Innovation grants fuel growth in Sunderland

A Sunderland-based support programme is helping local companies bring fresh ideas to market while creating new jobs across the city.

The Enterprising Sunderland Innovation Grants, delivered by the North East BIC on behalf of Sunderland City Council, are providing funding to help businesses introduce new products or services and scale their operations. 

Backed by the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the scheme offers grants covering up to 40 per cent of project costs, to a maximum of £25,000.

So far, 17 companies have secured support, spanning manufacturers, technology firms, engineering specialists and environmental consultancies. 

Among the recipients is STN Power Systems, based at Washington Business Centre, which used a £20,000 grant to launch STN Power Products & OakEV, a new spin-out developing smart electric vehicle chargers. 

The company has expanded its team from three to five and is planning further recruitment and European growth.

Chris Pennison, managing director at STN Power Products, said: “Would we have invested £50,000 without the grant? 

“Honestly, no, it felt too much of a stretch. 

“But £30,000 became doable. 

“The £20,000 of support de-risked the process and gave us the confidence to go for it. 

“It was a catalyst, a launchpad, that allowed us to move quickly, protect our ideas and get to market.”

City-centre firm Evidence Based Education, whose software is used by education providers worldwide, is another business to benefit from the scheme.

Jack Deverson MBE, co-founder and chief executive of Evidence Based Education, added: “Since we moved to our office in Sunderland in 2019, the support from the BIC, the Council and other organisations has been second to none. 

“The Innovation Grant has been one of these ways in which we’ve accessed support, and it has been instrumental in helping us scale over the last 18 months.

“The funding enabled us to invest in a totally new look and user experience for schools on our Great Teaching Toolkit. 

“It has since provided the springboard to both access more schools close to home and open up new markets overseas too. 

“The investment would have been a large risk for us without support; the grant enabled us to manage that risk with confidence and made it possible.”

The grants support the wider Enterprising Sunderland initiative, which has received £523,541 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and is managed by Sunderland City Council. 

Debbie Simpson, business adviser at the North East BIC, said: “We have helped over a dozen businesses diversify into new markets, develop new products, or add new tech or processes into their existing infrastructure since the programme was launched in November 2023.

“We’ve witnessed some fantastic success stories including a long-established, family-owned businesses truly embrace digital transformation, engineers bringing planet-saving innovations to market and fast-growing start-ups significantly increase their offering by investing in new hardware and software.

“We only have a limited amount of money to distribute however and, with applications flooding in, we would encourage any interested businesses to enquire sooner rather than later to avoid missing out.”

Councillor Kevin Johnston, portfolio holder for housing, regeneration and business at Sunderland City Council, added: “The Enterprising Sunderland Innovation Grants are a fantastic way of ensuring businesses, like Evidence Based Education and STN, have the support and finance required to truly realise their potential.

“We are fortunate as a city to be home to scores of businesses who are constantly innovating and flying the flag for the UK overseas, so we’d encourage companies to get in touch with the Council’s Business Investment team and find out more. It could be just the kickstart they need.”

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