Innovate UK: Pilot SME Growth Programme - Formative Evaluation
Accelerating innovation & growth – Pilot SME Growth Programme – Formative Evaluation
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This report was first published on 19 December 2013.
In February 2013, GrowthAccelerator and the University of Plymouth alongside the Entrepreneurs & Education Programme (EEP) agreed to work in partnership with Innovate UK (formerly Technology Strategy Board).
The partnership piloted an approach where existing Innovate UK SME customers would be given access to a range of support for business growth alongside the grant funding to support their technological innovation.
The pilot had two broad objectives:
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to test an hypothesis that SMEs who receive external advice and guidance (business support) alongside their Innovate UK grant funding are more likely to be successful
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to explore different ways of delivering the support to SMEs to help identify a delivery model and learn lessons for future delivery
The independent evaluation adopted a mixed-method approach that included data analysis, surveys of beneficiaries, in-depth interviews, case studies and stakeholder consultations.
This report is a summary of the findings and lessons that have emerged from that evaluation and informed the development of Innovate UK’s SME growth support.