The LEP is calling on businesses to submit funding bids to support their major projects.

The Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership is calling on businesses and organisations to submit funding bids of £250,000 or more to support their major projects.

The LEP expects more money to be made available soon by the Government through the new Shared Prosperity Fund and it wants to have a pipeline of projects ready.

Greater Lincolnshire has already been allocated £123.7m through three rounds of Local Growth Funding (LGF) from 2015 to 2021, and projects in the pipeline could also benefit from any unallocated or underspent LGF money.

“When the UK Shared Prosperity Fund is announced by the Government next year Greater Lincolnshire wants to have a clear position on schemes that will contribute to the delivery of our Strategic Economic Plan and our Local Industrial Strategy,” said Ruth Carver, Chief Executive of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP.

“We therefore want to have a strong pipeline of major projects in place by the spring of 2020, so we are looking for proposals that require grant funding of at least £250,000 and that will contribute to economic growth and boost productivity in Greater Lincolnshire.”

Proposals must be for capital projects that can financially complete before March 2021 (Category A) or capital or revenue projects that can be delivered within the next five years (Category B).

Both categories must demonstrate value for money and good deliverability.

Proposals would be welcomed in the LEP’s priority sectors:

  • Manufacturing
  • Agrifood and agritech
  • Visitor economy
  • Low carbon
  • Health and care
  • Ports and logistics
  • Digital

Priorities emerging from the LEP’s Local Industrial Strategy include:

  • A rural innovation test-bed for energy & water
  • An adaptive ports & logistics industry driving greater connectivity
  • Future proofing the agri-food industry
  • Supporting people to live well for longer in rural areas
  • A high-quality inclusive visitor economy

The LEP would also welcome proposals in the following areas:

  • Business growth
  • Housing
  • Infrastructure (road and rail)
  • Infrastructure (digital and utility)
  • Place marketing
  • Water management and energy
  • Skills

Private-sector businesses and public and third-sector organisations in Greater Lincolnshire can put forward an outline business case for any project they wish to be considered.

The outline business case template can be downloaded from the LEP website.

The deadline for the submission of outline business cases is midnight on Friday 27th September 2019. These should be emailed to GLLEPsecretariat@lincolnshire.gov.uk.

If you are unsure whether your proposal would be suitable, contact the LEP first for an informal discussion by emailing greaterlincslep@lincolnshire.gov.uk.