Chamber News

If you are aged between 18 – 30 years and you are thinking of starting your business or need finance for the business you started within the past 12 months, then you may be able to get a loan through a Government programme administered by Foundation East. Check out their website www.18-30.org or phone 01284-757772 for more details

Please note FAQs below:

Q: What are Start-Up Loans? Start-Up loans are business loans for new entrepreneurs aged between 18 and 31,living in England, who are looking for finance to start a business.

Q: When can I apply? You can apply now for a new loan. Just register online, download the forms and apply online. We can help all the way.

Q: How do I apply? By clicking on register to find out more.

Q: Am I eligible? To apply for a loan through Foundation East you should be at least 18 years of age (at the time of your application) and younger than 31, living in England and interested in starting a business. We can be flexible with this so please contact the 18-24 Team for more information if you are unsure if you can apply.

Q: What is the Application Process? When you apply, Foundation East will then work with you to identify what stage you’re at in your idea process, and help you present your business proposal, for you to successfully get your loan. If successful, you will receive the funding for the loan which will be administered by Foundation East. Mentoring will be provided with the loan, giving you additional support and guidance as you go through an entrepreneur’s journey. Either complete the online application or download the forms, or do both! Fill these in with the help of a mentor, email these forms back to us and sign the last page which you can post to us separately. Simple!

Q: How much can I borrow? This will be agreed between yourself and Foundation East. We will lend what you actually need from £500 upwards. If you require more than £10,000, Foundation East offers loans up to £50,000 – visit www.foundationeast.org.

Q: What kind of loan is it? The Start-Up loan is a personal loan regulated under the Consumer Credit Act.

Q: If I receive a Start-Up loan, what are the payback terms? You will be required to pay back the loan within three to five years at a fixed annual interest rate of 6%.

Q: Will I receive any practical support? In addition to your loan you will also receive business support and mentoring to help develop your idea.

Q: When will I be able to receive a start-up loan? Loans are available now. Hurry up with your application to avoid disappointment.

Q: What else do I receive? As well as the loan, business support and mentoring, applicants will also be eligible to enrol in resources from a number of our Global Partners, all of whom will be announced on our Facebook page and Start Up Loans website, and communicated to you once you have received your loan. For example, 6 months free access to Regus’ Virtual Office Package and access to most of their business lounges across the world. In addition, applicants will also receive a free copy of Start-Up Loans kit, which offers all the guidance you need to start a business, plus more than £500-worth of offer on products from business cards to websites, netbooks and work suites.

Q: Will applicants be contacted for more details? Yes – applicants will be contacted. We want you to succeed and can help at any stage of the process. The loan application and cashflow are often all we will need to determine your loan.

Q: Who will be deciding who gets the loans? Foundation East has arrangements for determining which entrepreneurs will receive loans, but the underlying criteria are set by the Start-Up Loans Company to ensure a consistent approach is followed across the country.

Q: How will the loans be handed out? Loans will be transferred to the applicant’s business bank account. Foundation East will help the young person open an account if they do not already have one. We have arrangements in place with both Barclay’s and Lloyd’s for fast track business account applications.

Q: I’m an International Student, living in Eastern England, between 18-24. Can I apply? Yes as long as your visa permits you to work in the UK, and your business plan is viable to allow you to repay you loan during the length of your stay.

Q: I am over the age of 24 can I still apply? Yes you can! – you can apply for a loan if your under the age of 31 at application. You may be able to obtain business finance from Foundation East who providing loans of up to £50,000, if you are of any age.

Q: What else do I need? You will have to obtain a credit report, you can either visit www.creditgeeks.co.uk or contact the 18-24 Team who can provide assistance in how to do this.

Q: What ID is acceptable? There is a list available which can be downloaded on the Checklist Page. If you are not sure just ask us.

Q: Who can counter sign my ID and Proof of Address? As a requirement of the scheme we require your ID and Proof of Address to be counter signed. Your countersignatory should not be related to you by birth or marriage but can be one of the following: Accountant, Councillor, Civil servant, Lawyer, Member of Parliament, Minister of a recognised religion, Nurse (RGN and RMN), Officer of the armed services (active or retired), Police officer, Salvation Army officer, Social worker, Teacher or lecturer If in any doubt just ask us!

Q: I am already trading, can I apply? If you are a new business that is trading for less than a year then you can still apply.

Q: Why do I need a credit report? The full personal credit report – we don’t base our decision on your credit score, we ask for this to offer guidance and advice where possible.

UKTI in the East of England is supporting an outward mission that is being led by Essex County Council in collaboration with Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils and EEEGR, to introduce companies in the Energy and Energy Management sectors to prospective business partners in China.

