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Innovation grant mentoring project

Suffolk County Council is working with Norfolk County Council to run a free innovation mentoring and bid writing project.
Innovation Grant Mentoring logo

Do you have an idea worthy of Innovate UK funding or need help with your application? Free mentoring and bid writing support is available to help you secure the funding you need to develop your project or idea.

Innovation funding can help you take your business to the next level, whether you’re looking to develop a new product or expand into a new market.

But applying for the funding can be complicated and time-consuming, especially if you have a smaller business. We’re here to help you guide you through the application process and increase your chances of getting funding.

If you’ve applied for Innovate UK funding before but were unsuccessful, apply today and we can help you in your next bid. We can also help you to refine early-stage concept ideas.

Businesses must be based in Suffolk or Norfolk.

How it works

We thoroughly explore your business aims and ambitions so we can match you with mentors or bid writing coaches. They will help you to develop your ideas and reach the stage where you're ready to apply for innovation funding.

The project helps a variety of business types, from sole traders to micro, small and medium-sized businesses. If you have an idea that could be worthy of innovation funding, we can help you!

  • If you’ve never applied for innovation funding before, our mentors can walk you through every step of the way.
  • If you’ve applied before but were unsuccessful, we can offer focused support to improve future bids.
  • Or you might want to work with a mentor with specialist sector experience or academic expertise who can help to steer you in the right direction.

You’ll also get access to workshops with mentors and bid writing coaches that will be available to all our businesses signed up.

Your business ideas will be treated in strict confidence. Applicants, mentors and coaches all sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) at the start of the project.

What's the catch?

You will need to put the time and effort in. Your mentor and bid writing coach offer advice and support, but they won’t do your product research or application for you.

We might also ask you to do a bit of promo work for the project once you’ve taken part. When our project helps you win your funding, we’ll want to shout about it.