Inspiring Business by Sharing Success

Harnessing the power of online technology

Harnessing the power of online technology

DNCC’s eBusiness Club was established to help businesses make the best use of the latest Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to boost their performance.

Given the economic challenges of the past five years, the need for businesses to improve their productivity and competitiveness has been more important than ever. 

Rapid advances in technology have driven UK growth over the past decade and eBusiness has been central to this drive, with surveys and research showing that innovative and tech-savvy companies are the ones which stay ahead of their competitors.

Across the East Midlands, DNCC’s eBusiness Club has offered one of the most comprehensive and effective regional approaches to ICT support for small businesses. 

Its Transformational ICT programme – funded by the European Regional Development Fund and delivered by DNCC in partnership with Lincolnshire and Leicestershire Chambers of Commerce – has delivered practical and action-oriented  support to SMEs in the East Midlands. 

Phase one of the project, which ended in March 2013, helped more than 1,000 local businesses to harness new and emerging online technologies to enable them to win new orders, reach new clients, boost productivity, raise the profile of their business and stay ahead of their competitors.

Looking ahead, the eBusiness Club has secured a new £2.2m funding allocation – again from the ERDF – to deliver a second phase of the Transformational ICT project, which will deliver grant funding, ICT consultancy services and a new dedicated support website alongside a full programme of events, courses and training workshops.

DNCC has recognised the importance of this contract to local businesses and is investing a further £200,000 into the project over the next two years.

eBusiness Club Manager Jon Egley said: “Phase One of the Transformational ICT project was a huge success and we are absolutely delighted to have secured the funding to build on the strong foundations we have laid with a second phase.

“The Chamber recognises that this is a big potential growth area for its members and the wider business community in terms of helping to boost productivity, access new markets globally, become more competitive and, ultimately, create more profits, jobs and growth.

“Phase two will be a much bigger project and we have made a big investment in the team here at the eBusiness Club, by bringing in more staff to deliver more events and workshops, grant funding and consultancy for eligible businesses to help them make the most of what these fast-growing technologies have to offer.”

To find out more, log on to www.ebusinessclub.biz.


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