Innovation & Skills Fund

The Freeport East Innovation and Skills Fund is designed to help meet the demand for an appropriately skilled labour force, enabling local communities to access the opportunities that emerging sectors, such as green energy and clean-tech, will offer across the region. This could go towards improvements such as new services, provision, and possibly facilities that train and up-skill.

The fund seeks to deliver innovative or additional value to businesses’ operations and/or the wider business communities, facilitate the adoption of new and innovative skills training provision, support the diversification of businesses, or drive a cycle of improvement through innovation skills or training. The fund is intended to support the physical and interconnected presence of centres of innovation and skills across the Freeport East geography, particularly in more deprived areas.

For example, funds could support existing and new centres for innovation and/or skills, and support some services, including connections between centres themselves and between centres and their beneficiaries. This might include interactions between local businesses, Universities and skills support providers.

Applications are now open to apply for funding through our Innovation and Skills Fund.

The closing date for applications is 5pm on the 15^th December 2023.

Please review the Guidance Document for further information on the Freeport East Innovation and Skills Fund. If you have any further questions, please contact us.