In March 2023 the Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge published the UK Innovation Report with the aim of benchmarking the UK’s industrial and innovation performance in a global context.

This comprehensive report brings together a whole range of innovation and value-added indicators and should be a key reference in any discussion about innovation policy and industrial performance in the UK.

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In the past accountants might have been comfortable dealing with the financial aspects of an R&D tax relief claim, but may have felt less qualified to assess the technical or scientific aspects of their clients’ claims.
Many accountants I have spoken to recently have left this aspect entirely to their clients, believing them to be the experts in their field. But now that HMRC’s rate of enquiry is increasing they find that the client can’t answer HMRC’s technical questions, and neither can they.

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The British Business Bank recently published the latest news from the Small Business Equity Tracker. We take a look at the detail to find out what it tells us about the UK’s innovative SMEs and how they are attracting equity investment.
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We have just released our latest research report, a deep dive analysis into the performance of 18 years of Innovate UK investments, with successful applications for funding totalling over £9.8 billion over this period. ‘Innovate UK: The impact report’ examines funded projects using publicly available data. The data analysed includes 49,527 successful applications relating to 26,242 projects, from 17,698 separate organisations.
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The UK Digital Strategy policy paper was published on 13 June 2022. It reconfirms the government’s intent to make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a technology business and it seeks to outline this vision and the actions required to deliver it.

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Your R&D tax relief claim can’t be an afterthought

For too long, and for too many, R&D tax relief has been a tick box exercise of tax planning. However, HMRC has drawn a line in the sand when it comes to abuse of the R&D tax relief scheme. This change of tack is well overdue and should protect the integrity of the schemes.

