Manufacturing Growth Programme

The Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP) is the UK’s largest business support programme aimed at making improvements to manufacturing SMEs.

This is a £11.8m ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) funded programme that delivers support across 16 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) regions and ends in September 2021.

MGP work with a network of suppliers and consultants and can fund up to 33% of projects that are over £3,000.

Are you a Manufacturer?

MGP define this as: "A business that engages in any economic activity directly related to a product or production process they have researched, designed or produced, or otherwise hold core intellectual property in".

In order to be eligible for this programme companies must:

1. Have fewer than 250 staff
2. Turnover below 40m euros
3. Balance sheet below 50m euros
4. Not be a subsidiary of a global parent operation

MGP growth managers provide front-end support to manufacturers and provide a comprehensive diagnostic and action plan for the client. The grant provided will help to remove some of the barriers to growth identified.

Funded projects include:

• ‍ISO accreditations
• Development work, not the certification
• Strategy consultations
• Sales & marketing
• Finance
• Production improvement and efficiencies
• Project efficiencies

Businesses operating mainly in the following sectors are unfortunately not eligible:

• Fishery and aquaculture
• Primary production, processing and marketing of agricultural products
• Coal, steel and shipbuilding
• Synthetic fibres

MGP does not fund training; however, they will support in-house training if it is called  ‘Skills and Knowledge Transfer In-house’. They also do not cover software.

It is very straight forward and quick to apply, firstly contact your local Manufacturing Growth Manager (which can be found on their website). Eligibility and suitability will be assessed, a light-touch procurement process to follow, once approved, a grant offer letter is sent to the client. The client must pay up front and claim the approved grant back within four months.

By Paul Stevens