The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is a key pillar of the UK government's ambitious plan for change. UKSPF aims to support all communities with a specific focus to help kickstart economic growth and promote opportunities in all parts of the UK.

The UK Government's Autumn Budget 2024 announced a transition year of UKSPF funding to support local investment across three key Investment Priorities:

1.     Communities and Place: Investing in local communities and enhancing pride in place.

2.     Supporting Local Business: Boosting economic growth and supporting businesses.

3.     People and Skills: Improving life chances through skill development and support.

All areas of the UK have been awarded a further allocation of UKSPF from April 2025. For this period, Sunderland has been allocated £5.9m which will be distributed as follows across the three Investment Priorities.

Under Investment Priority 1, £1.55m of UKSPF grant has been allocated to support a number of projects that will continue to: improve access to and participation in creative and cultural opportunities; strengthen voluntary and community sector facilities, infrastructure and services, including responding to the cost-of-living crisis; support the Links for Life social prescribing programme and community digital health hubs across the city; support a youth partnership project to deliver outreach activities in neighbourhoods.

Under Investment Priority 2, £2.01m of UKSPF grant has been allocated to supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs via a range of support programmes, with the objective of boosting local enterprise, entrepreneurship and innovation, and transitioning towards a net-zero low carbon economy.

Under Investment Priority 3, £2.13m of UKSPF grant has been invested in projects that are addressing key employer and local labour market skills needs, enabling local people to progress into new opportunities, and gain new skills and qualifications that enhance career progression. A significant portion of this funding has been allocated to support the development of Sunderland based enterprises and their employees through the Sunderland Skills and Inclusion Programme led by the University of Sunderland.

A further People and Skills project, led by the Wise Group, is focused on supporting residents who are economically inactive and seeking work. If you are an enterprise who is seeking to recruit new employees or can accommodate work experience placements, please get in touch with the Sunderland City Council Business Investment Team for more information.

A third project is focused on piloting new apprenticeship positions within the advanced manufacturing sector, led by the North East Automotive Alliance.

The final People and Skills project is a new initiative called SkillStart Sunderland, which aims to provide a package of literacy, numeracy and digital support to residents in the city.

Below are details of all projects being delivered under Investment Priorities 2 and 3 in Sunderland. Should you require any further information, please contact the Business Investment Team on business@sunderland.gov.uk.

Supporting Local Business:

BIPC Local Provision

Delivery Organisation: Newcastle City Council/ BIPC North East

Our project aims to continue to support the creation and growth of micro, small and medium sized enterprises, social enterprises and not-for profit organisations within Sunderland and the wider north-east region.

Pre-start, startup and business support provision provided by other local agencies will be complimented and enhanced by a wider Business & Intellectual Property Centre (BIPC) programme of activity; which offers face-to-face and online access to intellectual property and business expertise (through BIPC Experts in Residence); business databases; a programme of events and workshops providing skills training, networking opportunities and linking clients into the broader business support network.

Contact: Sarah Turnbull

Telephone: 07971036494

Email address: Sarah.Turnbull@newcastle.gov.uk

Weblink: https://www.bipcnortheast.co.uk/

Business Renewables Energy Efficiency Scheme (BREEZ)

Delivery Organisation: Sunderland City Council

The UKSPF project will deliver a tailored energy efficiency grant support programme for an initial target of 27 enterprises/community groups in the Sunderland area by March 2026, achieving 125 tonnes of greenhouse gas savings (GHG). The grant scheme will offer grants at a 50% intervention rate (total project grant budget £241,400). The grant will contribute towards the cost of installing improvements which deliver energy and carbon savings to eligible enterprises (such as lighting & heating improvements, more efficient plant & equipment, renewable energy technologies and improvements to the building fabric).

In partnership with Sunderland City Council's Business Investment Team (BIT), BREEZ will provide ongoing energy advice and non-financial support to 52 enterprises and VCS organisations across Sunderland, available to all beneficiaries through the dedicated BREEZ website with a range of online resources, workshops, training, guidance and peer network opportunities

Contact: Graeme Stephenson

Email address: graeme.stephenson@sunderland.gov.uk

Weblink: BREEZ - Business Renewables Energy Efficiency Sunderland - Sunderland City Council

Regional Business Growth Fund

Delivery Organisation: UMi Commercial Ltd

The Business Growth Fund is a capital investment grant funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund that supports business growth in Sunderland.

