Kirklees Council has been awarded funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to help pre and new start businesses under three years old to Thrive, with a new health and wellbeing incubator in Huddersfield.
Thrive is a fully funded, specialist start up project to support health, wellbeing, and life science innovators and entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into a sustainable business.
Based at The Glass Box, in the heart of Huddersfield, clients will receive direct access to a range of support from specially selected partner organisations who will share their expertise, knowledge, and skills to accelerate their growth.
This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Thrive is being delivered by Kirklees Council and led by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority as part of the mayor’s ambition to make West Yorkshire the best place to work, learn and live. Thrive has been designed to help entrepreneurs and innovators to develop ideas, launch, and grow businesses in Kirklees.
The range of support will include a six-month workshop programme with groups starting in April and October 2024, with mentoring, access to workspaces, grants, networking, events and talks, and knowledge exchange opportunities.
Councillor Graham Turner, cabinet member for finance and regeneration, said, ‘’Thrive – the health and wellbeing incubator, will enhance a sector where Kirklees is already making an impact, alongside the University of Huddersfield’s National Health Innovation Campus and the West Yorkshire Life Sciences Investment Zone. We’re excited to see entrepreneurs and innovators be given the opportunity to make their ideas become a reality, and support them to grow their business here in Kirklees to create meaningful change in the sector.’’
To be eligible for Thrive, you need to be a pre-start, start-up or early-stage enterprise under three years old with fewer than ten employees. Businesses and entrepreneurs need to be developing products or services with applications that deliver better health, wellbeing and social care outcomes, tackle health inequalities, or support people to live healthier lives, and based be in Kirklees.
Applications are now open to join the April cohort. To find out more and to apply, visit the webpage Thrive – Business Kirklees.