The South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership has now
formally closed as a registered limited company.

To stay updated on the latest economic developments throughout the region, we encourage you to visit the South East Midlands Growth Hub. The SEM Growth Hub also provides free business advice and guidance to all businesses, manages funding and grant programmes and has an extensive resource library where businesses can find additional support.

Visit the South East Midlands Growth Hub here

You can still continue to browse the SEMLEP website, and contact
all employees using their existing email addresses.

Northampton Waterside Campus Northampton Waterside Campus

EAFRD

Northampton Waterside Campus
People talking in a building under construction People talking in a building under construction

EAFRD

People talking in a building under construction
Northampton College Advanced Engineering Centre Northampton College Advanced Engineering Centre

EAFRD

Northampton College Advanced Engineering Centre
A Starship Robot driving down a street A Starship Robot driving down a street

EAFRD

A Starship Robot driving down a street
School students having a discussion with their teacher School students having a discussion with their teacher

EAFRD

School students having a discussion with their teacher
East Northamptonshire Enterprise Centre East Northamptonshire Enterprise Centre

EAFRD

East Northamptonshire Enterprise Centre

European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)

The Rural Growth Programme provides funding for projects in England which create jobs and growth in the rural economy.

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) delivers the grants, working with ESIF sub-committees in Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) areas. RPA’s role is to assess applications for grants, with advice from the ESIF sub-committees. SEMLEP's role is to decide local priorities for the rural funding.

Under the RDPE Growth Programme, there are grants for:

Business Development: Helping small rural businesses grow and create more jobs. SEMLEP's local priorities are: 

  • enabling farming businesses to diversify into non-agricultural activities
  • creating new services or manufacture of new products
  • creating one full-time equivalent job for every £25,000 or less of grant investment
  • creating apprenticeship jobs, lasting for a minimum of one year

For more information on the business development grants, view the handbook.

*Whilst applications for the present programme are now closed, we are retaining each of the handbook details for reference purposes.

Food Processing: Helping businesses to grow and creating more jobs. SEMLEP priorities are:

  • introducing new technologies, techniques or processes, increasing the productivity of the business
  • creating new higher-skilled jobs above the current average skill level of jobs in the applicant business
  • creating at least 1 full-time equivalent job for each £20,000 of grant investment
  • bringing locally distinctive foods to the market, that contribute to the unique food and drink offering of the SEMLEP area
  • opening new product markets to the business, potentially reducing the need for imports

For more information on the business development grants, view the handbook.

*Whilst applications for the present programme are now closed, we are retaining each of the handbook details for reference purposes.

Rural Tourism Infrastructure: encouraging more tourists to come, to stay longer and to spend more money in rural areas.

  • creating new visitor attractions and/or leisure activities, to increase the range and quality of the rural tourism offer
  • including the use of local suppliers, particularly for local food and drink
  • creating economic benefits to a number of business, not just the applicant business 
  • increasing the dwell-time of visitors
  • extend the visitor season between the months of October to March
  • developing infrastructure to connect rural tourism businesses, including - cycleways, footpaths and local tourism signage
  • creating long term sustainable jobs in the applicant business
  • creating quality serviced tourist accommodation, where there is clear evidence of need and will achieve formal accreditation through industry bodies
  • upgrading existing tourism accommodation to increase the current accreditation rating of the accommodation

For more information on the business development grants, view the handbook.

*Whilst applications for the present programme are now closed, we are retaining each of the handbook details for reference purposes.

Expression of Interest applications for Round 3 of the RDPE Growth Programme

The Rural Development Team are processing the expressions of interests (EOIs) received and will tell you the decision on your EOI as quickly as they can. 

If your EOI is successful they will send you advice on developing your project and will invite you to attend a Full Application workshop. As there will be competition for these grants you are strongly advised to attend one of the Full Application workshops.

The experience of previous applicants is that it will take you around three months to prepare a complete and good quality Full Application.

If your project needs planning permission and you have not already applied for it, you should do so now.  Where planning permission is required, a Full Application will not be accepted without it. Please do not wait for a decision on your EOI before submitting your planning application as you might run out of time to submit your Full Application.

Please note, do not start work, incur costs or place an order for any part of your proposed project. If you do this it will potentially make your whole project ineligible.

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