I'd Rather be in Cornwall Club - Meet Ewan McClymont

Our next 'I'd Rather be in Cornwall Club'    (IRBICC) event takes place on February 3rd 2010 at One Aldwych in London.  The event will give those thinking of moving to the County an opportunity to meet industry experts from the Cornish property, media, recruitment and finance industries.  Ahead of the event, we spoke to some of our panellists including Ewan McClymont - Head of Grant Services for Bishop Fleming Chartered Accountants. 

Bishop Fleming is a regional firm with specialists in all areas of business development. In the past 18 months alone, Ewan has secured over £4.25m of grant funding for South West businesses, with awards ranging from £100k to over £2.2m.  

Ewan, why do you think Cornwall is an attractive destination for businesses?

Because of Cornwall's 'Convergence' status, it has successfully attracted EU funding unavailable to other UK areas.This funding is being used in a number of ways to boost the local economy, one of which is to give Cornish businesses specific support schemes to fuel their growth - both for capital and revenue projects.

What are some of the grants and schemes open to Cornish companies?

These include Grant for Business Investment, Gap Funding for Employment Space, Unlocking Cornish Potential, Coaching for High Growth and Partner to Succeed. 

How can a company maximise their chances of obtaining funding?

A successful application depends on a number of factors, mainly the quality of the outputs such as skilled job creation, innovation, and benefit to the environment. The main factor is to demonstrate sustainable growth with credible business planning.

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