The primary aim of the fund is to create employment and stimulate business growth. It will foster innovative processes to drive productivity, resulting in increased profitability, wage growth and employment growth in businesses, strengthening our economy and creating better jobs.

The Fund aims to attract significant private sector investment and create new jobs in the city.

Telephone: 0191 716 1007

Email address: businessgrowthfund@weareumi.co.uk

Weblink: www.businessgrowth.fund

Enterprising Sunderland

Delivery Organisation: North East Business & Innovation Centre (NE-BIC)

Delivery Partners: Sunderland BME Network, Transmit/Smarta, University of Sunderland, Princes Trust, SB International Centre, Sunderland City Council

Enterprising Sunderland is a consortium of voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations, in conjunction with public sector partners, all of whom have a vested interest in supporting enterprise and all of whom have a local base and an inherent commitment to the economic and social wellbeing of Sunderland, its residents and its businesses.

It will support a mixture of activities to deliver an increased entrepreneurial culture in Sunderland, new business starts, growth of existing businesses and specific support to them to innovate. It will operate all of its activities across the whole of the Sunderland City Council area.

Awareness raising We will raise awareness of the opportunities around entrepreneurship. The aim is to get people thinking about enterprise as an option and to promote the availability of business support activity. This will be delivered by members of the consortium who are closest to the respective potential client groups, with some central coordination;

Engagement and Animation This will be activity designed to help people consider the benefits of enterprise as an option and to start to formulate their approaches. This will be delivered by a variety of approaches appropriate to the client group;

Enterprising People Specific training and one-to-one advice will be available on the various aspects of starting a business. This will largely be delivered centrally but with customised provision for specific groups where this makes sense from a delivery perspective e.g. student/ graduate enterprise;

Enterprising businesses Encouraging and supporting enterprise and innovation in Sunderland businesses, through the provision of Growth Labs and Innovation Roadmap workshops as well as specific support to the retail sector to encourage diversification;

Solutions support This will provide funding to deliver a mix of test the market grants and specialist support to pre-starts, as well as specialist support and start up grants to early stage businesses. This will be managed as one budget to further enable the project to be completely flexible in support of individual client needs. This more flexible approach has been designed in response to our internal evaluation of the current project, which has found that 'silo-ing' of particular interventions has proved a bar to maximising client benefit and impact.

Innovation grants To support innovation grants, and to capitalise on the benefits from Innovation Roadmap workshops and Growth Labs.

Contact: Paul McEldon

Email address: info@ne-bic.co.uk

Weblink: www.ne-bic.co.uk/starting-your-business/

Esports Business Cluster

Delivery Organisation: British Esports Federation

Delivery Partners: Sunderland Software City

The support offered as part of the Esports Business Cluster aims to help businesses in Sunderland understand the benefits to them of engaging in the rapidly evolving esports industry. Working with the British Esports Federation and Sunderland Software City provides those businesses with a unique opportunity to develop new products and services that will enable them to access new audiences and deliver bespoke services that will integrate new or emerging technologies linked to esports, AI and wider tech innovation.

The programme also includes support for potential entrepreneurs looking to set up a business in Sunderland as well as existing esports businesses, and businesses adjacent to the esports industry looking to pivot to access one of the fastest growing industries globally.

Depending on the type of organisation or individual support required, the support will consist of:

1. Incubation activity

2. Workshops to share high level strategic knowledge around esports and emerging technologies to best place businesses for impact and innovation

3. Esports specific training interventions enabling knowledge transfer

4. Esports networking events where local SMEs connect with global esports brands creating partnership opportunities

5. Supply Chain SME workshops and networking events helping local businesses to take advantage of the opportunities working in the sector provides

6. Focused support for potential entrepreneurs

The project will be delivered from the National Esports Performance Campus, The Place in Sunderland City Centre in partnership with Sunderland Software City.

Contact: Dave Martin

Email address: dm@britishesports.org

Sunderland Innovate and Grow

Delivery Organisation: University of Sunderland

Delivery Partners: Sunderland Culture

Sunderland Innovate and Grow (SIG) brings together a range of complementary activities to catalyse and support innovation and business growth in the city.

