ESCC - CS - Business East Sussex Pivot Programme - AWARD

East Sussex County Council wishes to commission a programme to support ambitious, high growth potential businesses in East Sussex, in light of the impacts of Covid-19.

In 2018 the County Council commissioned three research pilot projects to trial an intensive support model aimed at businesses with 'scale up' / 'high growth' potential in East Sussex, branded 'Scale Up East Sussex'. The model of one-to-one support, workshops, and peer sessions has a significant evidence base nationally, and the pilots demonstrated that this model could work for businesses with high growth potential in East Sussex. Further details on the pilot programme are provided below.

There has been a range of support available from government aimed at supporting businesses through the immediate impact of Covid-19, and the Business East Sussex Growth Hub continues to provide a 'one stop shop' for businesses, providing advice and referring into the many publicly funded support offers.

The County Council is committed to driving sustainable economic growth. This new programme, based on the learning from the research pilots, is aimed at supporting high growth potential businesses with their long-term recovery and growth plan, to bounce back from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. We recognise that ambitious businesses with scale up potential may now need to 'pivot', adapt, or diversify their business to get them on to a high growth trajectory.