Innovation & Resilience Fund

East Devon District Council has opened up Round 4 of its Innovation & Resilience Fund (IRF4), which allows businesses to apply for funding to deliver a specific project.

Grants of up to £30,000 are available to support transformational projects. All applicants must commit to match-fund at least 30% of the total project cost. For example, if the total project cost is £20,000, the applicant can apply for up to £14,000 from the scheme.

An IRF4 project must have a transformational impact on the business - it either needs to create new, high-value employment or adopt new technology or processes to increase productivity. The funding cannot be used to cover salaries or lost income, normal operational costs such as rent and utility bills, or the cost of any goods or services already purchased.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the IRF4 Policy to develop their project ideas.

How to apply

Expressions of Interest for the IRF4 are now open. If you intend to apply, you must submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) first. It's a short online form where you need to provide details on your business and planned project so your eligibility for funding can be checked. Once your EoI is approved, you will be sent a link to the full application form.

Interested in applying? All the details, FAQs, application forms and more can be found here. 

Timings

Applicants can submit Expressions of Interest until Wednesday 23rd of July at 4pm. All full bids must be submitted by 4pm on Friday 15th of August.

Am I eligible?

To be eligible to apply, you must:

• Be seeking capital funding for a specific transformational project
• Be trading at the time of your application
• Primarily operate and trade within East Devon
• Not be in administration, insolvent or struck off the Companies House register
• Not have exceeded the permitted subsidy control threshold.

The IRF4 is funded by the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.