Essex County Council’s contacts in Jiangsu Province have identified opportunities that match the findings of UKTI’s specialists in China, that major opportunities are emerging in that region and in these sectors, for UK businesses to benefit.

In Offshore Wind, for example, The National Energy Administration (NEA) has announced ambitious targets of 5 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind to be installed by 2015 and 30GW by 2020 – altogether representing an investment of over £30 billion. If this is achieved, China will overtake the UK to have the largest offshore wind market by 2020.

These developments will take place principally in Jiangsu and the neighbouring provinces of Shandong and Hebei. Significant delays in some of the early-phase developments have resulted from a lack of expertise in placing wind turbines in the sea and from environmental concerns in respect of near-shore turbines; and the drive for cost reduction in energy creation is likely to remain high in China (as in Europe) for the foreseeable future … so there’s opportunity for those who have experience of OWE development in Europe to establish potentially prosperous business partnerships with the appropriate Chinese authorities.

These opportunities for British companies exist in all areas of the Offshore Wind sector, but especially in the early stages, consultancy, surveying, cable, foundation design, planning issues, and health and safety.

In Energy Management, energy auditing, energy efficient processing/machinery and energy monitoring & control are all key areas of concern in China. Between 50-60 million automatic-meter-reading (AMR) smart meters were installed in 2011 alone – and China may replace the country’s meters again in 2015 with automated meter infrastructure (AMI) meters.

The state grid will invest CNY 384 billion (EUR 46.6 bn) to build a national ‘strong and smart grid’ by 2020, and over CNY 300 billion (EUR 36.4 bn) will be invested in thousands of kilometres of new ultra-high voltage (UHV) lines to move excess intermittent power to where it is most needed.

Companies that sign up and participate in this trade mission, which is scheduled to coincide with the 2013 China International Import Expo in Kunshan, near Shanghai, during 15-18 May 2013, can expect to learn at first hand about these opportunities by meeting influential officials and representatives of the Chinese organisations that are likely to be involved in making them happen. One of the exhibition halls is dedicated to Energy and the Environment, so you will be well placed in that respect; and you’ll participate in the East of England business conference and networking event where you can promote your company to a targeted audience as well as your company-specific meetings programme.

You’ll have access to group travel arrangements and pre-departure support; interpreters will be provided at the Expo conference; and we can assist with arranging translation of your promotional materials.

As well as your one-to-one meetings, you will hear about the issues associated with doing business in China and learn how to manage them so that new business agreements can develop into prosperous international trade. Many UK companies are trading successfully in China already, and the presence of some of our European trading partners is particularly noticeable, so this opportunity to visit Shanghai and meet prospects is designed to help East-of-England businesses enter the market before your competitors.

You don’t need to commit right now, but if you are sufficiently interested even to consider joining this mission, please contact the undersigned. You can discuss your interest with Alan, including how best to help you achieve your objectives, before confirming details that will include a subsidised fee associated with setting up your participation and the one-to-one meetings, before perhaps moving forward to your participation.

SMEs that meet the qualifying criteria, can apply for Market Visit Support that will contribute towards your travel costs.

For further information, please contact:

Alan Highet, International Trade Adviser UK Trade & Investment Tel. 07545 020351 Email. [email protected]

This mission will be focussed around two co-located exhibitions taking place at the Tripoli International Fairground.

A British pavilion, around a UK Trade & Investment hub, will be positioned in an ideal location intersecting both trade fairs.

Last year the two events attracted around 200 international exhibitors from 24 countries and 4,500 business delegates.

Over recent years there have been national pavilions from Turkey, Egypt, France and the Netherlands; this is the first time there will be a fully-fledged British pavilion.

Delegates taking part in the British Pavilion will receive a specially negotiated rate of US$475 per sqm of stand space, a 15% discount on the standard pricing (minimum stand space is 9 sqm).

These two events offer companies the opportunity to not only exhibit their skills, but also to take advantage of a UK-branded pavilion promoting the unique expertise the UK has to offer the Libyan market.

There will be a full UKTI presence at the Pavilion, which will serve to help co-ordinate the official UK presence and promote “UK plc”. The exhibitions will also include a full programme of high-level speakers from Libya and abroad.

Please click here for further information

Vietnam has one of the fastest-growing, most vibrant economies in Asia. Over the past ten years, economic growth has been second only to China and GDP has been doubling every ten years since 1986.

Vietnam joined the World Trade Organisation in 2007 and GDP growth in the four year period since has averaged 6.5%.

