Business and council leaders have hailed the impact of a pioneering programme which has enabled 1,300 businesses across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire to embrace digital technology.

The Digital Growth Programme gives local SMEs access to fully-funded workshops, financial support and free one-to-one advice to help them introduce new digital technology to their organisations.

More than £6.8m of funding was invested into the programme by the European Regional Development Fund, East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire), and Derby City, Derbyshire County, Nottingham City, Nottinghamshire County and Rushcliffe Borough councils.

It has provided 1,300 businesses with more than 31,000 hours of free digital support, as well as distributing grant funding of more than £1.88m to 310 eligible businesses, which has helped to unlock an additional £2.7m of private sector investment from the SMEs which received support.

It has also delivered 340 action-planning workshops and 48 awareness-raising seminars about a host of digital subjects, including cloud computing and cyber resilience, ecommerce, email marketing, CRM, Search Engine Optimisation, social media and website planning and development.

Recently, more than 300 local businesses attended a major conference, at the Nottingham Belfry Hotel, to get the latest insights and advice from keynote speakers and local digital experts, as well as celebrate the successes of the programme.

It was also announced at the conference that the digital support provided by the programme will continue for the next three years and will be delivered by the D2N2 Growth Hub.

Chris Pook, D2N2 Growth Hub Manager, said: “Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire SMEs have forged a really strong reputation for digital innovation and it’s crucial that they continue to be supported so they can enhance their capabilities to help the local economy to grow.

“The Digital Growth Programme has provided fantastic support to local firms overt the past three years and we are delighted to be able to continue this in the years ahead, via the D2N2 Growth Hub.

“I’d urge all businesses who need digital advice and support, or are looking at ways to get a new project off the ground, to get in touch with one of our advisers.”

Diane Beresford, Deputy Chief Executive of the Chamber, added: “The Digital Growth Programme to date has been a huge success and we have been delighted with the response from the business community.

“More than 1,300 local businesses have engaged with the programme, which is great, and it was fantastic to see so many of them at the Digital Conference as we celebrated the achievements of the programme so far.”

One of the Derbyshire businesses to benefit from funding support from the programme was HSG, a specialist provider of washroom hygiene and water conservation solutions.

The programme provided £22,000 of funding toward the development of a bespoke app and dashboard, called Cleen, which gives venues better control over their washroom management.

Customers can download the app, leave a rating for the overall cleanliness of a washroom, and report any issues such as no toilet rolls, poor cleanliness or broken equipment. These are reported directly to the venue’s service provider, who can address them immediately.

Sonia Harvey, Brand Manager, said: “The Cleen app and dashboard give business owners the opportunity to monitor the performance of their washrooms to enhance their overall experience, by acting on instant feedback.

“The product is tailor-made for sports venues, restaurants and NHS Trusts and since launch, we have opened up a host of avenues for this fast-growing area of the business.”

Businesses can find out more about the programme and the unique support it provides at www.d2n2-digital.co.uk or calling 0330 053 8639.

If you are a Chesterfield business looking to invest to improve company productivity or are currently considering adopting new industrial digital technology to thrive in the digital age then Sheffield City Region (SCR) has grant funding available to support you.

The Business Investment Fund – Made Smarter in SCR offers capital grants to support businesses to adopt new industrial digital technologies. Finance is available to support investment in projects that introduce new technologies for the first time or are a significant change from the ‘business as usual’ approach. This might include robotics, additive manufacturing or industrial Internet of Things projects. Businesses can apply for capital in the range of £25k to £50k.

Business Investment Fund – SCR Productivity Challenge is an investment scheme providing capital grants to support businesses to identify and address their business productivity challenges. The programme will support capital investment that boosts productivity in areas such as production or distribution processes, supply chain innovation and new product development. Businesses can apply for capital in the range of £25k to £100k.

Dom Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager said “It is great to see further funding available to support local businesses to grow and we would encourage Chesterfield businesses to consider this support.”

Projects must explain how the investment will improve business performance and Sheffield City Region would like to see investment leading to jobs growth.

SME’s interested in applying can find out more about eligability criteria and download the expression of interest form at https://www.scrgrowthhub.co.uk/services/access-to-finance/

The deadline for  an expression of interest for the funding is the 31st May and full applications by the 14th June 2019.

A pioneering online scheme to help make High Street shopping safer and cut crime is being adopted in Derbyshire.

The county’s Business Crime Reduction Partnership will see Derbyshire Police, East Midlands Chamber*, retailers and participating local authorities all working together for the common goal.

The award-winning Chamber* already operates Shopwatch – a successful radio-based alert system for retailers – in Chesterfield, Bakewell, Matlock and Staveley.

But the new scheme operates online, offering immediate and wider dissemination of information and making it easier for the police to create intelligence for reports to steer operations or evidence for prosecutions.

The idea is the brainchild of the team behind the Chamber’s Shopwatch scheme.

Project leader Jackie Roberts said: “Retail crime is one of the few crimes that continues to grow and affects everyone. Even low-level retail crime has major implications for business turnover and viability, with knock-on effects on the local community and economy.”

She added: “During the past 18–24 months, town and city centre retailers have reported significant increases in anti-social behaviour and associated crimes.

“With resources stretched in most businesses and police forces, smarter working methods are needed to reduce the issues retailers face and to highlight offenders.

“Ever-tighter controls of resources mean that the police and shopkeepers are finding it harder and harder to bring offenders to justice, which creates an environment that encourages further offences.”

Under the new initiative, businesses would sign up to the web-based service. They could then upload information about shoplifters operating in an area and report other crimes.

They would also receive instant updates through the website and other online means, such as messaging, social media or emails, alerting them to crimes in their area as they happen, including descriptions of people to watch for.

The service will be staffed by dedicated operators who would alert police and other businesses immediately crimes are reported, with the aim of reducing crime through partnership working.

Jackie added: “By bringing the scheme online and working with partners most closely involved in trying to reduce crime or those most affected by it, the Chamber can help members and other businesses to reduce this blight on the retail community.”

Chris Hobson, the Chamber’s Director of Policy, said: “The Chamber’s vision is to enhance East Midlands businesses and communities and this is an obvious and very positive way of delivering that objective. We are very pleased to be working with the police on this initiative.”

Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Hardyal Dhindsa said: “Too often you hear the view that business crime is a victimless crime. Well, not in Derbyshire.  I understand that business owners, staff, shareholders and actually, ultimately, customers pay too high a price for crimes against businesses.

“This scheme sets out to make retail areas in Derbyshire safer and therefore more enjoyable places to visit.  In turn, that encourages more customers, which helps the local economy. I’m very proud to be involved.”

The Police and Crime Commissioner’s office and the Chamber are jointly funding the scheme initially, the PCC contributing £30,000 to the cost.

The new scheme will also support existing pubwatch or shopwatch projects in Derbyshire. For further information call Jackie Roberts on 0333 320 0333 (ext 2061) or email jackie.roberts@emc-dnl.co.uk or visit https://bit.ly/2E3Oui4.