Made Smarter

Made Smarter can help your manufacturing business become more efficient, more productive and more competitive by investing in digital tools.

Programme details

• Get hands on help to develop a digital roadmap for your business – wherever you’re at on your digital journey.
  
• Access specialist training and workshops on digital transformation, road mapping, process mapping, leadership development and industrial cyber security.
  
• Grants of up to *£3,500 to access expert technical advice
  
• Grants of up to *£20,000 to help you purchase and implement new software and/ or equipment (up to 50% of the overall cost)

*Grants are subject to availability upon completion of the three programme workshops

Made Smarter Adoption North East is backed by world-renowned businesses and the UK government. It aims to drive growth amongst the region’s manufacturing businesses and advance the UK economy by improving the development and adoption of emerging technologies. The North East Growth Hub and Tees Valley Business are working with Made Smarter to deliver Made Smarter Adoption in the North East LEP and Tees Valley Combined Authority areas.

This support is only available for small and medium-sized manufacturing businesses.

Click here for more information and to apply.

Key information

Available: Now

Can I apply if my business is not trading yet? No

Eligible location: Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees) 

Award available:

• up to *£3,500 to access expert technical advice.
• up to *£20,000 to help you purchase and implement new software and/ or equipment (up to 50% of the overall cost)

Tees Valley Export Fund

This £200,000 grant scheme is jointly funded by the Department for Business & Trade (DBT) and the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Open to businesses starting or continuing their export journey who have been trading for longer than twelve months.

• Claim back 75% of eligible costs (up to £10,000) — your business contributes 25%.
• Typical grants range from £3,000 to £10,000.
• All funded activities must be completed by 31 August 2026.

Application Windows:

• Open now until all funds are committed

What Can Be Funded?

• International trade shows (exhibiting or attending)
• Overseas market visits
• Internationalisation of digital assets (e.g. websites)
• Market research and more

Important: Please do not book flights, hotels, or exhibition stands until you receive formal grant approval.

Start with a quick eligibility check via the online form below. If successful, you’ll be invited to complete the full application.

Click here for more information and to apply.

Key information

Available: Now

Can I apply if my business is not trading yet? No

Eligible location: Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees) 

Eligibility Criteria:

• Must be trading for a minimum of 12 months.
• Must have an existing, demonstrable interest in exporting (e.g. having previously participated in DBT Export Academy Course or carried out sector-specific export research). This list is not exhaustive.
• Must have capacity to complete and claim for grant project activity by the end of August 2026

Applications from businesses in the following sectors are particularly encouraged to apply:

• Advanced Manufacturing
• Business & Professional Services
• Construction
• Culture & Leisure
• Digital & Creative
• Education
• Health & Biologics
• Health Care
• Process Chemicals and Energy

Award available:

Typical grants range from £3,000 to £10,000

SWEF Business Grant

The SWEF Business Grant supports young people living in County Durham, Tees Valley and the wider North East, with a business investment they can't afford but will transform their business. Young people not in education, employment or training are encouraged to apply.

This Fund is not a loan scheme. If you are awarded a grant, you do not need to pay the grant back.

Eligible Spending

Here are some examples of what the grant can be used for:

• Equipment that will help a business increase production where there is proven demand
  
• Materials/stock for a new product line
  
• Prototypes
  
• Website/booking system build
  
• Training
  
• Product development

What the fund does not cover:

• Salaries
  
• Debt repayment
  
• App development or software development costs
  
• Rent and utilities
  
• Stock for an existing product line
  
• Equipment or products relating to invasive beauty treatments
  
• Ongoing software subscriptions
  
• New computers, phones, tablets
  
• Applications solely for business ideas

Click here for more information and to apply.

Key information

Available: Now

Can I apply if my business is not trading yet? Yes

Eligible location: Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees) 

Eligibility Criteria:

• Aged between 18 and 30
  
• Be a majority shareholder
  
• Currently live in one of the regions listed above.
  
• From a low-income household or facing other barriers stopping you from developing your business
  
• Running a business that has been trading for under two years
  
• Individuals or teams working on a newly established business i.e. has been trading for less than 2 years
  
• Able to demonstrate the time and resources you have already directed towards the business

Award available:

• Start-Up Grant: Up to £500 for pre-revenue or early-stage businesses or trading less than 2 years and turns over less than £500 per month.
  
• Business Grant: Up to £2,000 for individuals whose business has been trading for less than 2.5 years and turns over more than £500 per month.

Depot Charging Scheme

To support businesses transitioning to electric vehicles, the Government has launched the Depot Charging Scheme.

This scheme can fund up to 70% of the costs to install charging equipment at business sites primarily used for charging commercial vehicles (up to £1 million across all sites). A depot is defined as a commercial site where HGVs, vans, or coaches are housed, maintained, and dispatched for service.

Application Windows

Funding will be released in stages: 

• First window: 25 March 2026 to 30 June 2026 (or earlier if funds run out)
  
• Second window: 28 October 2026 to 29 January 2027

Click here for more information and to apply.

Additional information

There are still grants available for the purchase of electric vehicles. These are listed in the attached document. No application is required. The grant amount is automatically deducted by the dealer at the point of sale. More information on these grants are available here.

Key information

Available: Now

Can I apply if my business is not trading yet? No

Eligible location: UK Wide (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)

Eligibility Criteria:

• Fleet includes (or will include in future) at least one battery electric van, HGV or coach, and your application will quantify the impact of this on their EV charging needs.
  
