Business support solutions

Business support solutions - DTI provides a small suite of grants, loans guarantees and subsidised consultancy to address a range of business issues.

View summary table to see if the DTI's Business support solutions are applicable to your business (pdf, 38KB) , or visit the four areas below for more detailed information about the range of support available and whether your business could be eligible:

Succeeding through innovation: Providing practical support for the key stages of innovation or research and development

Achieving best practice: Helping businesses to become more efficient, competitive and profitable

Raising finance: Supporting small or high growth companies to obtain investment

Regional investment: Encouraging investment in specific areas of England to promote economic regeneration

The Business Link site provides easy access to practical and objective information and support for small businesses.  Its services are available online, over the phone using the number 0845 600 9 006, and through a network of local operators throughout England.  Business Link is managed by the DTI through its Small Business Service.

We work closely with local business advice centres and these are often the best point of contact for many of the initiatives described on these pages.
England – Business Links
Scotland – Business Gateway
Wales – Business Eye
Northern Ireland – InvestNI.

The Small Business Council advises the Government on small business issues. It comprises of 24 members, of whom 22 are small business owners. The Council published its third annual report in July 2003 with nine recommendations to Government for improving the environment that small businesses operate within.

Young people wanting to set up a business can find advice and sometimes finance from the Prince's Trust and 'Livewire' (sponsored by Shell UK Ltd).

If you are unemployed but want to move into self-employment, your local Jobcentre can tell you about suitable work-based training.  See the Jobcentre Plus website for further information.

If you are young, you could get further help with starting a business under the New Deal. Parts of the UK have been designated as 'Employment Zones' and here the Department for Work and Pensions will be helping to get businesses off the ground.

The Government has created a new fund to encourage entrepreneurship in disadvantaged communities and groups. The Phoenix Fund can put resources into Community Finance Initiatives so that local organisations can help new and growing businesses. 

The Ethnic Minority Business Forum advises ministers on the needs of ethnic minority businesses.

New businesses (particularly those using new technology) can get help with premises and management from the UK Business Incubation Centre or from one of the 50 UK Science Parks.

There are regional schemes to help small businesses, supported by the European Structural Funds. They are normally administered by Government Offices in the English regions and delivered through organisations such as local Business Links (and their equivalents outside England). Find out more from these organisations or from the National Assembly for Wales, the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Executive.

Most banks have arrangements to help customers in new and small businesses. You can also get business advice from professional accountants, solicitors and independent financial advisers.

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