Our support and events
We want you to know that, first and foremost, we are here for you - the Oxfordshire business community.
Our business support and events schedule is designed to help you and is particularly important at this critical time. We have new support programmes and a number of existing programmes we feel can support our business community both during and after the Coronavirus pandemic.
OxLEP Business Support Tool:
If you need business support, help or advice, please complete our business support tool and we will connect you with a personal business advisor and provide information to help you through the months ahead.
Peer networks:
The Peer Networks programme brings together diverse cohorts of business leaders so you can discuss your business challenges with your peers. Delivered through a series of high impact group sessions, you will gain and reflect on valuable feedback from your peers and identify practical solutions to overcome your business challenges. You will then choose which coach, mentor or business advisor to work with to further explore solutions to your challenge. This is a great opportunity to create an expert virtual team to help you and your business to succeed.
Our 2020/21 programme is niw closed for applicants, but a 2021/22 Peer Networks programme will be launched soon. We are now accepting expressions of interest for this programme and invite Oxfordshire businesses to get in touch.
To express your interest in the programme, please complete our business support tool:
Complete our business support tool
Business Investment Fund:
In March 2021, OxLEP Business announced a new capital investment fund, created to support Oxfordshire’s innovative business community to move into an effective renewal phase following the COVID-19 pandemic and potential effects of Brexit.
The Business Investment Fund was the latest initiative to be launched by OxLEP Business, recognising our commitment to supporting the Oxfordshire business community at this critical time.
This £2.1m capital fund aims to support scalable businesses from across the county through a variety of matched grants, ranging from £25,000 through to £100,000 per business. Through funding, eligible Oxfordshire businesses will deliver outcomes for the county’s economy through several key areas.
As of 19 March 2021, The Business Investment Fund's expression of interest process closed. Thank you for your interest. Further details on the fund will be published on the OxLEP Business website.
Find out more on the Business Investment Fund
Existing programmes:
eScalate
The eScalate programme supports growing businesses that have scale-up potential. It also supports SMEs that are social enterprise, social entrepreneurs, enterprising charities and other purposeful businesses committed to enabling positive social and environmental impact.
Innovation Support for Business (ISfB):
ISfB is a programme designed to drive and commercialise the innovative business ideas of Oxfordshire's SMEs and entrepreneurs.
Skills for Business:
Skills for Business provides practical support to small to medium-sized businesses to identify and evaluate their skills and learning needs including upskilling current staff.
Events:
We have moved our own business support events to online platforms to ensure that we can provide you with the guidance that you need.
We are holding regular digital Q&As, aimed at supporting our business community through the COVID-19 pandemic. Take a look at our most-recent Q&As:
20 November: ‘How critical is this time for our cultural and creative sectors?’
19 October: ‘How critical is it for the county to remain connected post COVID-19?'
21 May: ‘What impact will Coronavirus have on our rural economy?’
14 May: ‘What impact has Coronavirus had on Oxfordshire’s workforce?’
7 May: ‘How can Oxfordshire’s visitor economy recover from the Coronavirus pandemic?’
30 April: ‘Supporting businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic’
Head to our events section to find out more on future Q&As
We also have an ongoing programme of business support workshops delivered by our OxLEP Business team - this includes workshops in; business strategy, leadership, crowdfunding, as well as a series of grant workshops for our eScalate and Innovation Support for Business programmes.
How our business support programmes can help you:
eScalate: Find out how OxLEP Business can help your growing business.
