A grant is a sum of money given to an individual or business for a specific project or purpose. A grant will cover only part of the costs involved - the remainder should be provided by you or your business.

Grants are available from a variety of sources including government, the European Commission and the local authority.

Knowsley is located in a European Objective One area and can therefore offer the most competitive financial packages in the UK : a bold statement, but one we believe can be backed up with the evidence of recent successes and the wide customer base we have attracted. Our investors are global. Their products and services wide ranging.

This section introduces you to some of the grants and support schemes which may be available to businesses in Knowsley.

Knowsley is able to offer financial assistance to businesses in, or moving to the Borough, when embarking on an investment project involving the creation or protection of jobs. Grants are available to small and medium sized enterprises (SME's) to support building/construction/security related improvement schemes.

Provided through the North West Development Agency (NWDA), SFI is a discretionary grant which provides assistance towrards capital investment projects that will create or safeguard employment in an assisted area.

The Learning and Skills Council (Greater Merseyside) is responsible for the funding, planning and quality assurance of further education, work based training and workforce development for both adults and young people. Financial assistance may be available towards many of your workforce development needs, including Skillworks, Investors in People and Apprenticeships.

For those organisations looking to grow their business, consultancy support of up to 40% can be provided through Business Link for Greater Merseyside.

A critical part of your business is the people you employ. JobCentre plus can provide funding and support for the recruitment of the right person for the right job.

Provides grants to individuals and SME businesses in England to research and develop technologically innovative products and processes. There are 4 types of grants:

• Micro Projects are simple low cost development projects lasting no longer than 12 months. The output should be a simple prototype of a novel or innovative product or process. A grant of up to £20,000 is available to businesses with fewer than 10 employees.

• Research Projects typically involve planned research or critical investigation lasting between 6 and 18 months. The result of the project could be new scientific or technical knowledge that may be useful in developing a new product or process. A grant of up to £75,000 is available to businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

• Development Projects involve the shaping of industrial research into a pre-production prototype of a technologically innovative product or industrial process. A grant of up to £20,000 is available for businesses with fewer than 250 employees.

• Exceptional Projects are likely to generate much wider economic benefits and must be recognised as of 'strategic' importance for a technology or industrial sector. A grant of up to £50,000 is available to SMEs with a qualifying project.

Funding Opportunities available within Merseyside for the rural sector are primarily via the Objective One programme as this covers rural development initiatives supported the European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF). Funding is based on the same rural development regulation as DEFRA’s England Rural Development Programme (ERDP).

A £1m project has been launched to boost Merseyside’s tourism businesses as they prepare for Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture.

The Tourism Challenge Fund has been created with grants from the European Objective One Programme. The scheme will allow individual tourism sector businesses to apply for funds to support improvements to accommodation, attractions and tourist facilities. The region’s Tourist Board, The Mersey Partnership (TMP) will manage the Tourism Challenge Fund.

Through our single service at the Business Resource Centre we can co- ordinate all your financial requirements. A dedicated Investment Executive will guide you through the process of identifying relevant support, and this personalised approach will continue afterwards too.

Contact us at the Business Resource Centre, Admin Road, Knowsley Industrial Park, Merseyside L33 7TX. Telephone: 0151 477 4000.