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There were a number of proposed changes relating to the R&D scheme in the Autumn budget 2021. In the Autumn HMRC published their proposals and launched the consultation process to seek feedback on the proposed changes.
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The conversation that GovGrant has been having with our clients over the last 5 years has evolved. We started with “have you heard about R&D tax credits” then “have you maximised your R&D tax credit claim”. Today we can maybe assume that more of the right people are claiming, and getting value from their R&D tax relief claims. So now we’re moving to “are you sure you’ve got it right”.
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There are currently a lot of players in the exceptionally crowded space of R&D tax credits. As a consequence, there are probably a lot of conflicting messages. These range from “get hundreds of thousands of pounds in 30 minutes with zero risk” to “the wolf is at the door so proceed with serious caution”. As always the truth is somewhere between those two positions.
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When the words ‘R&D tax credits” are mentioned, people often think of white lab coats, test tubes, and rocket ships. Whilst these activities are likely carrying out Research and Development, the scheme is not limited to these. In fact, GovGrant has a wide range of clients varying in industries and sectors. From tomato growers to logistic firms, smart garment makers to gym apps – R&D is found in all sorts of businesses and sectors.
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The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, presented his Autumn Budget and Spending Review to Parliament on Wednesday 27 October 2021. There were very few surprises when it comes to R&D, innovation, and Patent Box tax relief. Many of the announcements were made against the context of the recent R&D consultation, see our response here.
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It probably hasn’t escaped your notice that the UK is hosting the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow at the end of this month.
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GovGrant has been announced as a finalist in two categories of the Business Culture Awards, for Best Working Environments & Practices Initiative and Best Small Organisation for Business Culture. We’ve also been successful in the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards, as Employer of the Year and Small to Medium Business of the Year. It’s great to have our business recognised in this way, and an endorsement of all we have achieved this year.
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The Digital Accountancy Show is a one-day exhibition specifically focussed on digital transformation and the app ecosystem. It’s happening 1 September 2021, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and we hope to see you there.
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At the end of July, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) announced that a strong intellectual property system will be key as the UK aims to be a global leader in innovation. It is clear that the UK is facing some major challenges; net-zero, the levelling up agenda, global trade ambitions and, not least, economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
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A recent report by David Connell, Senior Research Associate, Centre for Business Research Cambridge Judge Business School, seeks to reappraise the objectives of the R&D tax credit and Patent Box schemes.
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R&D and innovation specialists GovGrant have today revealed the UK economy is failing to capitalise on its world-leading academic prowess and intellect by not translating its R&D into commercial gain and creating intellectual property (IP).
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GovGrant is delighted to be supporting the Business Insider Made in Scotland Awards. We will be sponsoring the Innovator of the Year category. This award is for a Scottish-based manufacturer which used innovation in the production process which had a measurable effect on the bottom line in 2020. The deadline for nominations has been extended to 2 May so it’s not too late to nominate your innovation, the awards are free to enter for businesses based or individuals working in Scotland.
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It’s World Intellectual Property Day, a day to celebrate and educate the world about the role that intellectual property (IP) rights play in encouraging innovation and how, when employed successfully, an idea can become an IP asset to create business value and drive sustainable economic growth.
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In case you missed it, last week the European Patent Office (EPO) released its European Patent Index (EPI) for 2020 which saw the number of European patent applications filed at the EPO drop by 0.7% compared to 2019. If you would like to know more about what the European Patent Index is and why it is significant, please see my earlier blog post here. This is the last in a two part series that will dissect the data released in this year’s EPI and what it may reveal for the state of innovation for certain sectors within Europe.
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This week the European Patent Office (EPO) has released its much-anticipated European Patent Index (EPI) for 2020.
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As an innovative SME ourselves we are always looking for new ways to get our message out there to UK businesses. During the first lockdown, we took the opportunity to trial a radio campaign to promote our R&D and IP message to innovative companies.
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The Chancellor had a tough task today in dealing with the short term needs and long term recovery that Covid-19 necessitated. It is encouraging to hear some real steps forward in the R&D roadmap including a commitment to green energy, levelling up, skills and visa agendas and a review of R&D tax relief.
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First announced nearly a year ago, as part of the 2020 budget, it seems that the government is set to go ahead with the £800m investment into a new “blue skies” science research agency. If it was welcome in 2020, it is surely essential now with everything that has happened in the interim.
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Today is the UN’s “International Day of Women and Girls in Science”. As a business, GovGrant is at the heart of the innovation ecosystem it’s dispiriting to think that the UK could be missing out on the skills and expertise of a significant chunk of the population. Do we still need a day to promote STEM subjects for girls? Surely there is ample opportunity and the UK is ahead of this curve?
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The past couple of weeks have been littered with announcement after announcement about vaccines, Pfizer & BioNTech, Moderna, and Oxford University & AstraZeneca. All have been featuring in the news with their promising results that are potentially paving the way for a return to normality.
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I am a change agent, always have been. I love to challenge the status quo of our business, with a drive to improve the outcomes for our clients. We should always be on our toes, asking ourselves how we do this quicker, better, and smarter.
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There has been much talk about the regulation surrounding R&D tax advisors and it is a welcome conversation. I would love to work with like-minded advisors to keep evolving the conversation. To find the right framework for this industry today, and just as importantly, where it goes next.
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In the UK companies are able to claim tax relief for their R&D activity. This government scheme is designed to boost innovation by supporting businesses that seek to improve or overcome challenges or uncertainties in their products and processes. We know that businesses in Scotland have a proud tradition of innovation and invention but are Scottish businesses being awarded the tax benefit they are entitled to?

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On 1 July 2020, the government released an R&D Roadmap to set out a vision to attract global talent, cut unnecessary bureaucracy, and cement the UK as a world-leading science superpower.
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It may seem like another era, but the UK budget on was less than 3 months ago. At that time the Chancellor set out his plans to increase public R&D investment to £22 billion per year by 2024 to 2025.
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In his first ever budget the Chancellor was bold and ambitious with his plans but since the 11 March the world and economy have changed beyond compare and the subsequent financial response from the Chancellor means the budget has paled into insignificance. Here Luke Hamm, CEO at GovGrant, considers how innovation is being promoted by the government and how speed is critical to any success.

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It is safe to say that the sudden emergence of Covid-19 and its impact has taken the world by surprise. It has brought economies to their knees as well as posed social challenges, but most importantly, it represents a great threat to the health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable. In these truly unprecedented times, our hopes of fighting, mitigating, and eventually, overcoming this global pandemic rest on the shoulders of innovative companies, universities and other organisations coming up with technical solutions to solve this problem, and fast.
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R&D tax credits provide a real financial benefit to UK companies. As part of the UK governments commitment to R&D and innovation, it is one of the most successful mechanisms to support innovation in business. And now is the time to make sure that you are receiving the maximum amount of value possible.
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The chancellor stands firm on the government’s commitment to R&D tax relief. The government have announced sweeping measures to turbocharge the UK economy and commitment to R&D was underlined with a massive £22bn investment.

