Tees Valley SME initiative to deliver 70 jobs and attract over £900k investment

A new programme is set to deliver 70 new jobs and attract over £900k investment into Tees Valley.

Grow Tees Valley, an initiative aimed at helping SMEs in the region to develop and grow, was officially launched this morning at VentureFest Tees Valley.

Supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the programme will work with local businesses looking to improve or develop a product, embed a new service within their company or enter new markets.

Teesside University’s Growth Associate programme forms another strand of Grow Tees Valley, allowing businesses to tap into a pool of graduates.

The scheme was unveiled by Professor Jane Turner OBE DL, pro-vice chancellor at Teesside University. Professor Turner explained: “It is a great privilege to be able to unveil our plans for Grow Tees Valley at VentureFest Tees Valley, an event that is specifically designed to help support small and medium-sized businesses and encourage them to thrive.

“We are really excited to hear from businesses that are keen to develop and expand, and are confident that by matching our experts with businesses in the region we can attract investment and bring new products and services to market, as well as delivering a real employment boost to the area.”

Simon Green, CEO of VentureFest Tees Valley, added: “We were delighted to have Professor Turner with us today and for Grow Tees Valley to be launched as part of her keynote was a great coup.

“We work very closely with Teesside University and are looking forward to seeing such a forward-thinking programme develop.”

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