Businesses from Greater Lincolnshire gathered in Lincoln on Wednesday night to celebrate the official launch of the Productivity Programme hosted by former Olympic athlete Colin Jackson CBE. The Productivity Programme has been launched to offer businesses support in driving levels of productivity and investment.

Under the new scheme, businesses can benefit from match-funded grants of up to £10,000 and funding for an internship programme as well as business support and advice.

Andrew Stevenson, Director of Research and Enterprise at the University of Lincoln, opened the event at St Mark’s in Lincoln with a presentation on the importance of productivity for businesses in the county.

“We want to help businesses understand that productivity isn’t necessarily about making life-changing decisions or completely adjusting the business strategy; even the smallest incremental changes can deliver as much value to your business and benefit the wider economy,” said Andrew.

Speaking at the launch, Colin Jackson commented: “The Productivity Programme is an outstanding initiative for this region – the programme’s tagline of “Making the impossible, possible” resonates in every situation. My advice to businesses would be to make the most of the fantastic resources available.”