Cheshire East Business Support Connect

Programme delivery partners

The Business Support CONNECT events will enable you to connect directly with the local business support partners who can assist you.

Cheshire East

Business Support Hub

We offer a range of support whether you are an individual on your journey to starting a business, an existing business looking to grow and expand, or an organisation looking to invest in Cheshire East.

The services provided depend on your individual business needs, including useful resources and fully-funded programmes to help your business grow and thrive as well as business advisers and mentors who are experienced in helping businesses at all stages of development.

Our team can also assist you with the development of a grant application.

Support Includes:

• Tools, guides, resources
• Expert business advisers and mentors
• Grant application preparation
  

The project will support and foster a thriving business ecosystem within Cheshire East, by providing comprehensive support for businesses at all stages of development, building resilience and ensuring the health, vibrancy, and success of businesses within the Cheshire East region.

It will support businesses with the tools, resources, and connections they need to grow, by fostering innovation and forward-thinking approaches and sharing best practice.

Business Vitality will enable business owners and leaders to build a quality, trusted network of likeminded contacts, while receiving tailored advice and support which will improve their business performance.

Dedicated programmes include:

• Female leaders & entrepreneurs
• Early-stage and start-up businesses
• High-growth SMEs
  

Cheshire East Research and Development Productivity Improvement Programme

CERDPIP will, through inspiring yet practical workshops, action learning and 1-2-1 support, introduce concepts of how R&D and technological advancement can improve productivity and enable greater sustainable growth, using technologies such as AI, Robotics, Additive Manufacturing and Digital capabilities.

CERDPIP will support the manufacturing, production and engineering sector across the Cheshire East authority area with the principle aims of:

• improving and driving productivity to increase business performance
• understand and implement potential technological advancements
• progress new research & development strategies
• building resilience and sustainability through technical innovation
• facilitating direct improvements to productivity
  

The Pledge Partnership
Connecting workforce with employers

The Pledge Partnership puts employers at the heart of inspiring, informing and communicating with the next generation of employees in Cheshire and Warrington.

It enables businesses to work directly with young people, teachers, parents, carers and youth workers to help the local community identify the employment opportunities available and to help young people become more employment ready.

The main challenge in our region is the mismatch between what young people are choosing to study and the skills employers need in the area and the Pledge is part of the solution to try and help address this gap. Benefits for getting involved with the Pledge are:

• Giving your business visibility, allowing you to get in front of young people and make them aware of your business/sector.
  

Cheshire East Business Support Initiative. Start, sustain, succeed

This project will help businesses of all sizes within the Cheshire East Area to Start, Sustain and Succeed. The prime aim is to assist businesses to grow and innovate in a difficult economic climate.



All three Chambers within the Cheshire East Area are working together to deliver workshops/ masterclasses, share knowledge, expertise, resources and support.

Digital Cheshire

Providing fully funded masterclasses, we’re on hand to help demystify the digital world, instil confidence and develop your business’ skillset.



Whether you wish to increase productivity, enhance your marketing and outreach efforts or identify new ways of working, our programmes, delivered by industry experts, will assist to develop your business and help expose the possibilities that digital tools can bring to your work. We have a range of fully funded masterclasses, covering all aspects of digital technology adoption, digital marketing and more.

Open in Crewe

Whether you are a start-up business, looking to expand your existing business into Crewe or want your organisation to have a high street presence.

The Repurposing Our High Streets grant scheme could help you by contributing towards the initial capital costs of occupying and operating from vacant commercial premises.

The scheme offers capital grants of up to £30,000 for businesses/organisations taking on leases on vacant town premises and could help with the costs of improving the property for occupation including fit-out, as well as buying other capital equipment.

It also offers business support to help you start or scale-up your business, and if you’re a property owner it can help you with visual ‘shop window’ improvements in vacant premises, in the form of vinyl’s or similar displays.

Rural Business

Cheshire East will work with your rural business to understand your barriers to growth and develop an effective growth plan. We can support you with business planning, identifying relevant investment and grant funding opportunities.

We are offering grants up to a maximum of £10,000 per eligible business for small scale investment in micro and small enterprises in rural areas. Examples of eligible items include, but are not limited to:

• Creation, improvement and expansion of rural leisure, hospitality, and tourism businesses
• Purchase of equipment for food processing
• Modernising existing equipment for increased energy efficiency or increased productivity through automation
• Funding for resilience infrastructure and nature-based solutions that protect local businesses.
• Diversification projects outside of agriculture (for example, creating rural leisure and tourism facilities)
  

Enterprise Cheshire and Warrington

Cheshire and Warrington is an incredible, innovative, industrious and entrepreneurial region and we aim to enhance that by focusing on:

Making Cheshire and Warrington a healthier place by continuing to back our life sciences industry, ensuring we are a global leader in complex medicines. 

Enabling us to be more sustainable, by supporting our industrial cluster to reach net zero by 2040. With our local authority colleagues, we established the Sustainable and Inclusive Growth Commission to identify clear priorities that will ensure we can decarbonise our economy and create green jobs.

Promoting Cheshire and Warrington's Visitor Economy, through the Destination Chester and Destination Cheshire Programme, as a great place to visit, live, work, study and invest.

Made Smarter

We’re leading the UK’s ambitious plans to grow manufacturing through digital technologies, innovation and skills.

The programme is designed to assist local manufacturing SMEs to understand and overcome operational challenges through digital technologies.

Made Smarter is designed to lead manufacturing into the future. Discover how Made Smarter can help your North West manufacturing.

Our digital technology advisers will work with you to understand your organisation’s biggest challenges and identify growth opportunities. Our approach is to give you practical steps and technology solutions that are tailored to your particular requirements.