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Cornwall Create Growth Programme

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Cornwall is one of only six regions to be awarded support through the Create Growth Programme.

The Create Growth Programme is funded by the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) and aims to support creative businesses in planning for growth and exploring and securing commercial investment opportunities.

The Creative UK Cornwall team based in the region will be delivering this newly funded DCMS business support programme to connect and support creative scaleup activity that is bespoke to Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. The Creative UK Cornwall team will provide collaboration, knowledge transfer and bespoke mentoring that can foster further growth and take creative businesses to investment opportunities. We will be taking on up to 60 businesses in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly over the next two years, to cultivate their business and get them investment ready. Throughout the duration of the 9month programme the founders will be engaged in various initiatives to help them clarify vision, gain sector specific knowledge, obtain tools for making the business sustainable, meet likeminded peers and mentors to form a long-lasting networks, and prepare for investment.

The programme launched in November 2022 and will run until March 2025.  

Who is delivering Cornwall Create Growth Programme?

Who is delivering Cornwall Create Growth Programme?

The programme will be delivered by Creative UK in partnership with regional sector experts Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, Screen Cornwal, and Falmouth University.
What does the programme look like?

What does the programme look like?

  • Diagnostic meetings with investment mentors will precede your application and will support you to dig deeper into your business plans and finances to look at what scaling up might offer you and how investment can help. These are individual diagnostic meetings with one business / applicant at a time. 
  • Online and in person workshops, events, and talks that provide overarching business skills and tools but also sector specific advice and resources.  
  • Peer to Peer Learning Sessions that will give you a regular place to share experiences, explore challenges as a wider team and consider your place in the wider creative industry ecology in Cornwall 
  • One to One Mentorship that ensures you get bespoke advice and coaching to clarify your vision and business model. The mentor will support you to write business plans, proposal, and investment pitches ready for an investment application process. 
  • Open events to learn from experienced founders, intensive development courses, multi-day residentials. 
What is the timeline?

What is the timeline?

The programme launched in November 2022 and will run until March 2025.The cohorts will be staggered across the two years.

Cohort 1: April 2023 Application support. May 23– Jan 24 programme 
Cohort 2:  Sept 2023 Application support.  October 23– June  2024 programme
Cohort 3: April 2024 Application  support. May 24 – Jan 25  programme 

Who is delivering Cornwall Create Growth Programme?

The programme will be delivered by Creative UK in partnership with regional sector experts Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, Screen Cornwal, and Falmouth University.

What does the programme look like?

  • Diagnostic meetings with investment mentors will precede your application and will support you to dig deeper into your business plans and finances to look at what scaling up might offer you and how investment can help. These are individual diagnostic meetings with one business / applicant at a time. 
  • Online and in person workshops, events, and talks that provide overarching business skills and tools but also sector specific advice and resources.  
  • Peer to Peer Learning Sessions that will give you a regular place to share experiences, explore challenges as a wider team and consider your place in the wider creative industry ecology in Cornwall 
  • One to One Mentorship that ensures you get bespoke advice and coaching to clarify your vision and business model. The mentor will support you to write business plans, proposal, and investment pitches ready for an investment application process. 
  • Open events to learn from experienced founders, intensive development courses, multi-day residentials. 

What is the timeline?

The programme launched in November 2022 and will run until March 2025.The cohorts will be staggered across the two years.

Cohort 1: April 2023 Application support. May 23– Jan 24 programme 
Cohort 2:  Sept 2023 Application support.  October 23– June  2024 programme
Cohort 3: April 2024 Application  support. May 24 – Jan 25  programme 

What is the eligibility?

What is the eligibility?

To be eligible for the business support under the programme, you must meet the following criteria:
  • You have a registered business or Companies House  
  • This registered business is trading or registered in Cornwall or Isles of Scilly  
  • You can provide information on turnover and how investment will help you to scale your business.
  • Operating across one of the following sectors: advertising and marketing; architecture; crafts; design and designer fashion; film, TV, video, radio and photography; IT, software and computer services (including gaming); publishing; museums, galleries and libraries; music, performing and visual arts.
We are particularly keen to hear from businesses who have creativity at their core and who have a strong ambition to grow and improve their business performance. For example, this can be in the form of advancing a product range, growing an audience, diversifying revenues, improving profit margin, becoming self-sustainable, securing investment or developing commercial partnerships.
What is the application Process?

