§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will ask list the grants available from his Department and the criteria by which they are awarded for manufacturing companies resident in Nottingham.
§ Mr. AtkinsConsultancy initiative. Independent firms or groups with a payroll of fewer than 500, can benefit from the enterprise initiative which offers financial support for between five and 15 man-days' specialist consultancy in a number of key management functions such as marketing, design, quality, manufacturing systems, business planning and financial and information systems. In the Nottingham urban programme area DTI will pay two-thirds of the cost of the consultancy projects, whereas outside that area the Department will pay half.
Assistance for exceptional projects. Each year a handful of projects (nationally) benefit from this scheme which is available on a selective basis towards investment or research and development projects with eligible costs of at least £500,000 and which are viable and would not go ahead in the United Kingdom without assistance. Such projects must be likely to lead to exceptional national benefits. Grants of up to half the agreed costs can be made 150W available to firms for collaborative research programmes conducted jointly by more than one organisation such as industrial and commercial firms, universities and polytechnics, research and technology organisations and Government research laboratories.
All firms in Nottingham are also eligible for assistance under the various export services some of which can provide financial assistance.