As 2024 draws to a close, we continue to offer collaborative ways to boost your business that fit around the working day. Highlights are included here but donโt forget to check out the full list of Surrey events in December on our events page.
Donโt forget, our events directory is a great way to promote your own business events to a wider audience. If your organisation is hosting or sponsoring a business event in Surrey, you can submit it for inclusion in the directory by completing this simple form.
Free support for Surrey SMEs
Business Surrey offers free and accessible support for all businesses in Surrey.
Our experts are on hand to provide tailored advice to help your SME grow and succeed. Get in touch with a member of the team via our business support form.
Surrey County Council helps fund unique virtual production studio to support local creative technology businesses
Published 25 November 2024
Business news, Innovation
An exciting new virtual production facility, Futures Studio, has now opened at Royal Holloway, University of London, to provide creative technology businesses a space to innovate, showcase their work and collaborate with industry experts and world-class researchers.
The launch was celebrated with an interactive showcase event attended by leading partners in the creative technology industry including Sky, BT and Limax Studios. The event featured a series of inspiring demonstrations in the studio led by Disguise and CoSTAR National Lab specialist teams, while also providing businesses attending the opportunity to network with their fellow industry experts and researchers from acadaemia.
World-leading creative technology
Jointly funded by Royal Holloway and Surrey County Council, the studio is based at the Universityโs Egham campus and packed with cutting-edge equipment. This includes a unique combination of a virtual production environment and a next generation audio system. The Futures Studio is powered by Royal Hollowayโs partnership with Disguise, the platform behind world-leading (and record-breaking) visual experiences including live events for Taylor Swift, Adele, Beyonce and Massive Attack.
The Futures Studio offers businesses an advanced facility to innovate and generate new products and services, and will enable the flourishing local creative economy to thrive and grow. It is also the first facility to be opened as part of the CoSTAR National Lab, a ยฃ51.1 million project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to create a national infrastructure for creative innovation.
Matt Furniss, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Economic Growth, said: โWe want to nurture and grow this world-class sector, which is why we have invested ยฃ3 million in supporting Royal Holloway and the CoSTAR National Lab.
โThis exciting project has innovation and collaboration at its core, allowing local businesses to tap into the cutting-edge research and technologies at Royal Holloway, one of our leading universities in the county.
โIn time, this initiative will deliver real benefits to our regional economy, creating up to 300 jobs and supporting 180 businesses while stimulating further investment into our creative sector.โ
The Futures Studio launch comes just weeks after the governmentโs budget confirmed its commitment to support the UKโs growth-driving creative industries, worth ยฃ125 billion to the UK economy.
Professor James Bennett, Director, CoSTAR National Lab and Royal Hollowayโs Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Creative Industries), said: โFutures Studio is CoSTAR National Labโs first step in building the UKโs infrastructure for the next generation of creative innovation and entertainment and weโre excited to see how local businesses can benefit from this unique space.
โBy providing an accessible facility that combines research and the latest technology we’re lowering the barrier for local smaller businesses to not only compete, but to lead the wider evolving creative tech industry.โ
Futures Studio project lead Professor Peter Richardson, Vice-Dean of Research and Knowledge Exchange (School of Performing and Digital Arts) at Royal Holloway, and Head of Worldbuilding for the CoSTAR National Lab, said: โTechnology often powers creativity; our approach is to have creativity power technology which allows us to push the boundaries of what is possible. The Futures Studio gives us a space where we can push the boundaries with creative companies in a way that will de-risk their research and development projects.โ
How local creative business can get involved
Futures Studio has the potential to support local businesses by creating hundreds of jobs and deliver on the objectives set out in the recent Civic Agreement for Surrey. Small and medium-sized local businesses in Surrey will be offered access to creative technology showcases throughout the year and are encouraged to apply for access to the studio and expertise to develop their projects.
For more information about the upcoming opportunities within Futures Studio, please contact CoSTAR National Labโs Enterprise and Commercialisation team: futuresstudio@rhul.ac.uk
Looking for additional help and support?
Business Surrey is a Surrey County Council service providing free and accessible support for all businesses in Surrey. Our team of experts can provide independent and impartial advice on growing your business.
Find out more about what we do and how to access one of services by completing our Contact Us form.
The winners of the annual Surrey Business Awards have been announced at a glittering gala dinner at G Live in Guildford.
Launched in 2007, this year attracted a record number of entries across 16 categories, recognising accomplishments made across all aspects of business; from personal successes to outstanding contributions.
