Regional and sub-regional Business Support Organisations
1. Business in the Community – East Midlands
www.bitc.org.uk/east_midlands
Supports and engages member companies to reduce their carbon emissions through The Prince's May Day Network on Climate Change. By sharing best practice, businesses promise to play a powerful role in tackling climate change and reducing the UK's carbon emissions.
2. Business Link East Midlands
www.businesslink.gov.uk/eastmidlands
Whatever your business support needs, you can contact your local Business Link who will diagnose and signpost you to local and regional service providers. Tel: 0845 00 66 888
3. Federation of Small Businesses
www.fsb.org.uk/default.aspx?id=0&loc=100
4. Manufacturing Advisory Service East Midlands
www.mas-em.org.uk
As the leading advisers for manufacturing in this region, MAS East Midlands can provide you with practical, hands-on support focused on improving your bottom line. Whether you're looking to improve efficiency, raise productivity, get the most out of a new idea or tackle a problem that's hampering profitability, our experts are here to help. What's more, all our support is either free or highly subsidised.
5. National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP)
http://www.nisp.org.uk/region.aspx?region=2
Active since April 2005, NISP East Midlands works with numerous companies and organisations in the region including Christian Salvesen, Lafarge Specialty Cements and Derbyshire County Council.
6. WRAP – East Midlands
http://www.wrap.org.uk/nations_and_english_regions/english_regions/east_midlands/index.html
WRAP helps individuals, businesses and local authorities to reduce waste and recycle more, making better use of resources and helping to tackle climate change.
Sector Support
1. Improve your Resource Efficiency
http://www.emda.org.uk/businesssupport/iyre
East Midlands SMEs can now take advantage of the emda funded 'Improving Your Resource Efficiency' (IYRE) Programme, part of the Solutions for Business portfolio of simplified business support. The programme provides free expert advice to small and medium sized businesses, enabling them to access up to one day of on site support. The expert advisers have a particular focus on energy, water, waste or clean design, and will help assess the efficiency of the business and provide them with a report recommending possible solutions to reduce costs, improve business performance and ultimately increase profit. The programme will identify low cost/no cost actions and longer term options to improve profitability.
2. East Midlands Centre for constructing the Built Environment
http://www.emcbe.com/environment
Since 2004, East Midlands Centre for constructing the Built Environment has been working to improve the social, economic and environmental performance of the East Midlands construction industry. EMCBE are committed to working with the whole construction supply-chain across the region to help improve its performance and ensure its long-term sustainability in an ever changing world.
In order to do this, EMCBE will communicate and engage with all industry stakeholders through awareness raising, training and events and through these activities will aim to bring order to the currently disjointed efforts of over 300+ industry improvement organisations, trade associations, government bodies and associations in the region.
EMCBE will ensure that these activities remain relevant to industry by continuing to undertake research to understand the needs of the industry and future trends.
3. Food and Drink iNet
http://www.eminnovation.org.uk/food/default.aspx
The Food and Drink iNet is a regional network developed by the East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and East Midlands Innovation, the Regional Science, Innovation and Industry Council.
4. Sustainable Construction I-net
http://www.eminnovation.org.uk/construction/default.aspx
The Sustainable Construction iNet can support you in a number of ways:
- iNet advisers offer assistance in researching, developing and implementing new services, products and processes
- Develop your skills and knowledge in a specific subject area
- Facilitate networking contacts through sector specific events
- Provide access to dedicated grants to help you make innovation happen in your business
5. Food & Drink Forum
www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk/
The Food and Drink Forum is a membership led organisation for the food and drink sector in the East Midlands Region. The Food and Drink Forum is led by industry and has established a reputation as the 'first port of call' for food and drink companies in the region. The Forum offers a wide range of support expertise in areas such as technical and manufacturing, learning and skills and sales and marketing. It has a long track record of supporting companies through innovation and has delivered a number of strategic support projects in the region supported by emda and other public sector funders.
6. The Food Processing Faraday Partnership
www.fpfaraday.com
The Food Processing Faraday Partnership plays a key role in enhancing the competitiveness of the UK food industry and developing underpinning industry relevant research in the fields of process and equipment knowledge. The Partnership runs the Food Processing Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) which facilitates the introduction of new techniques and equipment to increase the efficiency and quality of the food manufacturing industry in the UK, and has been instrumental in delivering a number of other strategic projects aimed at the sector in collaboration with regional partners.
Chambers of Commerce
1. Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce
www.northants-chamber.co.uk
Offering a wide range of services, Northamptonshire Chamber supports over 1,300 member businesses across the county, representing over 40% of the county's workforce.
2. Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce
www.chamberofcommerce.co.uk
Leicestershire Chamber plays an active role in assisting in the growth of the local economy, acting as a facilitator to ensure long term sustainable economic growth in Leicestershire.
3. Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce
www.lincs-chamber.co.uk
Due to the large geographical area Lincolnshire covers, Chamber support is delivered to over member businesses via five area offices situated in Boston, Gainsborough, Grantham, Lincoln and Seaford and supported by a central team.
4. Derbyshire Chamber of Commerce
www.derbyshire.org
Derbyshire Chamber works in partnership with many other organisations to deliver a wide range of services to its members, the wider business community and to individuals seeking to gain employment through learning. Chamber members can access a wide range of discounted services, sources of business information and networking opportunities.
5. Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce
www.dncc.co.uk
Nottinghamshire Chamber supports over 2,000 member businesses across the county. It provides a range of services including networking, training, business information and representation for businesses trading locally, nationally and internationally. It is also hosts the European Information Service facility for the whole of the East Midlands area.
Other Useful Regional Links
1. Government Office for the East Midlands
www.gos.gov.uk/goem
With eleven government departments under one roof, GOEM is the hub of central government in the East Midlands.
It is our aim to work with regional partners and local people to maximise competitiveness and prosperity in the East Midlands. We want to bring together government policies for a more inclusive society.
Many organisations work with us so that we can achieve our aims, some of these include local authorities, businesses, schools, colleges and voluntary organisations. Together we help government initiatives work at a local level. We also reflect back the needs of the region to central government.
2. East Midlands Regional Assembly
www.emra.gov.uk
The East Midlands Regional Assembly (EMRA) is a partnership body that brings together representatives from the public, private, voluntary and community sectors. EMRA is one of eight Regional Assemblies in England outside of London. It was launched in 1998 following the introduction of regional development agencies (RDAs), with specific roles for providing regional accountability to the Regional Development Agency and to act as the regional planning body.
3. East Midlands Development Agency
www.emda.org.uk/
East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is one of nine Regional Development Agencies in England, set up in 1999 to bring a regional focus to economic development. View the Solutions for business.
4. Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment
www.iema.net
The IEMA is a not-for-profit membership organisation established to promote best practice standards in environmental management, auditing and assessment.