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Innovation tax specialist GovGrant comments on the annual HMRC tax credits statistics and says Government needs to demonstrate that it really is pro-business. Commenting before the publication today (10 October) of the latest HMRC statistics measuring the amount of tax credits claimed by the UK’s most innovative businesses during the previous 12 months, Luke Hamm, CEO of GovGrant, said:

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GovGrant is delighted to be sponsoring the Innovation category at this year’s Hertfordshire Business Awards. This will be our third year sponsoring this category, which recognises and rewards innovation within our region. It always made sense for us to sponsor this award, after all, we spend our time working with all kinds of firms helping them identify innovation so they can get access to vital government funding.

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Hebden Bridge-based Urban Cottage Industries has secured £90,000 under the R&D tax credit scheme. The company is a bespoke manufacturer of high quality, retro and vintage style lighting equipment, aimed at professional designers, architects and engineers. CEO Stanley Wilson said the money had made a big difference to the firm, which invests heavily in innovation, at a time when tough market conditions made it a challenge to pay their day-to-day bills.

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GovGrant collaborated with four other firms aiming to help SMEs maximise their innovation opportunities at a June event in partnership with Business Funding Show. It was the first in a programme of GovGrant sponsored events. We invited the other organisations to share the platform in order to give innovative companies a fully-rounded insight into available funding sources (debt, equity, grant and, of course, the R&D tax credits and Patent Box schemes) to support a continuous cycle of innovation within their organisations, and all the business benefits that ensue.

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GovGrant, the innovation tax specialist that helps businesses secure tax breaks for their R&D and intellectual property, has targeted ‘vertical farming’ for future business development. GovGrant CEO Luke Hamm said that vertical farming provides ethical solutions to the problems of mass population, as well as practical opportunities to commercialise food production by adopting new practices in an industry that hasn’t much changed for thousands of years.

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The government’s latest Industrial Strategy report on artificial intelligence (AI) delivers some welcome headlines, but I have a nagging feeling that progress in creating a world-class AI sector in the UK is stately, rather than speedy. The government is, after all, marking its own homework, so it’s no surprise that it accentuates the positive.

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Luke Hamm is CEO of GovGrant, a specialist adviser helping companies take advantage of generous government tax incentives for innovation. You can’t keep China out of the news. Not only is it poised to overtake the USA as the world’s biggest economy (and this may be a political factor behind the current trade war with the US), but in the UK, the government is weighing up whether to allow Huawei, the Chinese telecoms giant, to build parts of the UK’s 5G network.

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The UK’s biopharma and medtech sector is a world class sector with potential for stellar growth, according to Luke Hamm, CEO of GovGrant, which helps companies in the sector obtain commercialise their innovations, including R&D tax credits. Commenting after the publication of the government’s Office For Life Science’s (OLS) statistical survey of biotech and medtech in the UK, Luke said: “The report underlines the vital importance of this sector to the UK economy, with a quarter of a million employees, turnover of nearly £75bn and over 6,000 businesses across the four key areas.” [biopharma, biopharma service and supply, med tech core and med tech supplier businesses.]

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Honda’s decision to close its Swindon car plant by 2022 has been hijacked by the politics of Brexit. No surprise there, but the closure also blows a big hole in the government’s industrial strategy, which placed some big bets on the development and production of electric vehicles in the UK.

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Australian government proposals to restrict tax incentives for R&D and innovation have been delayed following an outcry from business and research groups. The proposals, intended to save £1.2bn capped cash refunds for research activities at $4m, introduced a new ‘intensity test’ for larger companies to favour higher, more intensive R&D investment, and significantly increased compliance and enforcement measures, according to a report in the Guardian newspaper.

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Sir James Dyson’s decision to move his corporate HQ from the UK to Singapore has unleashed a storm of Brexit-related comment. Sir James, one of the UK’s most successful inventors, is a prominent Brexit supporter, and he has been widely criticised as hypocritical on social media and in the MSM.

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Business financing – cash flow and employees are key assets in every organisation and while the full impact of Brexit on business remains to be seen, business owners should take every opportunity to reinforce these critical areas now and for the future.  GovGrant, the UK’s leading specialist in Government incentive funding schemes and Peninsula an award-winning provider of HR, Employment Law & Health & Safety support services would like to personally invite you to attend a brief but invaluable complimentary event for business owners at 9.30am on Tuesday 5th February 2019 at The Hallmark Hotel, Cambridge.