Surrey County Councilโs leader, Tim Oliver OBE, presented the winner, Guildford-based Diamond Logistics, with their award. The team were delighted to be awarded this coveted title and noted “This recognition highlights the relentless dedication of our team, who work every day to redefine logistics for our clients. From managing peak season surges to providing the essential support so many businesses rely on, our commitment has truly shone through. Thank you to the Surrey Business Awards for this honour, and to our clients and our fantastic teamโthis win is for all of you!”
Winners of the Surrey Business Awards
The full list of winners of the 2024 Surrey Business Awards are:
Diamond Logistics – Company of the Year
Hemisphere Freight Services โ International Business of the Year
Nescot โ Employer of the Year
Include.org โ Community Hero
The Naked Pharmacy โ Best Customer Service
KickX Football – Best New Business
The Naked Pharmacy – SME Business of the Year
Invuse โ Professional Services
Parwez Diloo โ Bays Consulting โ Future Talent of the Year
Surrey Business School โ Chamber Member of the Year
Direk โ Innovation of the Year
Pinksheep Marketing โ Business Growth
Something Big โ ESG Champion
Aspen Homes โ Property Developer of the Year
Sven Hughes โEnigma Strategic Communications โ Businessperson of the Year
Croxsons โ Large Business of the Year
Support for Surrey businesses
Our team of experts are available to provide tailored advice to help your bsuiness grow and succeed. Get in touch with a member of the team to find out more via our business support form.
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Event alert: Accelerate growth and win more customers
Published 12 November 2024
Advice and support, Events and awards
This interactive workshop has been developed to equip small and medium-sized businesses with effective strategies to accelerate long-lasting growth. Participants will gain practical insights and hands-on experience to stimulate their customer pipeline and drive business success.
This is a complimentary in-person workshop held by Business Surrey, in partnership with Tandridge District Council. The event is being held at Nutfield Priory Hotel and Spa (Nutfield), on Wednesday 11 December, from 8.30am to 11am.
Topics we’ll cover on the day:
Understanding your market
Crafting a compelling value proposition
Building strong customer relationships
Closing techniques and negotiation skills
The workshop will be led by Roya Croudace, a skilled Commercial Director, Founder, and Non-Executive Director with over 25 years of expertise in driving business growth, especially for SMEs. With experience spanning over 400 scale-up businesses in Surrey and FTSE 100 companies, Roya offers unique insights into creating robust and effective plans to accelerate growth, achieving measurable results, and building sustainable foundations for ongoing success.
Through her workshops and programs, Roya equips SMEs with practical tools to accelerate revenue, attract and retain customers, and boost profits.
On the day, you can expect to learn actionable strategies that drive success and build strong customer relationships, ensuring lasting impact for growing businesses.
This event is perfect for Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) owners and entrepreneurs in Surrey. There is no entry fee and no limit on the number of attendees from a single business, but spaces are limited and you must pre-register to attend. Register today to save your place.
Free support for Surrey SMEs
Business Surrey is a Surrey County Council service offering free and accessible support for all businesses in Surrey.
Our experts are on hand to provide tailored advice to help your SME grow and succeed. Get in touch with a member of the team via our business support form.
Surrey firm signs deal with UK MOD to supply advanced new Earth Observation satellite
Published 8 November 2024
Business news, Innovation
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), has successfully signed a deal with the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to supply a new Earth Observation satellite.
The ยฃ40 million project will support around 200 skilled jobs between now and the planned delivery date of 2027, boosting the UKโs space sector and helping to grow both the UK and regional economies.
The new satellite, named Juno, will capture daytime images of the Earthโs surface, strengthening the UKโs Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. Juno joins an existing satellite also manufactured by SSTL, (named Tyche), in supporting military operations such as monitoring the activities of military adversaries. The two satellites will also contribute to other key government observation requirements, including natural disaster monitoring, the development of mapping information, environmental monitoring and tracking the impact of climate change around the world.
MOD Procurement representative Maria Eagle said,“The contract for Juno shows the the UK’s commitment to grow one of the most innovative and attractive space economies in the world, and keep our competitive edge in space science and technology.
โJuno will not only support Armed Forces personnel deployed globally, but also support highly skilled jobs, delivering on the governmentโs growth mission.โ
SSTL Managing Director Andrew Cawthorne said: “We’re incredibly proud that the Ministry of Defence has again placed its trust in SSTL to deliver the UK’s next sovereign intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance spacecraft.
โJuno will offer a step change in imaging capability over Tyche, SSTLโs demonstrator spacecraft which launched in August (2024) and is now being operated for UK Space Command. We look forward to continuing our successful relationship with UK Space Command, DE&S, and Dstl, and playing a leading role in delivering the UK Defence Space Strategy.โ
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd started out in the late 1970s as an experiment in a small university lab in Surrey, and has since grown to employ more than 400 staff and has launched more than 70 satellites into space for 22 countries. Read our full case study looking at the history of this Surrey Success Story here.
