Phase 2 of the Digital Enterprise Voucher Scheme will open in September, with £700,000 being made available to eligible small and medium sized businesses across Yorkshire that want to ‘Invest in Digital’.
The same amount will be made available during phase 3 which will run from May 2018 – October 2018. A new ‘Connectivity Voucher’ will be launched in Phase 2 (with a fixed value £1000) specifically for digital connectivity upgrades.
As in Phase 1, businesses will be able to apply for 40% funding towards the cost of digital projects including digital marketing, social media, web design and development, e-commerce and more – up to a maximum of £5,000. The Digital Growth Vouchers could also fund part of the cost of technology upgrades such as IT and telecoms and, if approved, the business will then only have to cover the remaining 60% of the cost.
The key points to note for Phase 2 and 3 are;
- There will be 2 more phases of the Voucher scheme;-
- Phase 2–September 2017 to February 2018.
- Funding pot available for Vouchers = £700,000
- Phase 3– May 2018 to October 2018.
- Funding pot available for Vouchers = £700,000
- Voucher applications will only be supported were the project demonstrates significant digital transformation for the business as well as economic impact (jobs to be created etc.).
Look out for more information about the changes to the Voucher scheme along with revised guidance for potential applicants in July/August, prior to launching Phase 2.
The eligibility checker on the Digital Enterprise website is currently being re-designed to incorporate both strands of the programme (Vouchers and the Digital Knowledge Exchange). In future, it will request more information from applicants about the potential impact of their project to determine eligibility.
Phase 1 Success
The Digital Growth Voucher scheme received a huge response from businesses in the first phase, which ran from February to March.
The LEP had anticipated a response of approximately 150 voucher applications – instead they received almost 480 in 7 weeks, which clearly demonstrates the need and desire to invest in digital technologies from SMEs.
The volume of applications received resulted in the need to close the first phase earlier than anticipated. This has also had an impact on timescales to process applications which left some applicants frustrated.
However, changes are being made to ensure better communication about future phases of the Voucher scheme, with particular consideration given to the needs of SMEs and the capacity of the LEP’s delivery team to respond to applications.
The table below shows some key stats on Phase 1;
*Projects may be deemed unsuitable for funding under DE due to a number of reasons including limited economic impact or a high element of a revenue based expenditure etc.
There was a good mix of technologies included in Phase 1, ranging from hardware upgrades to website and digital connectivity projects, with many projects including a range of solutions (bundled projects). A breakdown of the projects by technology is presented in the table below;
