Including Washington, Shiney Row and Penshaw and Houghton-le-Spring
As of 1 November 2026, 374 schemes are open to businesses in Sunderland; 74 of them are only for Sunderland or the North East Combined Authority area. Updated 1 Nov 2026.
In October 2026, no scheme only for Sunderland or the North East Combined Authority area opened or closed.
What opened and closed across the North East Combined Authority area this monthWhat opened and closed across the North East this monthTalk to someone in Sunderland
Schemes for Sunderland alone, not for the whole of the North East Combined Authority area.
Enterprising Sunderland
40% grant towards innovative projects valued between £5,000 and £25,000 for trading businesses based in Sunderland.
North East BIC
Support for future entrepreneurs and businesses in all sectors to grow and innovate, including free advice, workshops, events and innovation grants.
University of Sunderland
Serviced office and meeting space in Sunderland City Centre for innovation-led businesses, start-ups and SMEs, run by the University of Sunderland's Centre for Enterprise and Innovation.
NBSL
Grant funding up to 40% of project costs between £3,000 and £6,000 for trading SMEs in Sunderland to access external expertise for business improvement projects.
University of Sunderland
A programme bringing together complementary activities to support innovation and business growth in Sunderland, including technology promotion, business capacity building, commercialisation support and creative sector engagement.
Sunderland Software City, Barclays Eagle Labs, North East Growth Hub
Startup support and accelerated growth for tech businesses, run by Sunderland Software City.
Tech Start-up Sunderland, Sunderland Software City
Helps people gain the confidence to explore new business ideas and launch tech-related startups.
University of Sunderland
Fully-funded training courses for Sunderland businesses and employees, from one-day masterclasses to accredited courses, with bespoke options available.
Venture Sunderland, Northstar Ventures
Investment for ambitious, high-growth companies at all stages in technology, advanced manufacturing, creative and green industries based in or establishing in the Sunderland city region.
North East BIC
Business support and grants for social entrepreneurs in Sunderland to start, develop and grow social businesses.
Schemes for Sunderland and other council areas named with it, such as a loan fund for several districts.
North East BIC
Support for social entrepreneurs to change the world by doing business for good, delivered by the North East BIC as a not-for-profit social enterprise.
UMi
A £3.5 million UK Shared Prosperity Fund programme supporting business growth in Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland and Sunderland.
North East BIC
Flexible office, coworking, meeting room, lab and industrial workspace for SMEs from £49 per week.
North East Growth Hub, Business & IP Centre North East
Free on-site research resources, free one-to-one intellectual property surgeries and free business workshops and advice to help start-ups and existing businesses research, protect and commercialise ideas.
Community Foundation North East
Grants of up to £2,000 for individuals aged 18-30 in Tyne & Wear and Northumberland with businesses trading for less than two and a half years and turning over more than £500 per month.
Community Foundation North East
Grants of up to £500 for individuals aged 18-30 in Tyne & Wear and Northumberland starting a business with pre-revenue or less than £500 monthly turnover, trading less than two years.
Digital Catapult, Digital Catapult North East Tees Valley (NETV)
Innovation support from Digital Catapult North East Tees Valley to help businesses explore and adopt advanced digital technologies, including fully-funded innovation residentials, workshops, one-to-one coaching and open innovation challenges. Open to startups and large businesses.
Health Innovation Network
The NHS innovation network that works with healthcare organisations and businesses to spread innovation within the NHS and social care.
Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria
Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria supports the health and care system to accelerate innovation which improves people's health and the regional economy. It works with NHS Trusts, universities and industry to identify, evaluate, adopt and disseminate innovation.
Open to businesses anywhere in the North East Combined Authority area, Sunderland included.
North East Mayoral Strategic Authority
Funds ambitious cultural events across the North East, for cultural organisations, event producers, festivals, creative practitioners and community organisations. Shortlisted projects are invited to develop a full business case.
Advanced Manufacturing Forum
A membership network that connects manufacturers and engineers, offering events, peer networking, specialist advice, marketing promotion and introductions to suppliers. Open to all North East of England manufacturing and engineering organisations.
Arrow, Arrow Innovation
Access to expertise and facilities from four universities for innovation projects including research and development, proof of concept, and data science support.
Bionow
Membership and business support for companies in the biomedical and life sciences sector, including accelerator programmes, networking events and knowledge sharing.
North East Growth Hub, North East Chamber of Commerce
Export documentation service from the North East England Chamber of Commerce, including Certificates of Origin, Movement Certificates (EUR1), Letters of Credit, Carnets, and legalisation of documents. Aimed at businesses exporting from the UK.
Constructing Excellence in the North East, Constructing Excellence
A club membership for construction, housing and regeneration firms, giving access to a local network for knowledge sharing, CPD-certified and networking events, and tender alerts. Provided by Constructing Excellence in the North East.
Digital Boost
Free small business support in which volunteer mentors give personalised 1:1 mentoring, plus virtual events and peer learning programmes. Aimed at small businesses that are already trading.
Sunderland Software City, Digital Pathfinders
Digital Pathfinders helps SMEs, charities and social enterprises across Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland adopt digital technology.
Dynamo North East
A membership organisation for the North East tech sector, bringing together tech businesses, educators, supporters and government, with access to events, expert insights and a collaborative community.
North East Ambition, North East Mayoral Strategic Authority
A North East Ambition programme that helps businesses and employers work with schools and colleges, and recruit young people through apprenticeships, T Level placements and Higher Technical Qualifications. Includes employer partners, work experience, school governance and business growth support.
Engineering and Manufacturing Network
A network for engineering and manufacturing businesses in the North East, offering peer networking, sector advice, industry events and supply chain access. It represents around 300 businesses.
