23 May 2018
North East accountants and business advisors, Haines Watts, have been selected as a Solution Provider for the North East LEP's Scaleup North East programme.
With offices in Newcastle and Darlington, the firm will work with businesses on issues such as innovation and finance, paying particular attention to opportunities in Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credits.
The initiative which is delivered in partnership with RTC North and financed by the European Regional Development Fund is aimed at helping businesses which demonstrate both the hunger and potential to achieve high levels of growth. Those accepted onto the programme are partnered with specialist advisors who generate bespoke action plans with a view to helping them achieve significant growth by 2021.
Jonathan Scott, Tax Partner at Haines Watts North East, said: "Scaleup North East is a great opportunity for the region's business community. One of the biggest problems when scaling a business is knowing where to go to find specialist advice. The programme really inspires a culture of collaboration which is vital in helping business owners overcome the barriers they may face on their scale-up journey.
"We're excited to be playing such an important role in the Scaleup North East programme. Our expertise in the area of R&D tax relief will help companies that maybe struggling to raise finance in traditional ways to unlock cash from within their innovation."
Scaleup North East Solution Providers are organisations that have significant experience of working with scaling companies, and offer solutions to help companies overcome the barriers highlighted by the National Scale Up Institute. These include: access to UK and overseas markets; talent and skills; innovation; leadership capacity; access to finance and infrastructure.
Businesses looking to take part in the programme must meet certain criteria, including:
- Turnover of over £250k
- More than 5 employees
- Based in the North East LEP area (Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham)
- Average annual growth in employees or turnover greater than 20% over the past 3 years
Businesses that meet these criteria can submit an expression of interest via the Scaleup North East.
