Are you a small or medium sized enterprise or a recent start-up? Do you have ambitions to set-up a new organisation but need some support to get started? Do you work in a social enterprise looking to get support to start, build or grow your activity? Do you have ideas about making your organisation more energy efficient or run your organisation in a more eco-friendly way? 
Greater Manchester will be announcing the next round of Business Support calls, The calls will cover a range of areas including: research and innovation, start-up support, energy efficiency as well as support to grow your organisation.
GMCVO are approaching organisations to understand if they intend to bid for these contracts once they are announced this month (January 2018). GMCVO will then schedule sessions for potential bidders to meet and discuss the calls with colleagues from VCSE organisations. The sessions would be an opportunity for VCSE organisations to connect with potential Lead bidders and highlight their support needs, areas for growth as well as highlight their own skills and expertise if they can contribute to project delivery.
GMCVO are particularly keen to have smaller organisations and social enterprises in attendance at this event to put forward the particular support needs of these organisations. Also, this is a great opportunity for bidders to start building relationships with supply chain partners and/or organisations that they would be supporting should their application be successful.
If you think you could deliver a business support contract consider:
• Do you have the capacity to deliver as a sole lead provider or part of a wider delivery partnership?
• Do you specialise in any of the areas that the business support calls cover? Could you provide specialist support as a sub-contracted delivery partner?
• This call will be part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which requires applicants provide their own match funding in order to apply. All ERDF calls under this programme have required that bidders have a minimum project value ranging from £250,000 to £1million (50% ERDF money and 50% match funding) GMCVO expects that these calls will also have a minimum project value amount.
To discuss the calls further contact Louis Brooks, on 0161 277 1032, or email: [email protected]
To express an interest in attending this session and to secure a place once the calls have been announced, visit: www.gmcvo.org.uk/civicrm/event/info?id=2499&reset=1