Funding and Finance for Innovation

About the event

Unlock the potential of your innovative business ideas at this event held in partnership with Innovate UK Business Growth. This is your opportunity to discover the latest funding and finance opportunities designed to propel your innovation to new heights.

Funding and finance is often crucial in your medium to long-term business plans. There are many options available across equity funding, debt funding and grants. Each comes with its own pros and cons and some may be more suitable to your business than others both in terms of the intended use of the money and the chances of securing it.

This event is for UK SMEs, either revenue generating or who have an innovative product, process or service to help make the right choices to fit their strategy and give the best chances of success.

Why attend?

Attending this event will give you:

• A rounded understanding of the funding and finance options available to innovative SMEs
• Confidence that the options you choose are right for your business strategy
• Guidance on R&D Tax Relief and how to make robust claims
• Relevant information to your business through workshops
• The next stages of where to get further tailored support to help your business grow

Through presentations, workshops and Q&A’s, this event will help you to understand your funding and finance options to make an informed decision on what is right for your business. You will get the opportunity to learn more about and ask questions on:

Investment Readiness
An overview of how to improve your business’ investment readines, understand your finance options and make an informed decision on what is right for your business.

Grant Applications
How to find the most appropriate grants for your projects and an understanding of how best to approach your application.

R&D Tax Relief
Guidance and how to make robust claims.

Agenda

09:30 – 10:00: Arrival & coffee

10:00 – 10:10 Welcome and introduction
Professor Joseph H. M. Tah, Oxford Brookes University

10:10 – 10:25 Enterprise Oxfordshire support
Sarah Beal, Enterprise Oxfordshire
Ant Parsons, Enterprise Oxfordshire

10:25 – 10:35 What do we mean by innovation?
Graeme Beever, Innovate UK Business Growth

10:35 – 10:45 Client growth story – Beautiful Voice
Dr. Andre Hallack, Beautiful Voice

10:45 – 11:00 Investment Readiness and Finance Options
Zahir Khan, Innovate UK Business Growth

11:00 – 11:15 Grants as Part of the Funding & Finance Mix
Christopher Buckland, Innovate UK Business Growth

11:15 – 11:30 R&D Tax Relief
Laura Hankey, Richardsons Chartered Accountants

11:30 – 11:50 Break

11:50 – 12:50 Breakout sessions
Q&A on each of the subjects

12:50 – 13:00 Summary and next steps
Graeme Beever, Innovate UK Business Growth

13:00 – 14:00 Networking Lunch and close