A new £2.25m business support programme for start-up or SME manufacturing companies in the East of England has been announced by IfM Education and Consultancy Services Ltd (IfM ECS), the dissemination arm of the Institute for Manufacturing.
It is hoped that the programme, which is funded by the European Development Fund, will create more than 140 jobs and help firms take a sustainable approach, reduce costs and make more profit.
The programme, called Practical & Innovative Solutions for Manufacturing Sustainability, or PrISMS, is now live and will run until 2015, providing fully-funded support for 50 start-ups and 70 manufacturing SMEs across the region.
According to Cambridge Busines News, 11 local authorities will be helping to recruit start-ups and SMEs, and the ideaSpace Enterprise Accelerator at the university’s Hauser Forum, will be involved.
Dr Derek Ford, who heads the IfM team for the programme, said: “We have worked with hundreds of small and medium-sized manufacturers over the last 10 years, so we are delighted to have been awarded this funding.”
The programme will also feedback into the research at IfM to help reduce resource and energy use in production processes.
You need to be in one of the six counties in the East of England to qualify for PrISMS, so if you are, call Anna Rowntree 01223 766141.
