Guidance
Results of completed rounds
Updated 3 February 2021
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/business-basics-fund/rounds-1-and-2-results
Each of the first, second and third rounds of the Business Basics Fund made £2 million available to be shared between the successful proof of concept ideas and trials. Over 400 bids were received from a wide range of organisations including:
- businesses
- universities
- trade bodies
Where the project has published a report, we have included a link to it. BEIS and Nesta have reviewed the reports but this does not constitute an endorsement of the contents of the research or outcomes of the project. If you have questions about specific projects and findings, please contact the relevant research partners.
Round 3 results
A total of 6 trials were selected for funding under Round 3. Full details are available on the Innovate UK site.
Trials
| Project title | Project lead | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The adoption of proven new technology in small family businesses | GWE Business West | £400,000 to identify a cost-effective and product enhancing programme of peer group learning for family business SMEs with low rates of technology adoption which can be replicated and run at scale |
| ADAPT - Adoption of Digital Automated Payment Technology | Cheshire East Borough Council | £325,000 trial to test whether a ‘Best Practice Visit’ to a world class financial technology company is more effective at encouraging SMEs to adopt digital payment technologies than if they just received best practice information in the form of a ‘digital guide’ |
| Think Digital: Online advice for SMEs on how to improve their productivity through the adoption of proven digital technologies | The Productivity Group | £265,000 to evaluate and optimise the existing Think Digital programme that increases successful technology adoption and providing guidance to SMEs on software for their needs by finding the most effective and scalable approach to delivering support |
| Techknowledgey Transfer | Petroc | £385,000 trial to test the concept of delivering SME support through young people on a range of Level 2 and 3 business, administration, enterprise, and accountancy courses to build tailored business models and increase productivity |
| Manufacturing Connect_Lancashire | Manufacturing Connect_Lancashire | £385,000 pilot of adoption sprint process to encourage manufacturing SMEs to adopt known, productivity enhancing technologies |
| Hand-holding and the power of free: can a low-cost tailored behavioural intervention carry SMEs over the adoption hurdle? | Evolution AI | £420,000 to test and compare the effectiveness of various methods and tailored support that aim to speed up the adoption of artificial intelligence |
Round 2 results
A total of 12 projects were selected for funding under Round 2: see summaries here. The full details have been published by Innovate UK.
Trials
| Project title | Project lead | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scalable cyber interventions accelerating productivity practice for SMEs | BCP Council | £223,000 for a trial testing whether the use of an online tool can enhance productivity of SMEs through encouraging adoption of better digital and cyber security management |
| Small Business Charter schools: Driving productivity in micro-businesses | Chartered Association of Business Schools | £400,000 to lead a consortium of 16 business schools to trial ways of influencing micro-businesses to adopt technologies and effective management practices aimed at improving productivity |
| Engaging rural micros for increased productivity | Devon County Council | £400,000 to trial most effective methods of engagement with rural micro-businesses in Devon and the most appropriate method to increase adoption of existing technologies and business practices. Follows up the Council’s Proof of Concept funded under Round 1 |
| Optimising trusted advisor accountants to drive digital adoption | Northumbria University and Sage | £280,000 to run a trial to equip accountants to be trusted advisors to SMEs, encouraging adoption of productivity-boosting technology and management practices |
| Adopting operational coaching as a management style to drive SME productivity | Notion Limited | £315,000 to test whether the adoption of operational coaching practices in SMEs can impact positively on firm-level performance and productivity in the same way as for larger organisations |
| Developing management system to boost productivity via online and peer-to-peer learning among SMEs in manufacturing sectors | University of Cambridge Judge Business School / Tech Nation | £ 350,000 to explore the efficacy of online digital training and peer-to-peer learning in advocating design of proper management systems among SMEs in manufacturing sectors |
Proof of concept projects
| Project title | Project lead | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Accelerating the adoption of productivity systems for farming businesses | Yagro Ltd | £59,000 to run a proof of concept project testing 3 approaches to delivering its Technology Assessment and Recommendation service for farming businesses to accelerate the adoption of technologies that can increase productivity |
| Accelerating digital adoption and productivity for suppliers, makers and their customers in the South East | Edge Digital Manufacturing Ltd | £60,000 to run proof of concept project testing 3 approaches to help SMEs overcome barriers to adopting digital technologies |
| Investing in SME productivity growth by developing their performance management capability | Leeds Beckett University | £60,000 to run a proof of concept project involving an expert quartet of intermediaries to help SMEs improve productivity by developing their performance management capability |
| Feasibility of 1-hour and 30-minute lifestyle behaviour change interventions designed to improve employee health and productivity in SMEs | Sheffield Hallam University | £48,000 to run a proof of concept project to test the feasibility of 1 hour and 30 minute lifestyle behaviour change interventions designed to improve employee health and productivity in SMEs |
| Design Thinking Training for SMEs | Tenshi Consulting Ltd | £59,000 to run a proof of concept project testing the impact of Design Thinking training on SMEs compared with the current services offered by the Growth Hub |
| Digital Benchmark Index | Winning Moves Ltd | £39,000 to run a proof of concept project testing the impact of a Digital Benchmark Index and other ways to motivate SMEs to adopt digital technologies and improve their productivity |
Round 1 results
A total of 15 projects were selected for funding under Round 1: summaries available here. The full details of the 5 trials and 10 proof of concept projects have been published by Innovate UK.
