Hertfordshire LEP and partners are delivering a range of support programmes for local businesses to enable recovery and growth in the post-pandemic economy.

• Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership is piloting the first Service Innovation Programme, harnessing the world-class expertise of Estu and Royal College of Art. The fully-funded, executive programme covers design thinking and business model innovation to help organisations gain more value from their products and services. It provides targeted support to Hertfordshire SMEs with a track record of delivery and investment, to accelerate their plans.
• University of Hertfordshire is delivering the national, executive development programme Help to Grow: Management Course in Hertfordshire to fast-track SME growth. With 1:1 mentoring, inspirational business leaders and a curriculum covering financial management, innovation strategies, digital and responsible business practices, the course is designed to be taken alongside full-time work. Open to businesses trading for more than a year, the programme is 90% funded by the government, with a one-off, upfront fee of £750.

• Help to Grow: Digital supports SMEs to adopt digital technologies that will increase productivity. Offering free impartial advice and guidance via an online platform, the programme helps businesses identify their digital technology needs, assess purchasing options and roll out new technologies.​​ Businesses with between 5 and 249 employees and trading for more than 12 months, can apply for a discount on up to half the costs of eligible new digital technology solutions, up to a maximum of £5,000. ​​
• ‘Stay Safe, Stay Open’ packages offer a wide range of free support to help Hertfordshire’s small businesses recover from COVID-19 and to trade safely, particularly those in consumer facing sectors. Available support includes up to 8 hours of bespoke 1:1 support; funding for ventilation solutions; access to a legal helpline and toolkits. The packages available from a delivery partnership including Hertfordshire Growth Hub, Visit Herts, the Better Business for All Partnership and Hertfordshire’s local authorities are designed to help businesses make simple changes in line with the latest regulations and guidance.

• The Building Back Better Growth Programme helps Hertfordshire SMEs with post-pandemic recovery and growth by supporting sustainable and net-zero practices, and digitalisation. Delivered by Hertfordshire Growth Hub and Visit Herts, in partnership with University of Hertfordshire, it includes online events, 1-2-1 mentoring, a consultancy grant programme, and the Herts Sustainability Accelerator Programme. It is open to businesses focused on sustainability and seeking to scale-up. This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund.
• Herts Camera Action is capitalising on Hertfordshire’s world-class film and TV industry by supporting innovation in the creative industries’ supply chain, investing in creative skills and knowledge exchange, and developing a series of screen tourism products to support the rebuild of Hertfordshire’s visitor economy. Delivered by Visit Herts and Hertfordshire Growth Hub, businesses will have access to a package of support including specialist 1-2-1 advice, expertise, grant funding, skills support, and a screen tourism development programme. This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund.

• Low Carbon Innovation Fund 2is a £22m plus, tri-LEP investment initiative led by the University of East Anglia and Norfolk County Council, to support SMEs that are reducing greenhouse gas by developing innovative technologies, products or services. Managed by cleantech merchant bank Turquoise, the scheme covers the Hertfordshire LEP, New Anglia LEP, and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority areas, and is powered by the three LEPs’ European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) programmes. Hertfordshire LEP is providing nearly £3m investment.