The UK Space sector – a national and regional success story
The UK Space sector is a national success story, employing 52,000 highly skilled professionals and with labour productivity levels of 2.3 times the national average.
SSTL is a member of the UKโs largest space Cluster, Space South Central. This Cluster represents more than 170 space-related businesses and 4 academic institutions across Surrey, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The Cluster accounts for nearly 20% of the GDP generated by UK Space businesses. 2023 figures show that Surrey and Hampshire alone account for around ยฃ3 billion of national space industry turnover, with more than 12,000 people working in the sector across the region.
Space South Central aims to amplify the growth of the space sector both regionally and nationally, by developing long-term partnerships between industry, acadaemia and government.
Looking to relocate your business to Surrey?
Thanks to our desirable location, reputation for innovation and collaborative business ecosystem, Surrey is a top business location of choice for businesses of all sizes and across all sectors.
Our team of specialist advisors can offer a range of free and confidential services. We assist companies looking to invest and grow in Surrey. Whether youโre a start-up, SME or international company, you can benefit from our specialist expertise, local knowledge and business support.
Our new interactive map of Surrey businesses is now live and can be viewed here. This interactive tool provides a clear view of the range and number of businesses that have chosen to call Surrey home. It also offers a useful visual demonstration of the concentrations of businesses making up some of the key sectors of importance to Surrey’s economy.
Surrey’s vibrant and diverse business ecosystem is made up of a wide range of businesses, with global brand headquarters sitting alongside entrepreneurial startups and micro businesses. For those looking to relocate into, or within, the county, the map can be a key tool in helping to refine the search and hone in on the optimum location, by enabling the user to filter the map to filter for competitors, suppliers, research resources, co-working spaces, etc.
Filter by a range of categories and sectors
The organisations displayed on the map can be filtered by a number of key categories, including: Top 100 companies (by employee numbers); Top 100 by UK turnover; Creative industry; Cyber; Gaming; Research & innovation assets (including universities, research labs and enterprise zones); Coworking spaces, and many more. Users can also zoom in or out, and view the page as a map or satellite image.
Our toolkit of support for Surrey businesses
Whether you’re making plans for a new business location, carrying out research into Surrey’s key clusters, or investigating the opportunities within the business ecosystem in your local area, our interactive map can help. It’s one more tool in our offering to provide free and accessible support to all businesses in Surrey.
Our team of experts are available to provide tailored advice to help your SME grow and succeed. Get in touch with a member of the team to find out more viaย our business support form.
You can alsoย register to receive our newsletter, packed with the latest news on support, events funding and more for all Surrey businesses.
Events Roundup – November 2024
Published 18 October 2024
Events and awards
Once again, November sees a range of events happening across Surrey to help you boost your business. From free seminars and workshops to networking and learning lunches; there are many events to chose from that fit around the working day. Highlights are included here but donโt forget to check out the full list on our events page.
November continues to see businesses recognised for their innovation, leadership and entrepreneurial spirit with the Surrey Business Awards (7 November).ย There are also a number of events for Business Women in Surrey, including the Surrey Womenโs Entrepreneurship Network Anniversary Event (28 November) plus a number of IoD Surrey Branch Directors events.
Let us help promote your business event to a wider audience by submitting it to our events directory. If your organisation is hosting or sponsoring a business event in Surrey, you can submit it for inclusion in the directory by completing this simple form.
Free support for Surrey SMEs
Business Surrey offers free and accessible support for all businesses in Surrey, from startups to established businesses.
Our experts are on hand to provide tailored advice across the whole range of business topics to help your SME grow and succeed. Get in touch with a member of the team via our business support form.
Fully-booked Surrey Festival of Skills set to be even bigger and better for 2024
Published 11 October 2024
Events and awards, Skills and workforce
The Surrey Festival of Skills is set to fire up thousands of young people to be inspired about their futures.
Now in its second year, the event gives over 2,000 young people the chance to connect with and learn more about some of Surreyโs brightest and best businesses and training providers.
The Festival of Skills is open to all young people in education aged 14 to 18 โ whether they are educated in school, college, at home or by any other educational route.
The event has been organised and funded by Surrey County Council, with support from the Association of Learning Providers Surrey (ALPS). Sponsorship is provided by consumer health company Haleon and highways services provider Ringway.
Due to overwhelming interest, regular registration is now closed, however the organisers are operating a waiting list for those who still wish to register.
