September 1, 2016 

£1.27m investment to aid D2N2 Growth Hub in ‘powering up business’ The D2N2 Growth Hub has been awarded £1.27million in European funding – guaranteeing its services to businesses in Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has agreed to part-fund the D2N2 Growth Hub, with £1.27million from the £97m European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) allocation for the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire (D2N2) area, to guarantee Growth Hub services until March 2019, and improve its offer to businesses in its area. Part of the private sector-led D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership – which promotes economic growth and jobs creation in Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire – the Growth Hub was launched in December 2014. It works with partner organisations including local authorities, universities and businesses to provide free and impartial support and advice on training, growth and accessing funding to expand. A recent survey of a sample 200 Growth Hub clients showed 88% (176) would recommend its services to a fellow business. Since its creation, the D2N2 Growth Hub has:

helped over 2,400 businesses to access free and impartial support and advice; run events and workshops – including with partner organisations - to inform

businesses of its services; commissioned and managed the delivery of additional business support services,

including a high growth business support programme; been ‘Highly Commended’ for the design and accessibility of its website (at

www.d2n2growthhub.co.uk ).

The new funding agreement for the D2N2 Growth Hub will ensure that its core services – a dedicated phone line, business advisers, a bespoke website and network of business support providers – can provide an improved service to its customers. It will provide a full time Growth Hub Manager to drive and co-ordinate the project, increased ability and capacity to handle a greater variety of business support enquiries, enhanced marketing and communications, and enable increased working with partner organisations. These will help the D2N2 Growth Hub to strengthen its connection to business support in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire by providing 4,000 businesses with the support they need between now and 2019 - assisting them to create jobs and grow.

D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership Media Release

Through some of the D2N2 LEP’s local authority partners – Derbyshire County, Nottinghamshire County, Nottingham City, High Peak Borough, Derbyshire Dales District and Chesterfield Borough councils – the core D2N2 Growth Hub service will be enhanced through a network of local business support advisers. David Williams, Chair of the D2N2 Growth Hub’s Project Board, said: “The D2N2 Growth Hub continues to provide Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire businesses with support, advice and information. “This new funding agreement builds upon our excellent track record, and the belief by Government in our commitment and ability to help the D2N2 business community grow and prosper.” The Growth Hub team can be contacted on its helpline at 0333 006 9178 or on email at info@d2n2growthhub.co.uk, or via its social media channels on Twitter @D2N2GrowthHub or LinkedIn ‘D2N2 Growth Hub’. To learn more about the services offered by the D2N2 Growth Hub, see its website at www.d2n2growthhub.co.uk.

ENDS For more information on this media release, please contact Sam Burbage, Social Media and Marketing Officer at the D2N2 LEP, on 01159 578254 or by email sam.burbage@d2n2lep.org Notes to Editors The D2N2 Growth Hub is part of the D2N2 LEP. The Growth Hub was launched in December 2014 by the then Business and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock. It provides a ‘one stop shop’ for ambitious new and developing businesses looking for advice on training, growth, and how to access funding help to expand into fresh markets. Growth Hub advisors work right across the D2N2 LEP area. They run their own free events and workshop sessions for business, and attend other organisations’ business events throughout the year, to spread the message about their wide range of services. Since it began work the D2N2 Growth Hub has:

Helped more than 2,400 Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire businesses. Developed an accessible website – at www.d2n2growthhub.co.uk – giving a wealth

of advice on areas such as starting and growing a business, accessing finance, training and skills development, and expanding into new and international markets.

Introduced a new Partnership-wide Customer Relationship Management system. Held a first anniversary ‘Powering Up your business’ event, in December 2015, at

which businesses explained how they’d been helped by the Growth Hub in its first year.

The D2N2 Growth Hub also helps to ‘power up business’ by working with regional and national partners; including Rural Community Action Nottinghamshire, and UK Trade and Investment. A phone survey of 200 Growth Hub clients – undertaken in March 2016 - found that:

88% (176) would recommend the Growth Hub to another business; more than three quarters (77%, or 154 clients) rated the service or advice they’d had

as either ‘excellent’ or ‘good’;

59% (118) of all businesses had taken action as a result of the Growth Hub’s advice or service, a figure which rose to 77% among (17) businesses which classed themselves as ‘high growth’;

the Growth Hub ranked highly among those surveyed for being ‘helpful’ and ‘informative’.

To contact the D2N2 Growth Hub team go to: Helpline – 0333 006 9178 Email – info@d2n2growthhub.co.uk Social media channels – on Twitter at @D2N2GrowthHub or on LinkedIn D2N2

Growth Hub. Website – www.d2n2growthhub.co.uk

The D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership is the LEP for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Local Enterprise Partnerships are private sector-led, locally-owned partnerships between business, local authorities, skills and training providers, and community and voluntary organisations. There are 39 LEPs in England. They play a central role in deciding local economic priorities and undertaking activities to drive economic growth and create local jobs. D2N2, established in 2010, is one of the largest LEPs in England, covering an area with a population of more than two million people and with an economic output of over £42.9billion (ONS report, February 2016). Its Chief Executive is David Ralph and its Chairman Peter Richardson. D2N2’s target is to support the creation of 55,000 new jobs in D2N2 by 2023. The majority of these jobs will be in the private sector. Its vision is of a more prosperous, better connected, and increasingly resilient and competitive economy. Its purpose is to support and encourage economic growth in the D2N2 region. See website www.d2n2lep.org European Regional Development Fund The project is receiving up to £1,272,582 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Department for Communities and Local Government (and in London the intermediate body Greater London Authority) is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.