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The government is giving more of a boost than ever before to the UK’s most innovative companies, according to the latest full-year statistics from HMRC.

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Luke Hamm, chief executive of innovation tax credit specialist GovGrant, will urge business owners to monetise their intellectual property (IP) and stop treating it like a medal. In a keynote speech to delegates at the start of London IP Week (Monday 10 December), Luke, whose business helps the UK’s most innovative SMEs claim for the government’s ‘Patent Box’ scheme, will accuse policymakers of ‘woefully under-protecting IP,’ calling for bolder policies policy to ensure business and the wider knowledge economy derives full value from inventions.

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Luke Hamm, chief executive of innovation tax specialist GovGrant, has welcomed the government’s announcement that it is to introduce new laws to protect small businesses against unfair contracts that stop them raising money from unpaid invoices.

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GovGrant, the St Albans-based innovation and R&D tax credits specialist, has welcomed government plans to develop localised industrial strategies, including for Hertfordshire, but has urged ministers to keep their focus on supporting the strategy at a national level too.

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Luke Hamm, CEO of GovGrant was on hand to give the 2018 Thames Valley Business Magazine award for best use of technology and innovation to Reading-based Ultima Business Solutions Ltd.

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As is usual, politics took centre stage following the 2018 Budget. Labour was under scrutiny after the Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, indicated that, unlike his boss, he would not oppose the government’s personal tax changes. In the Times, leading economist David Smith noted that while the budget ‘must be judged as a political success,’ the level of public debt continues to be a cause for concern.

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GovGrant, the innovation and R&D tax credits specialist, has welcomed the government’s commitment to the agri-tech sector following the outcome of a government-sponsored roundtable earlier this month, where ministers announced a further £30m investment (on top of £90m already committed via the Industrial Strategy) to enable farmers to buy into technology.

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GovGrant, the innovation and R&D tax specialist, has urged the Chancellor to use the tax system to boost the UK’s army of inventors and innovators in the Budget on 29 October.

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GovGrant, the innovation tax incentive specialist, has joined the All Party Design and Innovation Group (APDIG), a parliamentary body made up of MPs and Peers that champions innovation inside and outside Parliament.

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The Chancellor has announced that Budget day 2018, one of the busiest news days in the financial calendar, will be earlier than expected, on 29 October.

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Tell me about your background and how/why you became CEO at GovGrant?

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We are delighted to be hosting our second ‘It Pays to Innovate’ workshop with Velocity Growth Hub next week. Seats are limited, but it’s not to late to book your free space!

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Charles Darwin said that ‘it’s not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one that is most responsive to change.’ He was citing the animal kingdom, but (if he was still with us) he could equally be channeling the UK aerospace sector, one of the UK’s most important industries.

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This year saw only three insurtechs in the FCA Sandbox out of 29 firms in total.

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One of the more heartening aspects of this year’s Federation of Small Business (FSB) innovation survey is that SMEs know they need to innovate, particularly in the face of competition.

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The insurance industry is missing out on claiming back research and development (R&D) tax.

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The Federation of Small Business (FSB) innovation survey stands out like a sore thumb. There are a huge number of SMEs not accessing or not even being aware of government support for their research and development (R&D).

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GovGrant, the leading innovation tax relief specialist, has welcomed what the government has described as the ‘biggest increase in public R&D (research and development) funding for over 40 years.’

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Results from this year’s Federation of Small Business (FSB) innovation survey make for interesting reading.

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The march of artificial intelligence is seemingly unstoppable. An AI-world is viewed with alarm or excitement depending, I suspect on whether the Terminator movies increase your pulse rate or send you to sleep.

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Q. You’ve had a number of senior roles in private equity-backed businesses, and in private equity, so what was the attraction of joining GovGrant?

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Insurtech is the buzzword in the insurance industry right now, with dozens of UK start-ups all trying out new ideas and often hungry for investment cash. But what can they do to increase their chances of getting off the launch pad? Is there anything companies can do to get more government help?

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Come and join us for a free breakfast seminar on Tuesday 24th July 2018, in the heart of St Albans.

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Anyone old enough to remember the BBC comedy series Harry Enfield and Chums may recall the wonderful public information film pastiche sketches which always ended with the phrase ‘Women, know your limits’.

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Hidden innovation needs to be brought out from the shadows and into the spotlight.