What is the application process?

Stage 1
If you would like to apply for the business support programme we ask you to either meet with our programme manager Suzie West or complete an initial application form called an Expression of Interest (EOI) You can apply by completing the EOI here.

Stage 2
If you pass the criteria for the first stage, you will be asked to complete an application form. This is a rolling application and can be completed any time. However if you have a preferred cohort, ensure you complete this before the cohort deadline.  There is a deadline for each cohort  

  • Cohort 1 – EOI Deadline April 2023
  • Cohort 2 – EOI Deadline September 2023
  • Cohort 3 – EOI  Deadline April 2024
Stage 3
This diagnostic process will allow for our investment and business mentors to look at the potential of your business and it’s future invest -ability. The Creative UK Cornwall team will also use the diagnostic  to understand how the business support programme needs to be shaped, which mentors we need to employ and how the broad range of selected applicants can support each other across sectors. If you are not successful, then the support team have a good understanding of how to support you next and where to sign post you to.  At the end of the 9 Month programme your mentor and the Creative UK Cornwall team will help you to build a pitch and proposal for investment and will be introduced to investment partners or other finance options. The key strand to the investment is through Innovate UK’s Funding Competition.  
Contact Us

Contact Us

1. Email our Programme Manager Suzie.West@wearecreative.uk to start a conversation.
2. Meet Suzie face-to-face to complete the EOI stage informally at an event.
3. You also complete the form below to register your interest in Creative UK Cornwall and be added to our mailing list:  


What is the eligibility?

To be eligible for the business support under the programme, you must meet the following criteria:
  • You have a registered business or Companies House  
  • This registered business is trading or registered in Cornwall or Isles of Scilly  
  • You can provide information on turnover and how investment will help you to scale your business.
  • Operating across one of the following sectors: advertising and marketing; architecture; crafts; design and designer fashion; film, TV, video, radio and photography; IT, software and computer services (including gaming); publishing; museums, galleries and libraries; music, performing and visual arts.
We are particularly keen to hear from businesses who have creativity at their core and who have a strong ambition to grow and improve their business performance. For example, this can be in the form of advancing a product range, growing an audience, diversifying revenues, improving profit margin, becoming self-sustainable, securing investment or developing commercial partnerships.

What is the application process?

Stage 1
If you would like to apply for the business support programme we ask you to either meet with our programme manager Suzie West or complete an initial application form called an Expression of Interest (EOI) You can apply by completing the EOI here.

Stage 2
If you pass the criteria for the first stage, you will be asked to complete an application form. This is a rolling application and can be completed any time. However if you have a preferred cohort, ensure you complete this before the cohort deadline.  There is a deadline for each cohort  

  • Cohort 1 – EOI Deadline April 2023
  • Cohort 2 – EOI Deadline September 2023
  • Cohort 3 – EOI  Deadline April 2024
Stage 3
This diagnostic process will allow for our investment and business mentors to look at the potential of your business and it’s future invest -ability. The Creative UK Cornwall team will also use the diagnostic  to understand how the business support programme needs to be shaped, which mentors we need to employ and how the broad range of selected applicants can support each other across sectors. If you are not successful, then the support team have a good understanding of how to support you next and where to sign post you to.  At the end of the 9 Month programme your mentor and the Creative UK Cornwall team will help you to build a pitch and proposal for investment and will be introduced to investment partners or other finance options. The key strand to the investment is through Innovate UK’s Funding Competition.  

Contact Us

1. Email our Programme Manager Suzie.West@wearecreative.uk to start a conversation.
2. Meet Suzie face-to-face to complete the EOI stage informally at an event.
3. You also complete the form below to register your interest in Creative UK Cornwall and be added to our mailing list:  


Still have questions? Look at our FAQ’s document HERE.