• Registered and operate in the UK and your organisation and vehicle fleet has been operating in the UK for at least 1 year at the time of application.
  
• Own or lease one or more UK depot(s).
  
• Funding must be used only within the UK.
  
• A senior leader in their organisation has approved their proposal.
  
• They consent to participate in ongoing monitoring and evaluation activities, including physical site audits/visits.
  
• They consent not to apply for, or obtain, similar Government funding in respect of any part of the funded activities.
  
• They consent to the primary users of the funded infrastructure being commercial vehicles.
  
• If the infrastructure is shared with other fleet operators, the pricing model will be based on cost recovery for at least three years after the grant is awarded.
  
• If successful, they will use the funding to install charging infrastructure for battery‑electric vans, HGVs and/or coaches at their depot(s) by 31 March 2027.

Award available:

70% of the costs to install charging equipment at business sites primarily used for charging commercial vehicles (up to £1 million across all sites)

Belong North East Fund

Belong North East Fund is a collaborative approach by Point North, The Mercers' Charitable Foundation and Community Foundation North East to support unity within our communities in some of the toughest of times.

The fund tackles disadvantage by bringing people together and building a sense of belonging for those who feel isolated or disenfranchised across the North East. This can be due to lack of opportunities linked to ethnicity, cultural differences, age, health, poverty, lack of voice, or where someone lives.

Examples of what type of projects can this fund support?

The fund provides unrestricted funding which can support a broad range of existing or new projects and activities that seek to:

• Bring together groups divided or excluded by race, culture, age, or ability.
  
• Engage disadvantaged communities and families who are facing challenges because of poverty or disenfranchisement 
  
• Help older people who experience poverty and loneliness keep engaged with their communities.
  
• Meaningful intergenerational activity – bringing children & young people together with older people.
  
• Provide opportunities for young and older people to become more involved in their communities 

Application window is open until 31 May 2026

For more information about this grant, please click here.

Key Information

Available: Now

Can I apply if my business is not trading yet? No

Eligible location: Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees) 

Eligibility:

Examples of who can apply include:

• Registered charities and CIOs
  
• Community/voluntary groups that have a constitution
  
• Social enterprises (CICs, companies limited by guarantee) that are registered with the appropriate body

Organisations with an annual income above £500,000 are welcome to apply; however, you will need to demonstrate a compelling case and smaller organisations will be prioritised.

Award: up to £10k

Enovert Community Trust

Enovert Community Trust (formerly Cory Environmental Trust in Britain) is an environmental body which supports community and environmental projects within 10 miles of Enovert's site on Teesworks (TS6 6UG). The Trust is committed to supporting community and environmental projects across the UK. 

Examples of what type of projects can this fund support:

• Improving community halls
• the creation of new play areas and skate parks
• restoring green spaces.

Five project criteria

In line with the Landfill Tax Regulations, Enovert Community Trust is able to support projects under the following categories, so please make sure that your project complies with one of the following objects:

• Opening up access for the public to an area of land that has been closed or partially closed up to now.
• Cleaning up land that has been polluted because of now ceased activity.
• Helping to improve, protect, provide and/or maintain land or a building as a public amenity.
• Protecting the environment, and conserving or promoting biological diversity.
• Helping to preserve, maintain, restore and/or repair a religious building or one of historical or architectural interest.

For more information about the Enovert Community Trust and it's grants, please visit their website here.

Key Information

Available: Now

Eligibility:

Based within 10 miles of Enovert's site on Teesworks (TS6 6UG)

Non-profit distributing: You don’t need to be a charity, but any surplus you make must be used to further your organisation’s objects. Surplus must not be used to pay dividends or other rewards. If you are a sporting organisation you must be CASC registered or a limited company or registered charity. If you are a sporting organisation you must be CASC registered or a limited company or registered charity.

Available to the general public: Your facility must be available to the general public as much as possible, and no less than four evenings or two days a week, or for more than 104 days in any one year.

Award: up to £50k*
*the Trust requires 10%
independent 3rd party funding

Tees Valley Community Grants

Point North’s Tees Valley Community Grants Programme provides grants focusing on sustaining health and wellbeing and reducing inequalities.

This fund will prioritise projects which meet one of the following aims:

• Improve health and wellbeing
• Reduce poverty and inequality
• Support those impacted by family breakdown or domestic abuse
• Remove barriers to digital access
• Provide advice and support to people struggling to manage money
• Improve opportunities for education, training and employment
• Work within the community to address local needs in other ways to those listed above

Examples of what type of projects can this fund support:

• Contribution to core or running costs where the expenditure of the organisation is typically less than £500,000 per year
• Essential maintenance of equipment or pitches associated with improvements to grow participation
• Salaries or part salaries for roles clearly linked to addressing the issues listed above sessional costs
• Capital items and equipment including IT equipment (vehicles or minibuses not included)
• Coaching or training activity
• Transport costs
• Capacity building activities
• Repair costs

What does the fund not cover:

• Building or buying premises or land rights
• Contingency funding
• Deficit or retrospective funding
• Direct replacement of statutory or public funding
• Feasibility studies or initial community consultations

For more information about the grant and to apply, please click here.

Key Information

Available: Now

Eligible location: Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees) 

Eligibility:

Your organisation does not have to be a registered charity to apply but must have charitable aims.

Examples include:

• Registered charities and CIOs
  
• Community/voluntary groups that have a constitution
  
• Social enterprises (CICs, companies limited by guarantee) that are registered with the appropriate body

Award: Up to £3,000