellectual property advice 
  • Translation services 
  • International social media/SEO 
  • Trade fairs (where no TAP funding is available) 
  • Independent market visits 
  • Consultancy and other international commercial services 

Marches LEP Access to Finance champion Paul Kalinauckas urged businesses across the region to make use of the fund. 

“This funding can offer real help to businesses across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin to develop their global footprint. If any company is thinking of developing or expanding their international operations, this fund can be a huge help.” 

To qualify for funding, the business must be based in England, be a small or medium sized enterprise (SME) with up to 250 employees, have an annual turnover of less than €50 million or annual balance sheet of no more than €43 million and no more than 25% of the business should be owned by an enterprise which is not a SME. Read how DIT have supported Grainger & Worrall.

The fund is supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). 

For more information and to start an application visit https://www.great.gov.uk/campaigns/internationalisation-fund-for-english-businesses/ 

Back to top arrow

The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership has now ceased trading and transferred all its functions to Shropshire Council working with Telford & Wrekin Council and Herefordshire Council, in line with the UK Government's plans for devolution.

The Marches LEP was established in 2011 and hands over an impressive legacy from its 13-year life. In that time the LEP invested over £196m in projects across the Marches, securing in excess of £100m of match funding and supported more than 66,000 business interactions.

The schemes supported have made tangible differences to local communities, increasing skills, creating jobs and improving the physical appearance of many towns.

We would like to thank all the LEP Board Members who have given their time freely over the life of the LEP, as well as all the staff who worked for the LEP over the years. We also want to thank our delivery partners, local education providers and local, regional and national stakeholders who helped us achieve so much.

The Marches Growth Hub will continue to support businesses and will be managed by Shropshire Council, supported by Telford and Wrekin and Herefordshire Councils. Each of the three Local Authorities will also continue to provide direct business support locally. Details of this support will be available through the Marches Growth Hub website and from the Local Authorities directly. Website: www.marchesgrowthhub.co.uk | email: enquiries@marchesgrowthhub.co.uk.

The Marches Careers Hub will continue to be delivered and will be managed by Shropshire Council, supported by Telford & Wrekin and Herefordshire Councils. Website: www.marchescareershub.co.uk | email: info@marchescareershub.co.uk

For any queries about Getting Building Fund (GBF), Local Growth Fund (LGF) and Marches Investment Fund (MIF) projects supported by the Marches LEP please contact: gary.spence@shropshire.gov.uk

For any finance queries please contact: michelle.hodgkiss@shropshire.gov.uk

The solvent liquidation of the Marches LEP is being managed by the Evelyn Partners Limited. For any matter related to this please contact: Camilla.Mulholland@evelyn.com

Skip to content