Regional programmes expand into Essex to boost East of England's innovation ecosystem

Connected Innovation and Innovation Grant Mentoring - both currently funded by Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils - have now received funding from Essex County Council to expand delivery across all three counties, providing new opportunities for entrepreneurs, spinouts, start-ups and scale-ups to access tailored support and collaborative partnerships.

For start-ups and scale-ups looking to secure national and EU innovation funding, the Innovation Grant Mentoring service is now available across all three counties. This has been a valuable programme for innovative SMEs, which to date has supported businesses in the region to secure £3.1m of innovation funding and inspired many more founders to consider working towards innovation funding to support their innovative research and development projects. 

It is a free-to-access service with a pool of experienced innovation mentors and bid coaches that companies will be linked to based upon their areas of expertise and background.  

Meanwhile, Connected Innovation will now bring together the innovation ecosystem across all three counties. This will simplify the innovation support landscape for entrepreneurs and founders, whilst also linking together innovation hubs, incubators, universities, research parks, Freeports, key cluster network partners and the finance and investment community.

So far, the programme has helped secure around £10 million in innovation funding for the region. Its expansion aims to strengthen regional collaboration, open up opportunities for cross-sector partnerships, and position the East of England as a national leader in innovation.

There is already a strong record of collaboration between Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, particularly across key growth sectors including clean energy, advanced manufacturing, agri-tech, health, space, and the creative industries.

Read the full press release on the Norfolk County Council website.

Published: 22 October 2025