Funding and business support in North East Combined Authority

Open

A complete technology solution for an e-Procurement value chain.

Deadline

Open all year

Area

North East Combined AuthorityRating 7/10Local Landscape rating 7 out of 10

Grow Your Business Overseas

DDepartment for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade

Free support from the Department for Business & Trade (DBT) North East team to help businesses trade and grow overseas, including tailored market information, market visits and advice from International Trade Advisers.

Deadline

Open all year

Area

North East EnglandRating 8/10Local Landscape rating 8 out of 10

Make UK

Make UK

Membership organisation for British manufacturers that gives members networking events, insight, advice and access to government. Several membership options are listed, including Make UK Membership, Make UK Defence Membership, UK Steel Membership and Corporate Membership.

Deadline

Open all year

Area

North East EnglandRating 8/10Local Landscape rating 8 out of 10

Medilink North of England membership

MMedilink

Membership of a life science business network in the North of England, giving access to industry knowledge, expertise, business support and member introductions. Open to life science businesses based in the North of England.

Amount

£195 to £955

Deadline

Open all year

Area

The North of EnglandRating 8/10Local Landscape rating 8 out of 10

The Entrepreneurs' Forum

EEntrepreneurs' Forum

A membership network where owner-managers of North East businesses meet at events and through peer-to-peer mentoring to share experience and grow faster.

Deadline

Open all year

Area

North East EnglandRating 8/10Local Landscape rating 8 out of 10

Locate North East England

Invest North East England

A free search facility for commercial land and property in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and Durham, focused on key sites of 10,000 to 50,000 square feet. Provided with a free package of support from Invest North East England.

Deadline

Open all year

Area

North East EnglandRating 7/10Local Landscape rating 7 out of 10

Free one-to-one business advice

North East BIC

Free one-to-one business advice from expert advisers for people starting a business, according to the North East BIC homepage. Also offers signposting and advice for eligible businesses across the region.

Amount

Free

Deadline

Open all year

Area

North East EnglandRating 8/10Local Landscape rating 8 out of 10

ASCENT

EEntrepreneurs' Forum

Mentoring and peer learning for ambitious business founders in the North East with turnover between £100k and £250k, combining 1-to-1 mentoring with access to experienced entrepreneurs.

Amount

£295 to £445

Deadline

Open all year

Area

North East EnglandRating 8/10Local Landscape rating 8 out of 10

Going Green Together

Going Green Together, Vonne

Free support for voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations in the North East to become more environmentally sustainable, led by VONNE: an online Sustainability Pathway, one-to-one support, webinars, peer support and subsidised accreditation.

Deadline

Open all year

Area

North East EnglandRating 9/10Local Landscape rating 9 out of 10

North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC)

North East BIC

Free one-to-one business advice from the North East BIC's expert advisers for people starting a business.

Amount

Free

Deadline

Open all year

Area

North East EnglandRating 8/10Local Landscape rating 8 out of 10

Food and Drink North East

Food and Drink North East

Food and Drink North East's community for the region's food, drink and hospitality sector. Paid membership is launching soon; for now anyone can sign up free as a Community subscriber for a monthly newsletter of sector news, business support opportunities and events, and selected FADNE webinars, workshops and showcases.

Deadline

Open all year

Area

North East EnglandRating 8/10Local Landscape rating 8 out of 10

5G Immersive Lab

DDigital Catapult

Access to a 5G Immersive Lab with co-working space, workshops and expert-led demonstrations to help businesses develop expertise in 5G and immersive technology.

Deadline

Open all year

Area

North East EnglandRating 9/10Local Landscape rating 9 out of 10

SME Information Hub - Durham University

DDurham University

Information and guidance from Durham University's Career Service on recruiting and engaging with students and graduates.

Deadline

Open all year

Area

North East EnglandRating 8/10Local Landscape rating 8 out of 10

Cyber Resilience Centre for the North East

CCyber Resilience Centre for the North East

Police-led centre that helps small and medium-sized businesses, charities and public sector organisations in North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber improve their cyber security, with fully funded training and Cyber PATH services for subscribers.

Amount

Free membership; fully funded Security Awareness Training and Cyber PATH services for subscribers

Deadline

Open all year

Area

North East England, Yorkshire and the HumberRating 9/10Local Landscape rating 9 out of 10

FIRST North East

A learning and development agency, empowering enterprise skills and entrepreneurship in collaboration with government, employers, education and community organisations.

Deadline

Open all year

Area

North East EnglandRating 8/10Local Landscape rating 8 out of 10

RTC North business support programmes

RRTC North

RTC North Ltd is a support provider that delivers publicly funded business support, expert advice and innovation programmes across the North of England, for start-ups, scale-ups, manufacturers and supply chains.

Area

The North of EnglandRating 8/10Local Landscape rating 8 out of 10

North East Regional Defence and Security Cluster (NE RDSC)

NNorth East Regional Defence and Security Cluster (NE RDSC)

A regional defence and security cluster that offers networking events, capability showcases, connections and support accessing funding, contracts and new markets to members. Membership is open to North East organisations, UK-based organisations outside the region, and government and funding bodies as strategic partners.

Area

North East EnglandRating 7/10Local Landscape rating 7 out of 10

European Franchise Federation

EEuropean Franchise Federation

The European Franchise Federation is a not-for-profit association that promotes the franchise industry in Europe and runs a European Code of Ethics for Franchising. It also hosts free online events and webinars.

Area

North East EnglandRating 6/10Local Landscape rating 6 out of 10

Immex City

Sunderland Software City

Project shaping the future of immersive technology in the North East of England.

Area

North East EnglandRating 7/10Local Landscape rating 7 out of 10

Growth through tech

Sunderland Software City

Helps organisations understand and access technology to grow.

Area

North East EnglandRating 6/10Local Landscape rating 6 out of 10

Tech start-up support

Sunderland Software City

Access to experts and resources to build a tech startup.

Area

North East EnglandRating 6/10Local Landscape rating 6 out of 10

Unlock the power of data and AI (Hartree Centre North East hub)

Hartree Centre, Sunderland Software City

Fully funded support for SMEs to access advanced digital technologies, delivered through the Hartree Centre North East hub.

Amount

Fully funded

Area

North East EnglandRating 7/10Local Landscape rating 7 out of 10

Raise funds to grow your business

Sunderland Software City

Helps founders understand and access grants, funding and investment, run by Sunderland Software City.

Area

North East EnglandRating 7/10Local Landscape rating 7 out of 10

Social Investment Gateway Programme

SThe SSE, School for Social Entrepreneurs, Social Enterprise UK

A free 12-month support programme for charities, social enterprises and community organisations preparing for social investment, with a choice of a Match Trading grant or a repayable grant.

Amount

Up to £24,000

Deadline

Closes 6 November 2026 at 12 noon (4 days)

Area

EnglandRating 9/10Local Landscape rating 9 out of 10