Further funding release boosts £111m invested in East Midlands through European Regional Development Fund to date

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29/03/2011

Since East Midlands Development Agency (emda) launched the East Midlands 2007-13 European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Competitiveness Programme in March 2008, more than £111m ERDF has been awarded to 135 projects across the East Midlands to increase productivity through innovation, improve resource efficiency in businesses, and boost sustainable economic and enterprise activity in less advantaged communities.  

Three years on since the launch of the Programme, a further £48m investment to support sustainable economic and enterprise activity in disadvantaged communities has been announced.

The East Midlands 2007-13 ERDF Competitiveness Programme is providing €268.5m (currently equivalent to approximately £229m) of investment support across the East Midlands between 2007 and 2013. When combined with match funding this will provide a total Programme value of €537m (equivalent to approximately £458m).

Around half of this funding is allocated to support sustainable economic and enterprise activity in disadvantaged communities across the region. More than £59m has been allocated specifically to support disadvantaged communities to date, providing enterprise support, access to finance, access to resources and support, and reviving local infrastructure and environments. It has been announced this week that a further £48m will be available for the remaining three years of the Programme to continue this support for disadvantaged communities across the East Midlands. 

The Programme supports a range of beneficiaries including small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), universities, local authorities, business support intermediaries, entrepreneurs, social enterprises and community organisations. Examples of projects supported across the region in the three years since the East Midlands 2007-13 ERDF Competitiveness Programme was launched are:

• NVision- theUniversity

  of Northampton

  's3D modelling and visualisation centre which has received a £2.5m ERDF grant, with additional financial support fromemdaand Northamptonshire Enterprise Limited. The facility provides local businesses with access to a demonstration suite and product development modelling, product testing, failure prediction and analysis and 3D visualisation services - collectively helping businesses to achieve resource, environmental and manufacturing efficiencies.  

• TheBusiness Den project in Leicester. Delivered by local charity Apex Leicester Ltd, this project received a £178,686 ERDF grant to develop enterprise opportunities for offenders and ex-offenders in Leicester. It offers intensive mentoring and support for those wishing to become self-employed in their own sustainable business.
• TheUniversity

  of Nottingham

  's 'Accelerating a low carbon economy'project, which has been given a £2.7m ERDF grant to increase business innovation in sustainable energy technologies. 

• The Framework Housing Association's'Bridging the Gap'project inSutton-in-Ashfield. Bridging the Gap has received a grant of £778,000 to help fund a new skills, employment and enterprise resource centre.  The facility will feature incubator units to help local entrepreneurs become established, a cyber café, training and advisory space, plus supported accommodation units for homeless and vulnerable young people. 
• TheUniversity of Lincoln's Innovation for Productivity and Competitivenessproject,which secured £272,152 in ERDF funding and £402,200 match funding to engage and assist at least 72 SMEs across the region to increase their innovation and productivity through knowledge transfer. 
• A newenterprise centreinShirebrook, North Derbyshire, which will help attract new businesses and encourage local enterprise. The £4.7m Bolsover District Council project has received a £3.8m ERDF grant. The centre will provide a total of 35 units, with three meeting rooms, offering growing businesses a mix of flexible workspaces. The centre will also include conference facilities offering the latest in modern technology and communications.
• TheUniversity

  of Derby

  's iD Centre, which received a £153,433 ERDF grant to help provide incubator facilities for new and emerging technology businesses.

Stuart Creedy, Head of ERDF atemda, said: "The ERDF Competitiveness Programme is providing a much needed boost to both fledgling and established businesses, supporting innovation, competitiveness and job creation, as well as accelerating economic development in disadvantaged areas, and across the East Midlands as a whole."

For more information about the East Midlands ERDF Competitiveness Programme visitwww.eastmidlandserdf.org.uk  

Ends

Notes to editors

About ERDF nationally

The ERDF Programme aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the European Union by supporting regional economic development.

The ERDF objectives for England are:

• Promoting innovation and knowledge transfer
• Stimulating enterprise and supporting successful business
• Ensuring sustainable development, production and consumption
• Building sustainable communities
• Improving accessibility and connectivity (for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly only - as part of their Convergence Programme).

A Programme Monitoring Committee consisting of regional stakeholders such as Government Offices, RDAs, Regional Assemblies, Local Authorities, Sub-regional Partnerships, Higher Education Institutions, Trade Unions, and the private and voluntary sectors will monitor and oversee programme implementation in each region.

For more information on ERDF funding generally, please visit

www.communities.gov.uk/citiesandregions/european

or

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/funds/feder/index_en.htm

About ERDF in the East Midlands

The East Midlands is eligible for €268.5m between 2007 and 2013, which when combined with match funding, provides a programme value of approximately €537m - a significant investment in the economic development of the region.

The East Midlands qualifies as a competitiveness and employment region under the EU's Cohesion Policy, which aims to meet the EU Lisbon objective to become 'the most competitive and dynamic knowledge based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social inclusion.'

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is responsible for the programme management and delivery of the region's 2007-13 ERDF Competitiveness Programme. The responsibility for ERDF programme management was transferred from the Government Office for the East Midlands (GOEM) toemdafollowing a decision by the UK Government to seek greater alignment between ERDF and regional strategies and funding streams. The 2007-13 ERDF Programme is therefore set firmly within the framework of the Regional Economic Strategy.

A Programme Monitoring Committee, chaired by the Regional Director of Government Office for the East Midlands (GOEM), guides the strategic direction of the programme and works closely withemda.

To find out more about ERDF, the region's strategy for delivering the funds, how to apply for funding and how the programme is managed, please visit

www.eastmidlandserdf.org.uk

About

emda

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is one of nine regional development agencies in England, set up in 1999 to bring a regional focus to economic development. 10 years on, independent evaluation showsemdahas:

• Had a significant impact on the region's economy
• Generated economic benefits that substantially outweigh its overall costs
• Put back over £9 of economic output (or GVA) into the regional economy for every £1 it spends
• Produced more than £1 billion in economic benefits per year and had a wider impact on people, places and businesses in the East Midlands that cannot be captured by figures alone.

The Government has announced that the Regional Development Agencies will be abolished by March 2012. During this transition period,emdacontinues to make best use of its resources to create a strong, sustainable and balanced economy in the East Midlands.




For more information, visit


www.emda.org.uk

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