Programme to support West Midlands firms ' international expansion
The West Midlands Global Growth Programme, a new Government-backed incentive package to bolster trade and investment between the West Midlands and global markets, has launched - and is now welcoming applications from firms based in the region.
The programme, led by the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) in collaboration with the Department for International Trade (DIT) and its export programme 'Made in the Midlands, Sold to the World ', has launched an export support competition which will see 25 businesses receive fully funded, export-focused local business development consultancy for five months.
Aimed at SMEs which are ready to begin or scale exporting to international markets, the competition will be delivered by internationalisation experts, OCO Global.
The service will identify and facilitate unique export opportunities for participant companies through strategy curation and business development delivery.
The Global Growth Programme will also facilitate overseas investment into the UK and has been designed to incentivise ambitious businesses to enter the UK market through a tailored package of free support.
Companies will be selected for this accelerator programme to kickstart their international growth, which will be housed at the Innovation Birmingham Campus, part of Bruntwood Sci-Tech, the region 's leading digital tech campus in the heart of Birmingham.
A selected number of these companies will also receive an additional six-months funded market entry support, as well as dedicated business development consultancy delivered by specialist Entrepreneurs In Residence.
There is also an exciting opportunity for innovative technology companies to take part in the Scale Up Games which will take place in Birmingham at the end of July this year.
The West Midlands Global Growth Programme is being delivered as part of the Business and Tourism Programme (BATP), an initiative designed to create long-term economic legacy from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, bolstering bilateral ties between the UK and Commonwealth markets.
Neil Rami (pictured), chief executive, West Midlands Growth Company, said: “As the UK 's largest regional economy, the West Midlands has so much to offer foreign markets and investors alike.
“The region has a long-standing reputation as the UK 's automotive capital, and today, is positioned at the vanguard of low carbon solutions.
“It represents the UK 's fastest growing tech sector and is home to the country 's only large-scale 5G testbed - offering innovative enterprises in particular, an exclusive proving ground for testing emergent technologies.
“This programme is a unique opportunity to support the international growth of exciting businesses in the region and offer ambitious international businesses access to our cluster of expertise. ”
To express an interest in the export support competition and receive further information, please visit the Global Growth Programme website.
The closing date to apply for the Global Growth Programme export support package is Friday, 4 March 2022.