Trials
| Project title | Project lead | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial Intelligence in London’s hospitality and retail SME sector | Mayor of London’s Office | £190,000 to trial the effectiveness of different forms of business support and how they affect the uptake of Artificial Intelligence technologies in London’s hospitality and retail SME sector. |
| HeadsUp! Boosting performance amongst micro firms through take-up of digital technologies | Enterprise Nation | £237,000 for a trial on the effectiveness of training delivered in person versus online video delivery for technologies such as cloud computing, E-commerce transactions and accounting software. It will also look at differences between urban and rural areas and geographical location |
| Systematic approach to SME productivity | City University London | £318,000 for a trial to test whether a more systematic approach to decision making will enable SMEs in England to make more effective strategic decisions |
| People skills+: an innovative management and leadership approach to boosting SME productivity | Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development | £351,000 for a trial to compare the effectiveness of different forms of business support for building people management capability, along with evaluating how different marketing messages drive interest and participation from SMEs |
| Micro-business productivity boost project | Cavendish Consortium Ltd | £389,000 for a trial comparing different ways to improve leadership in micro businesses |
Proof of concept projects
| Project title | Project lead | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Local Productivity Club: proof of concept | Anglia Business Growth Consultants (WLP) | £59,000 for a proof of concept project to test the impact of a local productivity club that encouraged the implementation of basic tools and techniques to increase productivity to local SMEs |
| Digitally Enabled Business Clinic: cost-effective means of universities supporting SMEs to increase their productivity | Northumbria University | £44,000 to test feasibility of a Digitally Enabled Business Clinic (DEBC), a channel for low-mid productivity businesses, as a cost-effective national solution to access free business consultancy via universities to enhance productivity and increase capacity for strategic innovation |
| Data-led approach to improving productivity via tailored messaging | West Yorkshire Combined Authority / Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership | £59,000 to make use of firm level data analysis and behavioural insights to understand productivity characteristics and compare the impact of differently tailored, targeted messages on encouraging businesses to address low productivity and change their subsequent behaviour |
| Technology foresight for growth and productivity: the design and implementation of a new foresight approach for UK SMEs | Kingston University | £48,000 for a proof of concept aimed to develop and test a simple, effective, scalable technology foresight method specifically responding to the needs and challenges of UK SMEs |
| Productivity in professional services, by inspiring employees to step forward | Career Innovation Company | £59,000 for proof of concept to test whether an online programme that provides a scalable, low-cost career coaching experience can be effectively applied to professional services SMEs to increase their firm’s productivity. |
| Dairy Forward – Resource Productivity Platform Proof of Concept | Food Forward / University of Surrey | £60,000 to develop and test the effectiveness of online analytics / benchmarking tool to enable SMEs in the dairy sector to evaluate the case for investment in proven technologies that improve resource productivity, based on the specifics of their business and operations |
| Engaging Rural Micros for increased productivity | Devon County Council | £60,000 for proof of concept project to explore the most effective methods of engaging with rural micro businesses, to consider how their specific support needs may differ from other larger or more urban businesses and to determine how they can best be supported |
| Cloud accounting proof of concept | Locality UK / Howard Neal Ltd | £32,000 to test whether a facilitated support approach could increase the adoption of cloud accounting systems by SMEs in the community / voluntary sector |
| Productivity in professional services, by inspiring employees to step forward (ADAPT) | Skills & Growth Company | £58,000 for a proof of concept project to test the effectiveness of ‘peer-to-peer best practice learning visits’ as a means of encouraging SMEs to adopt productivity-boosting ways of working |
| Nudging SMEs towards greater productivity | Tier 2.0 Future and Tax Optimiser Ltd | £49,000 for a proof of concept project to test how different messaging affects SME adoption of existing financial, legal and administrative software using a range of simple web platforms. |