The programme will benefit Sunderland-based companies by improving business practices, products and profits. Activity will support all steps of the innovation cycle through:

• Identifying and promoting new technologies to stimulate innovation in process, product and business model via subject innovation specialists (Arrow);
• Addressing gaps in business capacity and capability to innovate through active engagement and grant support, and student and graduate placements (Arrow and Innovation Placements);
• Spotting innovative ideas and bringing them to market through engagement with commercial partners (Northern Accelerator);
• Addressing innovation needs in the creative sector by engaging sector specialists (Sunderland Culture Unlock Programme);

Contact: Mike Jurowski, Bev Trees, Ross Waldie

Email address: innovation@sunderland.ac.uk

Wear Together Initiative

Delivery Organisation: North East Business & Innovation Centre

Wear Together supports the start-up and growth of social enterprises in Sunderland. We provide one-to-one specialist social enterprise advice as well as a programme of workshops and networking events.

Wear Together provides social entrepreneurs in Sunderland with access to business support assisting them with start, development, and growth of social businesses.  The programme helps individuals to explore their social enterprise ideas through the development of business plans, Business Model Canvas and financial forecasting as well as exploring legal structures and funding opportunities.

The programme supports established/post start social businesses to increase their sustainability, develop new products and services, create jobs, and grow their businesses and inevitably their social impact in Sunderland. Support will be offered 1:1, small groups or through workshop programmes.

Wear Together brings the sector together and encourages peer to per support mentoring and ideas exchange helping to develop sector resilience and collaboration.

Contact: Michelle Booth

Email address: socialenterprise@ne-bic.co.uk

Sunderland Business Support Fund

Delivery Organisation: Northumberland Business Services Limited

This Grant programme helps businesses to access external expertise to implement business growth and improvement plans. Grants, covering up to 40% of eligible business spend, are available to support projects costing between £3,000 and £6,000 (excluding VAT).

The project can support consultancy, design or development projects. Examples include: Web design / development, Video production, Development of Animations, Marketing planning, Business Growth Planning, Developing Quality Management Systems and Strategy Development.

Contact: John King

Email address: john.king@nbsl.org.uk

Weblink: https://growwithnbsl.org.uk/sunderland-business-support-fund-overview/

Supply Chain Sunderland

Delivery Organisation: RTC North

The Supply Chain Sunderland project will strengthen Sunderland's local entrepreneurial ecosystem by improving business resilience and growth, boosting survival rates, driving innovation, and enhancing market readiness for new supply chain opportunities.

Assistance will be provided to Sunderland SMEs in the manufacturing and service sectors to:

• Assess core capabilities and strengths.
• Identify areas for productivity enhancement, resilience building, and innovation.
• Access opportunities to grow market share and diversify income.

Delivery Strands:

Strand 1: Awareness Raising

• "Meet the Buyer" events for sectors like Screen Industries, Defence, Renewable Energy & Construction
• Online 'Supply Chain Exchange Portal'.
• Sector-specific events with partners like NEPO, NOF Energy, NEPIC, NERDSC and MAKE UK.

Strand 2: Account Management, Diagnostic, and Action Planning

• Capability review, market summary, growth aspirations, new market opportunities, and GAP analysis.

Strand 3: Low Intensity Support

• Interventions, events, and workshops on global markets, procurement, bid writing, process improvement, value proposition and sales, branding & marketing.

Eligibility:

• Sunderland SMEs in the manufacturing and service sectors.

Contract Dates: April 2025 - March 2026

Contact: Lesley Hawke

Email address: lesley.hawke@rtcnorth.co.uk

People & Skills

Support for Residents who are Economically Inactive and Seeking Work

Wise Group Relational Mentoring (Sunderland)

Delivery Organisation: The Wise Group

Delivery Partners: Pallion Action Group

The project will continue to deliver a free-to-access, holistic, and evidenced Relational Mentoring support to economically inactive people with multiple barriers to employment in the Sunderland City Council area. By working with people across a diverse set of needs, ranging from housing, wellbeing, health and heating, multiple barriers can be tackled at once to give people the foundations to move forward with their lives.

Customers are matched with a locally based and experienced mentor, working compassionately and 1:1 to support them in identifying their specific barriers, developing a bespoke plan with key interventions, and creating a personalised journey with individual goals. Customer benefit entitlements are not affected by participation in the service.

Each journey is unique, but examples of support can include:

• Access to counselling and mental health support
• Advocacy and support with finance, benefits and debt
• Basic and life skills training, including Maths and English qualifications
• Personal wellbeing, self-esteem and confidence-building activities
• Energy advice and advocacy, including access to crisis funding
• CV writing, job search, volunteering and work experience
• Signposting to other suitable services in the community

Eligibility:

Economically inactive customers in receipt of any disability/sickness benefits, carers, lone parents in the non-work group, people not in receipt of benefits.

