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Peterborough event will bridge the gap between funders, investors and SMEs

The UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development (UK CEED) and Opportunity Peterborough are holding a major event with regional and national funders on Wednesday, 23 January, in Peterborough. The Stakeholder Funding Event aims to help innovative local businesses access financial support.

It will bring together the skills and experience of both funders and innovators to establish a more robust and streamlined best practice approach to innovation funding. 

The event supports Peterborough City Council’s aim to maintain a vibrant local economy which can only be achieved if companies are provided with sufficient funding to grow and succeed through innovation. This is an area of focus for both UK CEED and Opportunity Peterborough. UK CEED manages the EnviroCluster of eco-innovative companies in Peterborough and through its activities has recognised the process of obtaining funding as a major challenge to local businesses. Both organisations are working to engage funders and innovation companies in the area as well as with local and regional authorities. 

The event also builds on the InnoFun European partnership project that Peterborough is involved in. InnoFun aims to improve regional policies around innovation funding to achieve the ultimate goal of reducing the gap between innovation and the market.

UK CEED’s Business Advisor Penny Lord explains, “To help more companies grow and succeed we need finance. The Stakeholder Funding Event is a key step towards building a funding program which utilises Business Angels and Venture Capitalists to provide additional equity that is accessible to businesses in Peterborough and the surrounding area.”