About the GBIP: The Global Business Innovation Programme brings together cohorts of up to 15 innovative UK businesses (up to 500 employees) looking to grow and scale globally. Each GBIP focuses on a specific country and technology or sector area and enables the businesses to build collaborations and partnerships and explore innovation opportunities.

The Global Business Innovation Programmes are not about trade and export, but on helping innovative UK businesses tap into complementary knowledge, skills, facilities, in the chosen country and building understanding, insight, collaborations, partnerships and networks to enable the business to grow and scale globally.

Each Global Business Innovation Programme lasts up to 12 months and is structured around three phases:

• Getting ready for the market: Pre-visit briefing workshop to build knowledge and understanding of the market and potential opportunities, including how to do business, cultural aspects, how to protect your IP and training on how to improve your pitch and articulate your value proposition.

• Visiting the market: Explore the innovation opportunities first-hand through meeting with key companies and research organisations and potential collaborators and partners through pre-arranged meetings and organised matchmaking.

• Exploiting the opportunity: An exploitation workshop and one-to-one support from an Innovate UK Business Growth, Innovation and Growth Specialist to follow up and take advantage of the opportunities identified.

By applying for a place on this GBIP, businesses commit to participating in all three phases of the GBIP to maximise the opportunities for the business and the public investment in the GBIP. An individual senior person from the business will be expected to participate in all aspects of the GBIP and should be the named applicant.

Successful businesses accepted onto the GBIP will have a designated Innovate UK Business Growth, Innovation and Growth Specialist to support them for the duration of the GBIP, including developing an action plan to capitalise on the opportunities identified. You will be expected to work with the Innovate UK Business Growth, Specialist throughout the length of the GBIP.

Innovate UK will fund the costs of flights, hotels, in-country logistics, and conference fees for participants on the innovation visit to the country. On acceptance to the GBIP, a commitment fee of £1000 (excl. VAT) will be obtained from each successful company which will be returned after their involvement in the GBIP activity. Non-attendance of any part of the GBIP after formal acceptance may result in forfeiting some or all of the fee.

Financial Checks

Innovate UK will undertake financial background checks on the businesses (or directors if a company is less than 3 years old) to ensure the business is viable and does not have any outstanding County Court Judgements (CCJs).

Subsidy Control

Businesses up to 500 employees (249 in Northern Ireland) can receive up to a maximum amount of £344,600 (€200,000 in Northern Ireland) of innovation advisory and support services provided through Innovate UK Business Growth over a rolling 3-year period. The limit of £344,600 relates purely to the support that a business receives through Innovate UK or through Innovate UK EDGE or Enterprise Europe Network and is not related to what was previously de minimis support or similar types of support provided by others.

Existing Innovate UK support

If you have previously received grants or other support from Innovate UK or through Innovate UK Business Growth or Enterprise Europe Network, you will be asked to provide further details in Section 2 of this application form.