Must be a resident in the Sunderland City Council area.

Wise Group Relational Mentoring (Sunderland) leaflet

Link to referral form: https://portal.thewisegroup.co.uk/sunderland-referral/ 

People & Skills

Improving skills to progress in work and responding to local skills needs

Sunderland Skills and Inclusion Programme (SSIP)

Delivery Organisation: University of Sunderland

Delivery Partners: Access Training Ltd, SETA, Education Partnership North East (Sunderland College), Sunderland Software City, Training in Care 

The Sunderland Skills and Inclusion Programme (SSIP) responds to an identified need to upskill Sunderland employees and businesses, addressing low productivity, lack of competitiveness, high levels of in-work benefits and missed opportunities for Sunderland residents to contribute fully to the economy. The aims of SSIP are threefold:

• To respond to employer skills needs across priority areas identified in the Local Skills Improvement Plan, driving productivity and competitiveness in key sectors for the Sunderland economy;
• To develop business management skills amongst SMEs in particular, and especially focusing on digital technologies, supporting SMEs to develop and grow;
• To support inclusion of diverse groups within the economy, through support for employers and employees to maximise the benefits of a diverse workforce.

SSIP includes a range of consortium partners, selected to reflect a range of specialisms, employer and community connections, as follows:

• University of Sunderland (consortium lead) providing:

- higher level skills in Artificial Intelligence, use of advanced technology in manufacturing and creative industries

- business strategy, leadership and marketing

- desktop applications, business and management and leadership training through MTC Training

- equality and diversity masterclasses and short courses with a particular focus on LGBTQ+

• SETA providing a complementary range of technical skills for the engineering and manufacturing industries
• Sunderland College providing skills support for construction, manufacturing and low carbon industries
• Access Training Ltd delivering leadership and management with a digital focus, supported by mental health and disability support
• Training in Care Ltd supporting specialist provision in the health and social care sectors.

Contact: Bev Trees, Ross Waldie or Mike Jurowski

Email address: skills@sunderland.ac.uk

Training for Growth

Delivery Organisation: North East Automotive Alliance

Delivery Partners: Education Partnership North East

The Training for Growth level 2 Apprenticeship pilot will focus on providing entry level apprenticeships within SMEs across the Sunderland area. It will provide support for SMEs to take on level 2 apprentices, providing opportunities for local residents coming through employability programmes such as Wise Group Relational Mentoring (Sunderland).

Why the need?

Over the next 5 years the automotive sector will see £2bn of growth. To support this growth and maintain staffing levels, it is estimated that the sector will need to recruit and train 16,000 operators, 1,500 skilled, 1,000 engineers and 2,500 management and support staff over that period.

The opportunity

This pilot will benefit Sunderland residents, businesses, and the broader local economy in several ways, it will:

·         Enable residents, including underrepresented and economically inactive groups, to access vocational skills and qualifications required by the advanced manufacturing sector

·         Enable more SMEs to employ apprentices and engage with local education and training providers, developing a more resilient local employment market

·         Provide and highlight career pathways and address the decline in the number of apprenticeships in SMEs over recent years.

·         Create an innovative and scalable local partnership between employers, employer bodies and education providers that will support growth and expansion in future years.

Contact: Joe Routledge

Email address: jroutledge@northeastautomotivealliance.com

Weblink: https://northeastautomotivealliance.com/neaa-projects/training-for-growth-pilot/

SkillStart Sunderland

Delivery Organisation: Sunderland City Council (Learning and Skills Service)

Delivery Partners: TBA (procurement progress ongoing)

Overview of project:SkillStart Sunderland aims to bridge the gap between formal skills qualifications and the real-world expectations and requirements of employers and society. Building on the successful foundations laid by the UK government's Multiply initiative, SkillStart will equip participants with practical, baseline life skills in numeracy, literacy, digital literacy and the increasingly essential soft skills. This initiative will enable participants to thrive in the workplace and contribute meaningfully to the community. By providing a controlled, extensive, wraparound intervention, SkillStart will address work-based and societal skill deficits, supporting learners onto more formal learning provision, for example, Functional Skills qualifications or employment.

Contact: Rob McEwan

Email address: rob.mcewan@sunderland.gov.uk