TEK acts as a facilitator for direct funding by way of grants or by brokering student and post graduate placement schemes.

• EPSRC Industrial CASE Awards
  Each year a number of Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (ESPRC) Industrial Co-operative Awards in Science and Engineering (CASE) studentships are awarded. These studentship awards are allocated to SMEs to facilitate 3-year research projects run in conjunction with an academic institution.

Eligibility criteria include:

• Under 250 employees within the company or group
• An established Research and Development unit
• The project is research based and not developmental
• The company can provide appropriate level of supervision in conjunction with an academic institution
• The topic falls within the EPSRC research areas: chemistry, engineering, ICT, computer science, materials, mathematics or physics.
• The project will take 3 years and is at PhD level.

• For information & an application form please contact Dr Colin Baldwin, Knowledge Transfer, SEEDA, Cross Lanes, Guildford, GU1 1YA or e-mail ColinBaldwin@seeda.co.uk

• STEP
  The Shell Technology Enterprise Programme (STEP) is designed to help SMEs and community organisations develop their potential by using the skills of second year undergraduates.  Summer STEP runs for 8 weeks during July/August.  Flexi-STEP is a non-summer placement scheme, anything from 20 working days to a year, full or part time.   The host company pays the student's training allowance.   please see website for more details:- http://www.step.org.uk/

• Research and Development Grants (formerly SMART)
  .

• Research and Development grants awards are grants for innovative projects funded by the Government's Small Business Service (SBS).  They range from a few thousand up to half a million pounds, depending on the project.
  The principal R&D awards are:

• Micro project
  Funds 50% of a project to develop a prototype product or process. The maximum grant is £20,000. The company must have less than 10 employees.
• Research award
  This award helps you assess the technological and commercial feasibility of turning highly innovative technology into a new product or process. The grant is for 60% of the project costs up to £75,000. The company must have less than 50 employees.  In Tier two regions the percentage increases to 65% and for Tier one, 70%.
• Development award
  This is to help develop a pre-production prototype of a new product or process involving significant technological advance. The grant is 35% of the project cost up to a maximum of £200,000. The company must have less than 250 employees. In Tier two regions the percentage increases to 40% and for Tier one, 45%
• Exceptional award
  This is similar to a development award but is for strategically important development work. The grant is up to 35% of the project cost up to a maximum of £500,000.
• Investigating an Innovative Idea
  This is a grant that can even be used for assessing an idea to determine if it has technical and commercial merit, before seeking much larger funding. This grant is for 75% of the study up to a maximum of £12,000. The output from this study is an action plan.

• The Prince's Trust
  Thousands of young people are working for themselves with help from The Prince's Trust.  The Prince's Trust could help you with:

• A low interest loan of up to £5,000
• A grant up to £1,500 in special circumstances
• A test marketing grant of up to £250
• On-going advice from a volunteer business mentor
• Marketing support and specialist advice

You can get help if you are aged 18 to 30; unemployed or under-employed with little money; unable to raise the cash to start your own business.
The Prince's Trust helps you develop confidence, learn new skills and get into work.   Visit www.princes-trust.org.uk or call 0800 842 842.

• The Royal British Legion Small Business Loans
  In conjunction with the Small Business Advice Office, the Legion's Small Business Loan Scheme will consider applications from Service Leavers and unemployed ex-Service people requiring financial help to start their own business.  This, together with the assistance given by the Small Business Advice Office, will help to reduce the effect of unemployment amongst ex-Service people by creating job opportunities in the small business field.
  For more information contact:
  The Small Business Advice Office
  The Cottage, Ordnance Road,
  Tidworth, Wiltshire SP9 7QD
  Tel:  01980-847753
  Fax: 01980-847734

• South East Grant Advisory Service
  The South East Grant Advisory Service (Se-gas) offers a free service throughout much of the South East to many companies within the assisted areas. This includes indigenous companies, start-ups and inward investors wishing to access Regional Selective Assistance, the Enterprise Grant and/or Research & Development Grants (formerly SMART).  Se-gas can help both in the completion and review of grant applications. For more information visit www.se-gas.co.uk

For more information on sources of funding and support, contact info@technologyenterprise.co.uk