University of Sunderland
Access to business advice, short courses, apprenticeships, start-up support, managed offices, research services and funding and collaboration opportunities from the University of Sunderland. Aimed at organisations working with the university.
Local services that help businesses in Sunderland. Each number is from the organisation's own website.
Impartial advice, links to support and help finding finance for existing North East businesses.
North East Enterprise Agency (NEEAL)
Fully funded one-to-one advice, workshops and training for people starting a business.
See North East Enterprise Agency Ltd (NEEAL) on Local Landscape
Sunderland City Council Business Investment Team
Council team helping Sunderland businesses start, grow, export, find premises or relocate.
Your chamber of commerce: North East England Chamber of Commerce (0300 303 6322)
For the whole region or the North, Sunderland included. The soonest to close first.
Grant · Closes 9 November 2026 (8 days)
Support programme · Open all year
Support programme · Open all year
Support programme · Open all year
Support programme · Open all year
Loan · Open all year
Support programme · Open all year
Support programme · Open all year
Support programme · Open all year
Support programme · Open all year
Open to businesses across England or the UK, including Sunderland.
Open to businesses in Sunderland, local and national, soonest first.
What it does, how long it has been going, how many people work there, what it needs help with and what it is looking for: the best matches in Sunderland come first.
In-person events in the next 30 days in Sunderland, then within about five miles of it. 58 online events are open to anyone.
Mon 2 Nov
North East BIC · North East BIC
Mon 2 Nov
North East BIC · North East BIC
Wed 4 Nov
Somewhere in North East BIC · North East BIC
Wed 4 Nov
Durham · about 4 miles outside · North East Chamber of Commerce · Free
Tue 17 Nov10:00
New College Durham · about 4 miles outside · Business Durham
Wed 18 Nov
Newcastle · about 4 miles outside · Sunderland Software City
Thu 19 Nov08:30
Beamish Hall Hotel · about 4 miles outside · Business Durham
Coworking spaces, incubators and workspaces a business can use, and venues to hire for a meeting, training day or event, each from its own website. Those with a known address are dots on the map below.
Managed offices · Houghton-le-Spring
Private offices, a conference hall, meeting rooms, catering and a virtual office
Managed offices · Sunderland
Private offices, meeting rooms, a conference hall, event space, labs or workshops and a virtual office
Workspace · Sunderland · Flexible workspace from £49 per week. Coworking hotdesk £65 pcm + VAT. FlexiDesk £100 pcm + VAT.
Hot desks, dedicated desks, private offices, labs or workshops, meeting rooms, a conference hall, outdoor space and catering
Managed offices · Sunderland
Private offices, meeting rooms, event space, outdoor space and a virtual office
Managed offices · Sunderland
Private offices, meeting rooms, training rooms and catering
Arts venue · Washington · Low Barn maximum 120 people; Theatre up to 120 people theatre style or up to 80 cabaret style
Meeting rooms, training rooms, a conference hall, a theatre or auditorium, event space, studios and catering
Managed offices · Houghton-le-Spring · Conference rooms seat up to 50 theatre style, or 30 boardroom style
Private offices, a conference hall, meeting rooms, catering and a virtual office
Managed offices · Sunderland · Enterprise and Innovation Suites combined: up to 180 people. Enterprise Suite: 120. Innovation Suite: 60.
Private offices, meeting rooms, a conference hall, event space, labs or workshops and a virtual office
Workspace · Sunderland · Meeting rooms: Thompson Suite 16, Doxford Suite 6, Menvil Suite 4, Osbourne Suite 4 to 16 per room
Hot desks, dedicated desks, private offices, labs or workshops, meeting rooms, a conference hall, outdoor space and catering
Meeting rooms to hire · Houghton-le-Spring · Attenborough Room holds up to 25 people; Bellamy Room holds up to 20 people
Meeting rooms, catering and training rooms
Managed offices · Sunderland · Meeting Room 2 seats up to 16; two small meeting rooms seat up to 8; boardroom seats up to 20
Private offices, meeting rooms, event space, outdoor space and a virtual office
University venue · Sunderland · Spaces for one to 400 delegates; seminar rooms up to 100; lecture theatres up to 380
Meeting rooms, training rooms, a conference hall, a theatre or auditorium, exhibition space and outdoor space
University venue · Sunderland · Seminar rooms for one to one-hundred delegates; lecture theatres up to 200
Training rooms, a theatre or auditorium and exhibition space
No business in Sunderland has listed itself yet. Is yours here? List it, free: we read your website to say what you do and put you on the map.
Groups and memberships a business here can join, then the networks and chambers based here.
Membership or network · Open all year
Membership or network · Open all year
Membership or network · Open all year
Membership or network · Open all year
Membership or network · Open all year
Membership or network · Open all year
Membership or network · Open all year
Membership or network · Open all year
Membership or network
Membership or network · Open all year
Stories about businesses, schemes and events here, from the news we read every day.
GOV.UK business finance and support finder · 20 Oct 2026
Councils first, then the organisations with the most schemes open here.
And 14 more. All organisations
Schemes for this area that closed in the last four months, in case you were looking for one, with what is open instead.
Each town's page shows the businesses listed there, its events, places to work and meet, and the local schemes for businesses.
Sunderland is a council area in the North East Combined Authority area, in North East England. Its biggest towns besides Sunderland itself are Washington, Shiney Row and Penshaw and Houghton-le-Spring.
Next to it: County Durham, South Tyneside, Gateshead
Choose an area on the map to see its page. The shaded shapes are its towns, each with its own page. The dots are its workspaces and venues. Boundaries from the Office for National Statistics.
Local Landscape gathers these details automatically from public web pages, and only some have been checked by a person, so check them with the organisation before you apply. Part of the North East Combined Authority area. Show open funding for Sunderland on your website. Every area