Support
The University of Chester can support your business through programmes, awards, apprenticeships and resources.
Business Programmes and Awards
The BSGC project is supporting the growth of SMEs and microbusinesses in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin by ensuring they can identify and access the skills development opportunities that align with their growth plans.
The Business Engagement Team will work with the business in a variety of ways including completing a Training Needs Analysis.
This will provide an audit of current skills needs and any issues faced in achieving growth capabilities. Our team of experts can advise on flexible support options that can react to individual business needs. This can include:
- Apprenticeships
- Student placements
- Student internships
- Postgraduate programmes
- Short courses
- Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
Contact us
Building Skills and Growth Capacity
Email: BSGC@ucshrewsbury.ac.uk
Tel: 01743 297597
CREST offers support to SMEs who want to reduce their environmental impact, or develop new products or services. Our multi-disciplinary team of experts works closely with SMEs to design, develop and bring new products and services to market; develop processes to save time and/or money; understand markets (e.g. market research, introduction to buyers and suppliers, exploring new markets) and develop successful business models.
The Centre for Research into Environmental Science and Technology (CREST) is currently part funded by the European Regional Development fund as the ESBRC Project. The aim is that from 2023 it will become a permanent research centre based at the University of Chester Shrewsbury site.
Partnered with Reaseheath College and the University of Birmingham ARLI and ATETA projects, CREST works with academics to provide innovation and R&D support to the Marches’ environmental science based SMEs. The focus being to address the Marches’ productivity challenges, develop ideas into new products or services within the market place, and create jobs in the region.
CREST plays an instrumental role in building the environmental sector in our region, by providing technical and academic support, research and advice to local businesses.
Contact us
Email: crest@ucshrewsbury.ac.uk
Tel: 01743 297561
Now closed, this project offered fully funded support (one-to-one advice, seminars, workshops, masterclasses) for entrepreneurs and SMES.
About the programme
The University of Chester is proud to have been a delivery partner of the Cheshire & Warrington Business Growth Programme.
With investment of European Regional Development Funding (ERDF), this innovative programme brought together key business support providers across Cheshire and Warrington to offer businesses access to growth support services.
The programme utilised the specialist expertise and facilities available from the delivery partners including Higher and Further Education partners, Local Authority Growth Teams and several science and business parks within the sub-region.
​​​​​Eligibility
Anyone running a small-to-medium enterprise or aspiring entrepreneur in Cheshire and Warrington was entitled to receive 12 hours of support through this ERDF funded programme, with a range of activities depending on the individual needs:
- Bootcamps - (2-3 days): Innovation/Growth and Start-Up
- Workshops –(3-6 hours): Website and SEO, Branding and Logos, Marketing Strategy, HR (recruiting your first employee, attracting and retaining talent), Funding and Finance (income strategies, innovation, grant funding, VC funding), LinkedIn and Instagram
- Masterclasses – (1-2 days): Getting Retailer Ready, Product Photography.
- Seminars - GDPR, HR, Finance, IP
- One-to-one advice and mentoring – Each participant of the programme will be assigned to a Business Development Manager from the University who will conduct a business diagnostic to ensure the support is tailored accordingly
- Peer-to-peer support – Participants will benefit from the support and advice of peers, sharing top tips and best practice.
To find out more about the support available from the University of Chester and our current business events and opportunities, please email businessgrowth@chester.ac.uk or phone 01244 512880.
Festival of Professional Futures
Organised by The Business Growth Programme in February, the festival had something for everyone. Businesses, professionals and students enjoyed a host of sustainability, marketing, net zero and virtual reality workshops together with networking and graduate career opportunities. Students got to meet future employers and come away with wealth of professional skills.
All held at the University of Chester Business School and organised by its Business Growth Programme the event brought together businesses and students, as Louise Goodman, Business Development Manager explains:
“This collection of events brings together UoC staff, students and BGP businesses to support business and community, networking & collaboration, innovation, entrepreneurship, digital transformation and the transition to net zero. We’re looking forward to seeing students’ and businesses getting set for the future in our week-long celebration of business growth support delivered through the University of Chester.”
Thornton Science Park
- Opportunity to forge close collaborative research and development relationships with academic experts.
- Access to students on placements for short-term projects.
- Ability to recruit undergraduate talent emerging from the University’s Faculty of Science Business and Enterprise.
NoWFOOD
- Two days’ funded support with product development in our Development Kitchen.
- A minimum of 12 hours of funded support conducting Consumer Research using our Sensory Suite or nutritional analysis and microbiological testing.
Riverside Innovation Centre
- Offers start-up business office space and professional conferencing and meeting facilities.
Meet our delivery partners
Ruby Star Associates Ltd
We help businesses, social enterprises and charities of all shapes and sizes grow, build accountable teams, generate more income, and innovate. We help leaders free up their time, surround themselves with brilliance and focus on the stuff that really matters. We are all about enterprise, entrepreneurship and making a massive difference.
So much of what we are told about how to run our business, how to lead a team and how to develop strategy just isn’t based on any evidence at all. Worse, much of it has been proven not to work. We start from the academic research so that we can talk about the things which are most likely to work for a business like yours, in your sector at your stage of growth. Our passion for research doesn’t stop with content, we use research to inform how we deliver sessions – that is why we don’t use PowerPoint or slides and we don’t believe that interaction starts and ends with post-it notes. We develop highly engaging, highly effective, game-based learning experiences which have been proven to deliver big results.
Website: rubystarassociates.co.uk
Email: isla@rubystarassociates.co.uk
X/Twitter
Contact us
Email: businessgrowth@chester.ac.uk
Tel: 01244 515880
The Digital Solutions Project ran until April 2023 offering a minimum of 12 hours fully funded support to eligible SMEs in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin for the development of a new or existing digital product, process or service.
Digital innovation areas
- Transfer a digital innovation into a new sector
- Bring a digital innovation to market
- Improve the performance/efficiency of your business through introducing digital innovations
- Research market opportunities
- Evaluate the effectiveness of your digital product, process or service
- Translate your ideas into reality
Digital support areas
- Research and knowledge transfer; including expert advice on digital health innovations
- Access to specialist digital equipment and resources
- Collaboration opportunities with academics and business professionals
- Assistance to implement your innovative digital solution to grow your business
Eligible businesses who benefited
- Be registered as an SME, Sole Trader, CIC or Charity
- Be located in Shropshire or Telford & Wrekin
- Trade primarily Business to Business (Retail businesses are ineligible for support)
Contact us
Email: digitalucs@chester.ac.uk
Tel: 01743 297591