We were joined by some of the best businesses in Greater Lincolnshire on Wednesday night to celebrate the launch of our new Productivity Programme.

Our latest scheme aims to drive levels of productivity and investment in Greater Lincolnshire. It’s been launched following the success of our Innovation Programme developed by the University of Lincoln, which has helped a total of 511 businesses by funding innovative ideas and practical advice.

Andrew Stevenson, Director of Research and Enterprise at the University of Lincoln, kicked off the night, introducing the programme and stressing the importance of pushing businesses in our region to reach their full potential.

We were also honoured to be joined by Colin Jackson CBE, Olympic silver medallist, two-time world champion and two-time Commonwealth champion, to talk about how he made the impossible possible throughout his career. He also kindly offered his support for what we hope to achieve with our new programme.

We were inspired by how hard Colin worked to adapt and overcome the obstacles he faced before achieving great success as an athlete, and we want to help businesses adopt this mentality and thrive in what can be a challenging economic environment.

While the Productivity Programme offers some of the same types of support as the Innovation Programme, one key element is that it is open to businesses that previously took advantage of the previous programme as well as new businesses.

The programme will support our local businesses through funding and advice, including match-funded grants of up to £10,000, up to 16 days of academic support from the University of Lincoln and up to £3,000 of funding for graduate interns.

The UK’s growth in gross domestic product (GDP) per hour worked remains well below that of many of our major international competitor countries. The programme will greatly contribute towards closing the productivity gap in Greater Lincolnshire by directly supporting business growth.

Greater Lincolnshire is such a fantastic place to work with a range of inspiring and innovative businesses, yet our economy has typically had limited investment in productivity.

The Productivity Programme will be a key part of driving growth, allowing micro, small and medium-sized businesses to do things differently and achieve their goals.

To find out more about how we can help your business reach its full potential, get in contact or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.