An upgrade to a business support programme in the West Midlands has been announced.
The planned overhaul of Business Growth West Midlands will target fast-growing firms in sectors like advanced manufacturing, tech, life sciences and clean energy.
Under the reforms, Business Growth West Midlands will refocus its support on businesses with high-growth potential, help those looking to go green and work more closely with universities, councils and national government.
Other proposed moves are a new scale-up programme for creative industries, a dedicated health technology support for med-tech firms, a supply chain programme to exploit new opportunities and a focus on export support.
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The updated service will go live early next year, with more details to be announced in the coming months. It builds on feedback from businesses and economic experts.
West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker said: "We've had a business support service that tried to do a bit of everything but ended up not being focussed enough in the right places.
"That's changing. Our new Growth Plan is about backing the businesses with the biggest potential to grow, create good jobs and bring investment into our towns and cities.
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"We must do it all in a more joined-up way. This is about fairness too because growth without opportunity means nothing.
"I want businesses from every corner of the West Midlands and with real ambition to feel this region is on their side."
Raj Kandola, acting deputy chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, added: "In our Business Commission West Midlands report last year, local firms told us the current business ecosystem was too fragmented, complex and ambiguous to effectively navigate.
"As a result, we called for greater co-ordination between agencies and regional authorities to recalibrate the system and create longer term simpler structures.
"We are pleased to see that the mayor is using his devolved powers to reshape Business Growth West Midlands so it will become more agile and responsive to the needs of local firms and make more targeted interventions that will help to unlock growth.
"We look forward to working with Business Growth West Midlands and other key partners across the region to ensure that a greater number of firms benefit as a result of these changes and are supported to reach their full potential."
Sarah Moorhouse, chief executive of Black Country Chamber of Commerce, said: "We receive a steady stream of feedback from our businesses that it can be confusing at times for them to understand the sources of support available that they need and want to tap into so we welcome the clarity of the service Business Growth West Midlands will offer moving forward."