Digital Accelerator Grant

Investment in technology is becoming crucial for all small and medium-sized businesses and can have many benefits such as improving productivity, streamlining processes, time-saving, cost-saving and reducing environmental impact, all contributing to growth and business success.   

In recognition of this, Digital Enterprise, funded by the UK Government, has intruded the Digital Accelerator Grant for businesses based in one of the five West Yorkshire Local Authorities.  

The grant is for projects between £2,000 – £25,000 with the financial support being worth up to 50% of the project costs (maximum value of £10,000) and is aimed to support new projects that will give a vital boost to businesses. 

New for Digital Enterprise 3, they are also offering a small number of match-funded grants to support digital projects worth between £25,000 – £100,000 that will have a significant and transformational impact on your business. Contact Digital Enterprise for more information. 

Eligibility

In brief, as well as being a growth-focused business, there are a few criteria that your business must meet for funding:  

• Based in one of the five West Yorkshire Local Authorities 
• Trading for minimum 3 years 
• VAT registered 
• 5-100 FTE employees 
• B2B or B2C environment where 50% of turnover comes from outside West Yorkshire 

Location requirements 

The funding is available to businesses in the following West Yorkshire areas: 

• Bradford 
• Leeds 
• Calderdale 
• Wakefield 
• Kirklees 

We recommend heading over to Digital Enterprise for full details, and there you can also find information on the support you can receive from their expert Digital Advisors. 

Applications for funding are checked for eligibility and there’s a lot of information about the full process on the Digital Enterprise website. 

Eligible digital projects 

Efficiency and productivity 
Investment in technology can improve productivity by automating tasks and streamlining processes. Modern equipment, meeting the specifications required to meet business demands will result in saved time, and energy efficient hardware can play a part in reducing energy bills. Financial assistance is available for hardware upgrades such as servers, workstations, laptops, routers and switches that may be more efficient to run, be more reliable or enable you to meet evolving operational requirements. 

Communication and collaboration 
Technology can facilitate communication and collaboration between team members, regardless of location and whether employees are split between multiple sites or remote working in different parts of the world. Microsoft 365, including Microsoft Teams and SharePoint can be implemented for seamless communication via video conferencing and instant messaging as well as real-time collaboration. Documents can be shared between teams securely and this isn’t influenced by physical location. 

Cost reduction and resource management 
Cloud computing can minimise infrastructure expenses and despite some initial outlay, savings will be made in the medium to long term. One of the major benefits of migrating to the cloud is that you no longer have to maintain and replace physical hardware, helping to reduce capital expenditure and future maintenance costs for managing the hardware. 

Security and risk management 
Investment in cyber security can mitigate risk to your business, with disaster recovery and business continuity being a vital part of any business IT strategy. Investing in the best possible protection you can afford against data loss and data breaches is worth the financial cost and can include endpoint protection, multi factor authentication, PEN testing, Cyber Essentials, security awareness training services, phishing simulation and advanced threat detection. Robust backups and business continuity planning ensure your technology solutions are resilient and can continue to function when faced with potential disruptions. 

Scalability and growth 
If you’re not using cloud services, cloud computing has the added benefit of being highly scalable and a cloud migration strategy can be developed that meets both your current and future business needs, with solutions that are easier to scale as your organisation grows. A migration roadmap can be implemented, complete with training and ongoing management. 

Reliable infrastructure 
From structured cabling through to the design, deployment and support of entire network infrastructure, a well-designed network is key to enabling a strong, reliable and resilient IT operation, whether that be an office, warehouse or factory. 

Why invest in technology? 

The funding is available to help businesses overcome challenges using digital solutions or to accelerate, innovate or transform your business. Technology can be used to: 

• Move more of your business online 
• Migrate to cloud services 
• Improve your customer services 
• Improve productivity 
• Streamline processes 
• Reduce ongoing costs 
• Reduce environmental impact 
• Aid business growth 
• Purchase more efficient IT equipment 

Next steps 

If you’re interested in funding, take a look at the Digital Enterprise website where there are full details on business eligibility, the application process and examples of technology projects that could be funded. If you’ve got an idea of a project or would like some advice, you can contact us and one of our team will get back to you or view our profile on the Digital Enterprise website.