º£½ÇÊÓÆµ

Oops.

Our website is temporarily unavailable in your location.

We are working hard to get it back online.

PRIVACY
Professional Services

North East leads innovation funding while North West, Yorkshire and East Midlands lag behind national average

A study looked at the distribution of Innovate º£½ÇÊÓÆµ funding across the country

The research looked at Innovate º£½ÇÊÓÆµ funding across the country.(Image: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)

The North East has secured up to six times as much government innovation funding as some other areas and more than any other region of the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ.

Research from corporate tax specialists Catax suggests the North West, Yorkshire & Humber and the East Midlands all lag behind the national average of £2,563 per business. Meanwhile the North East secured the equivalent of £6,504 of Innovate º£½ÇÊÓÆµ funding for every business, or £860m in total.

In the North West, an average of £1,039 per business was awarded; in Yorkshire & Humber £2,204 per business, and in the East Midlands £2,084 per business. After the North East, the West Midlands came second with £3,941 per business granted, followed by London at £3,131.

Read more: Go-Ahead shareholders approve £669m takeover by international joint venture

The research - which looks at total amounts distributed by Innovate º£½ÇÊÓÆµ - pointed to three of the largest grants awarded in the North East, including £106.5m given to the Centre for Process Innovation to create a high value manufacturing catapult and another £49.7m grant for a separate project, along with £74m for the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.

Catax said the results of the study provide a wake-up call to firms across the country who need to take greater advantage of the funding opportunities on offer, saying lack of awareness continues to hinder grant applications.

Karen Taylor, group head of grants at innovation funding specialist Catax, said: "When it comes to grant funding, the North East comes out on top and by a big distance, with businesses claiming the equivalent of two and a half times the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ average. It suggests that the message about the availability of grant funding has really cut through in the North East.