Funding & support resources

Mentoring and support reimagined - for all small business

The heart of the engineering and manufacturing industries in the North East

National Innovation for Data (NICD) helps organisations to unlock value in their data by helping organisations to learn new data skills to become more productive.

Food and Drink North East (FADNE) is a community interest company (CIC) made up of local business owners and experts who understand the challenges the food, drink and hospitality sectors face and are working together to address them.

A world-leading organisation supported by an initial investment from UK Government and Newcastle University – to help co-develop and bring to market products and services which create a world in which we all live better, for longer.

We are an accredited learning and development agency specialising in empowering enterprise skills for students, graduates, jobseekers, early stage founders and entry level staff.

Start-up Loans has partnered with The Open University to create a range of free courses for entrepreneurs.

Do you have a digital business idea and would like to explore it? Access fully-funded support if you are a resident of Newcastle, North Tyneside or Northumberland.

Skills Bootcamps offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks for adults aged 19+ who are either in work or recently unemployed.

The UK Export Academy (UKEA) from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is a free training programme for UK businesses of all sizes looking to grow their international sales.

Eligible businesses can access a bespoke digital marketing campaign for your business free of charge.

With our rich history of inventiveness and community spirit, we aim to combine citizen insights, business knowledge and design thinking to establish the North of Tyne region as an international leader in innovation for the Internet of Caring Things market

Local Automotive Business Support - Sunderland (LABS-S) is a tailored package of support for Sunderland businesses wanting to grow and thrive within the automotive sector.

Durham Start-Ups is part of the Enterprising Durham programme of support, ensuring start-ups, sole traders, social entrepreneurs, budding founders and freelancers in Durham get off to the best start with the right skills.

SONIC Labs Technology Access Programme (TAP) is an 8-month structured programme developed by Digital Catapult in collaboration with Ofcom, running from June 2024 to January 2025.

Open to businesses and social enterprises based in Gateshead, Pathways to Innovation looks to help enterprises overcome the barriers preventing them from accessing innovation and growth, both individually and as a region.