Regional Growth Fund

The Regional Growth Fund (RGF) is a £1.4bn fund operating across England from 2011 to 2014. It supports projects and programmes that lever private sector investment creating economic growth and sustainable employment. It aims particularly to help those areas and communities currently dependent on the public sector to make the transition to sustainable private sector-led growth and prosperity.

Who can bid for RGF funds?

Bids from private bodies and public private partnerships across England will be accepted. No sector is excluded from bidding.

How does the bidding process work and who decides?

Each bid is in competition with the next. Even if you have a good bid it might not succeed if others are better.

Final decisions regarding support and prioritisation will be taken by a ministerial group chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister including the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and the Secretaries of State for: Business Innovation and Skills; Communities and Local Government; Transport; and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The ministerial group will be assisted by an independent Advisory Panel chaired by Lord Heseltine that will make recommendations on which proposals best address the objectives of the RGF.

Who can be involved in a public private partnership?

The make up of bidding partnerships is not prescribed. As a consequence bidders can form the best partnership to suit individual projects. The public sector partner can include local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships.

What sort of projects and programmes qualify?

The RGF will support bids that remove barriers to private sector-led economic growth. It will provide funds to support:

• private sector investment that triggers growth and jobs
• some basic infrastructure that triggers private sector led economic growth as part of a wider investment

It will not support speculative developments that do not explicitly address long term growth. All bids must be state aid compliant.

How much can I bid for?

The minimum bid is for £1m RGF support. A low minimum has been set to encourage innovative bids from all sizes of companies across a range of sectors.

The amount requested should be the minimum necessary to make the project go ahead. Since the RGF is a challenge fund bids need to be realistic and competitive.

Further information

If you have further queries about the Regional Growth Fund and Round 2 bidding please see the briefing note attached below or you can contact the following:

BIS Local Offices

North West 0161 2610480