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The term “Industry 4.0” originates from a project in the high-tech strategy of the German government promoting the computerisation of manufacturing and adopted globally as a name for the current trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies. It includes cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things, cloud computing and cognitive computing. Industry 4.0 introduces what has been called the “smart factory,” in which cyber-physical systems monitor the physical processes of the factory and make decentralised decisions.

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“We apologise for any inconvenience you might be experiencing. If you wish to make a complaint, please contact us. We’ll do our best to put things right.”

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Due to the contribution it makes to carbon emissions the real estate sector is in the forefront of the shift to building “green” buildings. This has been driven by a mix of public sentiment and awareness, legislative pressure and technological advances.

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It may be best known for cider and clotted cream, but there is a revolution going on in the South West of the UK with hi-tech companies springing up at a rate of knots.

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Business innovation funding and tax relief specialist GovGrant has been shortlisted for a prestigious global award.

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If you have a company that does a lot of research and development, you will want to look into the R&D tax claims you can make. In some cases, you can get reimbursement for up to 33% of your development costs.

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Getting a tax credit for making your business better and more efficient, or for bringing a new product to light, is a great thing. It can help you recoup costs that you had for the research and development projects you undertook.

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The new official bulletin on R&D spending statistics makes for fascinating reading from a business point of view. Produced annually by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), figures in the Gross domestic expenditure on Research and Development, UK: 2016 are the latest available.

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It is an essential element of the UK Industrial Strategy to encourage businesses to invest in green energy to ensure, we continue to reduce our carbon footprint. Environmental taxes have been making the headlines in recent months. The public is more aware of caring for the environment than ever before, with charges for carrier bags and coffee cups and the rise in popularity of electric cars and green energy suppliers to the home.

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When assessing research and development projects, knowing which ones qualify for R&D tax credits can help you plan your strategy and budget. When spending money on these types of projects, it is important to understand how these credits are calculated, and what it could potentially mean for your business. Companies can currently claim up to 33% of their expenditures through R&D tax claims.

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Last night, GovGrant hosted a dinner at the House of Commons with a number of MPs, industry experts and our clients to discuss how government should support the SME community. The focus was on the question, ‘If the R&D tax credit system is driving innovation and productivity, why is uptake still low and what should be done to give SMEs better IP protection and understanding?’

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Richard Thompson has spent the largest part of his professional life offering help, support, and advice to small businesses.

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Are you the owner of a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) in the UK and think that you could be entitled to research and development tax credits? By working with GovGrant you can eliminate the costly guesswork involved in making R&D tax claims by yourself.

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The statistics are truly mind-blowing and should act as a wake-up call to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK. According to figures from The Centre for Economics and Business Research, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is likely to add an incredible £322 billion to the country’s economy over the next two years and create thousands of jobs in the process.

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If I was being completely honest I am really not sure how I would react if a member of my team told me they were going to take a few weeks off from work so they could appear on a reality TV show. My immediate concern would be about how the actions of the person involved might affect the reputation of our business.

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If you are a business owner or manager with a company presence in the UK, you may be eligible for research and development (R&D) tax credits. At GovGrant, our consultants focus on helping you to maximise your R&D tax credit claim no matter the size of your business or your principal products and services. We will help you to follow these simple steps to make sure that you are getting the most from your claim.

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Advances in technology and the ever evolving digital landscape have triggered what can only be described as a revolution in the normally conservative world of the financial services sector.

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A long awaited report into tax credit relief was pretty much guaranteed to make waves because of its forthright views. The Institute for Public Policy Research did not hold back when it released its findings into the extra revenue that firms can access for carrying out research and development.

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Everyone knows that running your own business is one of the toughest challenges out there in the professional world. It takes a mixture of guts, determination and self-belief to make a success of a small enterprise and the UK’s army of entrepreneurs need all the help and support they can get.

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Philip Hammond made it abundantly clear in his Budget that innovation and creativity are the driving forces behind the UK’s economy.

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GovGrant’s managing director Jeremy Tear has been judging the innovation category in this year’s Hertfordshire Business Awards and his visits to the shortlisted businesses have provided him with plenty of insights and inspiration.

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GovGrant is looking forward to exhibiting at The Business Show this year. This free business exhibition offers a wealth of opportunity, advice and information crucial for ongoing business growth within a challenging economy. The event is committed to providing you with everything needed to improve, evolve and expand your business.

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On 2 October 2017, GGTC, Capital Allowance Specialists and Patent Box Consultations starting trading as GovGrant – why?

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