Routes to work plus training and skills pathways
This free one-day careers event will be held at Surrey Sports Park, Guildford on Tuesday 15th October and will bring together over 80 exhibitors from a diverse range of industries, including household names like Balfour Beatty, Siemens, McLaren and London Gatwick Airport.
Organisations from more unexpected or specialist sectors will also be exhibiting on the day, representing areas as diverse as private detectives, cyber security, osteopathy and early years education.
All of Surreyโs Further and higher education providers are exhibiting, along with a range of independent training providers so that the young people attending can learn more about the training and skills pathways available.
Public sector institutions will also be represented with the Animal & Plant Health Agency, National Highways, Police and Surrey Fire & Rescue among those attending.
The organisers expect this diverse mix of exhibitors will provide information, guidance and inspiration for the whole range of young people attending, no matter what their interests and future career aspirations may be.
Cllr Matt Furniss, Surrey County Councilโs Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport & Economic Growth, said: “We expect this yearโs Festival of Skills to build on the success of last yearโs inaugural event in providing the young people of Surrey with the chance to meet and speak with major employers and educators, learn about what theyโre looking for, and be inspired about their futures.โ
Lewis Bridgman, Business Unit Manager at Ringway said: โRingway are committed to supporting local talent and building a brighter future for young people in our county. We believe in investing in skills and creating opportunities that pave the way for rewarding careers for a diversity of talent within the highways industry. Together we can build strong foundations for tomorrow’s workforce. Ringway are proud to sponsor the 2024 Surrey Festival of Skills.”
Abeera Mohammad, STEM Lead at Haleon said: โHaleon are proud to be sponsoring the Festival of Skills this year. As a world-leading consumer health company with our Headquarters based in Surrey, we are excited to be able to promote STEM careers and have the opportunity to give back to the community.โ
Boost for UK startups as two key investment schemes are extended
Published 2 October 2024
Advice and support, Funding and grants
Startup funding schemes, the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and the Venture Capital Trust (VCT) scheme have been extended by ten years to 5 April 2035.
Government extends two leading investment schemes aimed at startups
Thousands of entrepreneurs and startups are set to benefit from the extension of two leading government investment schemes targeted at helping startup businesses get off the ground and grow.
The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and the Venture Capital Trust (VCT) scheme were both set to end on 6 April 2025 but will instead run until 5 April 2035.
The schemes are designed to encourage investment into new or young companies through tax-relief incentives, encouraging innovation, creating jobs and stimulating economic growth.
The two startup investment schemes at-a-glance
Both schemes offer incentives to investors of up to 30% upfront income tax relief and an exemption from capital gains tax on any profits made after the sale of shares.
Launched in 1994, the EIS scheme offers investors loss relief as long as shares are held for at least two years.
VCTs, which were then introduced in 1995, are companies listed on the UK stock exchange. They invest in early-stage trading companies on behalf of investors. Dividends received from VCTs are tax-free.
Since the launch of the EIS in 1994 the two schemes have delivered significant impact and success with over ยฃ41 billion raised to date.
What’s in it for startups?
This ten-year extension will benefit startups and help provide access to startup funding by providing investors with the confidence to continue to invest into high-risk, early-stage businesses. Early stage investment of this type is a vital element in supporting long-term growth and the development of the economy on both a regional and national scale.
Business Surrey is a Surrey County Council service providing free and accessible support for all businesses in Surrey, including startups.
Our team of experts can provide independent and impartial advice on accessing startup funding and grants, as well as other sources of support for startups. Contact the team for free via our Business Support Form.
Sign up to our newsletter for regular updates on news, events and support for all Surrey businesses.
Find out more about what we do and how to access one of our many startup-friendly services by completing our Contact Us form.
Events Roundup – October 2024
Published 30 September 2024
Events and awards
There’s always a huge number of engaging and educational business events taking place across the County and October is no exception – there are far too many to mention here, so be sure to check out the full list on our events page.
Get back more time in your day with online business events, so you can attend, learn and interact all while cutting out the travel time. October’s online events include Business Surrey’s own series of four free webinars covering all stages of the business lifecycle, (7-11 October), the Profit Acceleration workshop for business owners by Surrey Chambers (4 October), plus a webinar on transforming your team’s performance by using AI-powered Smart Agents (Surrey Chambers, 24 October).
Submit your own event
Don’t forget, our events directory is a great way to promote your own business events to a wider audience. If your organisation is hosting or sponsoring a business event in Surrey, you can submit it for inclusion in the directory by completing this simple form.
Free support for Surrey SMEs
Business Surrey offers free and accessible support for all businesses in Surrey.
Our experts are on hand to provide tailored advice to help your SME grow and succeed. Get in touch with a member of the team via our business support form.
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