The Government today urged Oxfordshire firms to apply for a share of £350 million as the deadline for Round 4 of the Regional Growth Fund looms closer on 20 March 2013.

The Regional Growth Fund (RGF) is being made available to business to spend on projects such as capital investment, development and training. Private sector organisations are encouraged to bid for the fund either individually, or in partnership with other private or public sector organisations.

Universities and charities are also invited to apply to bid for projects or programmes under the scheme.

The Regional Growth Fund opened in May 2010 and it has been supporting many different projects from a variety of different industries and sectors to help rebalance the economy and boost economic growth.

For example over the first three rounds:

• £326 million is supporting 59 projects within the automotive sector including companies such as Nissan, Zytek and Nifco.
• £243 million is supporting 63 projects within the energy industry including the renewable and low carbon sectors.
• £55 million is supporting 14 projects within the life sciences sector including companies such as Redx Pharma and Molecular Profiles.
• £137 million is supporting 16 projects within the aerospace sector such as Airbus, Aeromet and Druck Ltd.
• Almost £20 million and £5 million is supporting VisitEngland and Creative England respectfully to market over 80 English tourist areas as job and growth destinations and help boost opportunities for digital start ups and SMEs in the creative sector.
• Over 1,100 grants have been given to SMEs through RGF programmes administered by intermediaries such as banks and local enterprise partnerships (LEPs).

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said:

“Up and down the country, the Regional Growth Fund is investing in companies that can create jobs and attract substantial match-funding from the private sector. For every pound of government money, the private sector is putting in six pounds.

“This is £350 million up for grabs for companies and projects in every region of England to grow. I want more businesses in the region to win money, lever private sector investment and achieve their ambitions.”

Business Minister Michael Fallon said:

“I've visited companies of all sizes across the country that are producing more, exporting more or hiring more skilled workers thanks to the Regional Growth Fund. The Fund now has very strong momentum and I do not want other firms to miss out on this huge opportunity. So log onto the website and see how you can bid for the £350 million available."

John Walker, National Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses, said:

“This is a good initiative which I would encourage small firms to look at to see if they can benefit from it. We have heard some good stories from small businesses that have won funding. With only a month to go, we really hope that small firms see this is available and the value of applying for a grant.”

In a further update the Government announced that it has already signed nine final offer letters with companies from Round 3, well ahead of its April 19 deadline. The three month deadlines have helped companies to start their projects early and many more will be signed up during March and up to the April deadline.

One such company is Redigroup, in Doncaster, a manufacturer and supplier of stand-alone handling and storage solutions. The firmsecured £1 million from the fund to create an automated innovation centre to increase its storage capabilities by 90%.

Construction work on the new facility will start straight away with completion scheduled for the summer of 2013.

The Regional Growth Fund has already held five regional expression of interest events since Round 4 opened in January to offer guidance and support to firms who are interested in applying. These have been attended with strong interest by over 130 potential applicants. The last two events will be in Nottingham on 25 February and London on the 4 March.

Notes to editors:

1. The Regional Growth Fund (RGF) is a £2.6 billion fund operating across England from 2011 to 2016. It supports projects and programmes that lever private sector investment to create economic growth and sustainable employment.

2. Round 4 of the Regional Growth Fund will close to applications on 20 March at noon and bids will be appraised as quickly as possible.

3. For more information on how to apply please visit https://www.gov.uk/understanding-the-regional-growth-fund. If you would like to register for the expression of interest events in Nottingham or London then please phone 0207 215 3295.

4. Please see https://www.gov.uk/understanding-the-regional-growth-fund#rgf-for-small--and-medium-sized-enterprises-smes-approved-programmes for a list of programmes from Rounds 1 and 2. A list of Round 3 programmes will follow soon. These programmes typically have a lower minimum bid threshold which may be more applicable for small to medium enterprises.

5. The Regional Growth Fund works with the Government’s Industrial Strategy; supporting local priorities, creating jobs and enabling private sector investment for the long term in key sectors. This is the Government's commitment to growth in action to encourage investment and exports to lead to a more balanced economy.

6. The government's economic policy objective is to achieve 'strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries.' It set four ambitions in the ‘Plan for Growth’ (PDF 1.7MB), published at Budget 2011:

• To create the most competitive tax system in the G20
• To make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business
• To encourage investment and exports as a route to a more balanced economy
• To create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe.

Work is underway across government to achieve these ambitions, including progress on more than 250 measures as part of the Growth Review. Developing an Industrial Strategy gives new impetus to this work by providing businesses, investors and the public with more clarity about the long-term direction in which the government wants the economy to travel.