UKSPF Herefordshire Research and Development Grant - Grants

The deadline for submitting expression of interest is midnight on Sunday 20 July 2025. This may close early at short notice if interest exceeds budget.

The deadline for submitting full applications is midnight on Monday 4 August 2025.

The UKSPF Herefordshire Research and Development Grant is a revenue grant scheme funded through Herefordshire Council's UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocation 2025/6.

The aim is to help Herefordshire businesses to:

• Engage in new markets
• Develop new products and services for the market
• Adopt new technologies and processes (to the business) leading to more and better paid jobs and improving productivity, creating a more resilient and competitive business community

Grants of between £5,000 and £24,999 are available to Herefordshire businesses to enable the procurement of external support and revenue items to undertake research and development projects.

The grant can contribute up to 75% of the eligible costs.

A successful application must be able to deliver one or more of the following by 1 March 2026:

• New/improved products or services to the market (by the business)
• New to the business technologies or processes adopted
• Engagement in new markets, such as, a new product market or a new geographical market
• Creation of new jobs

Supplementary outputs

Must be in addition to outputs above.

• Safeguarding of jobs (will be lost within 6 months if project does not go ahead)

Projects that propose to only safeguard jobs will not be eligible.

• Businesses physically trading and located in Herefordshire
• Businesses that have been actively trading for more than six months
• All sectors, excluding businesses involved in primary production (farmers)

• Businesses involved in primary production (farmers). Funding for this type of business is available from Defra Funding for farmers
• Start-up businesses (trading actively for less than six months by EOI submission deadline date which is 20 July 2025)
• Public authorities
• Town and parish councils
• Voluntary groups
• Social enterprises that are not involved in economic activities
• Businesses where the majority of income comes from public sources due to subsidy control constraints
• Franchise businesses / national chains
• Non-economic activities
• Gambling / betting establishments
• Any business activity that is illegal or deemed unsuitable for public support by Herefordshire Council
• Businesses whose registered address is in Herefordshire but no trading activity is in Herefordshire
• Businesses with a religious focus, where the project or activity does not benefit the wider community and includes religious content
• Any business that is in arrears with business rates or Council Tax payments or otherwise in legal dispute with Herefordshire Council

Revenue grant funding is available to pay for external costs such as consultants / expert technical advice and other revenue costs (excludes in-house costs, including staff time).

Eligible costs can include, but are not limited to:

• Specialist support for developing and testing new products or services, including prototyping
• Support for acquiring and protecting intellectual property / trade marks
• External market research / market analysis
• Product launch
• Feasibility studies
• Access to test bed facilities
• Clinical trials costs
• Attending trade events for new products or to establish a new geographical market, for example, a new region/country for the business (Department of Business and Trade approved events)
• Costs associated with the commercialisation of ideas
• Data analysis projects

This list is not exhaustive.

• Capital items including equipment, purchase of land, buildings, vehicles
• In house costs such as staff time, overheads and internal costs
• Day to day running costs, for example consumables, stationary, employee salaries
• Stock items
• Training
• Software
• Corporate responsibility items - health and safety
• Items purchase through hire purchase agreements
• Upgrading existing systems
• Software licences, websites (including upgrades)
• The purchase and integration of market proven web-based products/services

Revenue grants are available for businesses, for up to 75% of the total eligible project costs.

• Minimum grant £5,000 - project costs must be at least £6,666
• Maximum grant £24,999 - project costs must be at least £33,333 (a higher grant may be considered in exceptional circumstances)
• Start-up businesses trading less than 12 months but more than 6 months, maximum grant is £10,000 (project costs must therefore be at least £13,334)

For your initial proposal to be considered please complete the expression of interest form as soon as possible and before midnight on 20 July 2025.

Complete the expression of interest form

Fraud statement

Herefordshire Council will not accept deliberate manipulation or fraud, and any instances will be actively investigated. Any individual who falsifies their records or dishonestly provides inaccurate information to gain grant money will face prosecution. The council reserves the right to recoup funds and claw back any grants paid in error.

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with fraud prevention agencies who will use it to prevent fraud and money-laundering and to verify your identity. If fraud is detected, you could be refused certain services, finance, or employment. Further details of how your information will be used by us and these fraud prevention agencies, and your data protection rights, can be found on the Herefordshire Council website fraud prevention privacy notice.

If you have submitted an expression of interest form, this will be reviewed within one week. If your project meets the minimum requirements, you will be invited to submit a full application with the supporting papers. This does not guarantee that you will be awarded a grant at a later stage.

The deadline for submitting the full applications is midnight on Monday 4 August 2025. Full applications submitted by the deadline will be prioritised. Late submissions will only be considered if budget is available. You will be required to submit (along with your full application form):

• Two or three quotes per item (one quote maybe considered in exceptional circumstances)
• Bank statement or other match funding evidence for the total cost of the project
• Previous two years' accounts (including profit and loss) where applicable and management accounts if more than six months out of date
• Business plan and cashflow - if trading less than 12 months

If your application is successful:

• The earliest we will communicate decisions to applicants will be late September but this may be delayed, depending on the volume of applications received
• You will need to accept the grant offer before placing an order / starting the project
• All projects must be practically and financially completed within five months of acceptance of the grant (if not earlier). No later than 28 February 2026.
• Grants are released on completion of the project. Stage payments may be considered on a case by case basis. All grants are released upon submission of a grant claim form, invoices and evidence that the costs have been paid and satisfactory progress has been achieved towards the activity detailed in your project action plan. The grant is not paid in advance and final stage payment will be released when the whole project is complete.
• You cannot pay for any grant costs with cash
• No work / or items to be ordered before the grant offer letter is issued and signed by both parties.
• You will be required to report, and evidence, the outcomes/outputs of your project at completion. Failure to deliver these outputs may result in grant being repaid.

Please note: Items cannot be ordered or purchased before you receive, and sign, a grant offer letter. If an order has been placed prior to acceptance of the grant offer the grant offer will be withdrawn.

If you would like to discuss your proposal before completing the form, please contact the Grant Team on 01432 260787 or 01432 260662 or via email RDI@herefordshire.gov.uk