Business support is now available for life science companies in the South East Midlands, thanks to a project delivered by Medilink East Midlands and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

ACTIS is a £2.1 million scheme, part-funded by ERDF, to provide support for eligible companies in the South East Midlands, for the next three years. Help is available for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) who work, or want to work, in life sciences. Businesses can apply for funding to develop products and services, attend specialist events and conferences, and undertake medical technology trials.

Medilink East Midlands – the industry support organisation for the East Midlands which supports new and existing life science companies – is delivering the ACTIS project and will help companies to access support and advice, in partnership with the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the Open University.

ERDF funding for ACTIS has been made available for the next three years and the programme is set to run until June 2022. Life science companies the South East Midlands who are eligible to sign up to the programme will receive wide-ranging business support. This includes help and advice from life science sector specialists from business, clinical and academic backgrounds, as well as grants for clinical evaluations, innovation development and the opportunity to attend specialist networking conferences.

Darren Clark, Chief Executive of Medilink East Midlands, said: “Life science companies in the South East Midlands can sometimes face considerable barriers in getting their products and services to market. By providing ACTIS support, we’re helping companies to overcome obstacles on the road to getting their products and services sold and we are extremely pleased to be working with our delivery partners to offer companies and entrepreneurs the sector-specific knowledge and support they need through this programme.”

For further information on the ACTIS project and to find out if your business is eligible, visit https://www.medilinkmidlands.com/projects/actis-south-east-midlands/

For further information about this media release contact Medilink East Midlands Project Leader Marketing Sam Burbage, on 0115 822 3154 or by email at [email protected]

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