The UK/Vietnam relationship is strong – bilateral trade increased by over 26% in 2011, with UK exports of goods and services to Vietnam reaching £520m. Registered UK investments in Vietnam exceeded £1.6bn at the end of 2011.

There are considerable opportunities in the following sectors:

• Power generating machinery and equipment
• General industrial machinery and equipment
• Medical and Pharmaceutical products
• Professional and scientific instruments
• Infrastructure (power, transport, telecoms)
• Services (banking, legal, accountancy)
• Telecoms
• Retail

For more information, please click here

Mexico is a country of huge potential that has demonstrated predictable, stable economic growth. It is a dynamic market and analysts predict that its economy will be larger than the UK’s by 2040.

It covers an area about the same size as the whole of Western Europe and occupies a strategic global position, being the natural bridge between Latin America to the south and the United States and Canada to the north.

Mexico is the largest trading nation in Latin America and one of the world’s top 15. As the economy has grown so has the demand for imports. UK exports of sophisticated goods and services have grown due to that demand.

There are business opportunities in the following sectors:

• Aerospace
• Automotive
• Consumer Goods
• Creative and Media
• Education and Training
• Environment
• Financial Services
• Food and Drink
• Healthcare
• Infrastructure
• Mining and Steel
• Oil and Gas
• Power and Energy
• Security
• ICT
• Leisure, Tourism Sports and Leisure Marine

For more information about this mission, please click here

The UK is in South Africa’s ‘Premier League’ of trading partners, with an annual bilateral relationship over £9.6bn, set to double following challenging targets set by Ministers. UKTI is focusing on high value and infrastructure opportunities which form part of the South African Government’s agenda.

These include projects in healthcare and acid mine drainage, with work in the energy and water sectors to come. There are also other opportunities that exist for the UK’s innovative, world-class products, services in different sectors of the economy.

This visit is open to experienced exporters who are interested in doing business in South Africa, partnering with companies in South Africa, or looking to expand operations in South Africa.

Some of the sectors in which there are clear opportunities include:

• Advanced engineering
• Materials science and advanced materials
• Oil and gas
• Minerals and mining
• Energy and energy efficiency
• Construction and infrastructure development
• ICT and communications technologies

For more information about this trade mission please click here.

Commenting on today’s speech on Europe by the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon David Cameron MP, John Longworth, Director General at the British Chambers of Commerce, said:

“The vast majority of businesses across the UK want to stay in the Single Market, but on the basis of a revised relationship with Europe that promotes trade and competitiveness. It is of critical importance to business and to Britain’s national interest that we have access to the European market, but not at any cost. On this basis, the Prime Minister’s determination to negotiate a new settlement for Britain is the right course of action.

“The Prime Minister must seek an ambitious and far-reaching settlement. We start with a strong negotiating position. We run a trade deficit with the EU, so it is not in Europe’s interest to see the UK go.

“Announcing plans for a referendum on British membership puts the onus on the rest of Europe to take the Prime Minister seriously, as they will now see that he is prepared to walk away from the table. However, the lengthy timescale for negotiation and referendum must be shortened, with the aim of securing a cross-party consensus and the outline of a deal during this Parliament.

“Although EU membership is not the biggest issue facing businesses in a world filled with uncertainty, the Prime Minister must be mindful of the need for pace and ambition. This would help firms across the UK remain confident while negotiations take place.”

2013 sees the Norfolk Chamber launch its campaign to ‘Unlock the Potential of Norfolk’s Young People’ .

Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said:

“I have yet to come across a business that is not willing to be supportive in helping our young people to understand the world of work. However, with increasing economic pressures on the business community the Norfolk Chamber felt it important that the topic of young people and unlocking their potential stays in the forefront of everyone’s mind.

The idea of our theme is to find a variety of ways to profile the employment opportunities available within our businesses for our young people and to get the business community and young people to get to know each other better. It is essential that our young people do have a voice and we listen to them”

At all of the Norfolk Chamber’s 70+ events throughout 2013 young people will be invited to participate. Businesses are invited to bring their apprentices to networking events at a special rate, for them to see the business community in action and to participate in the discussions. At the Chamber’s annual MPs event this February the topic will be all about how the business community can help influence the support for our young people, and a number of them will be invited to take part in the round table discussions.

Norfolk Chamber members will be working with schools across Norfolk to help them to identify career opportunities available across all sectors. Young people form a crucial part of the business supply chain now and in the future.

Apprenticeships are increasingly being recognised as a tangible way for businesses to employ young people with the advantage of support from a training provider. The Norfolk Chamber has challenged its members to collectively employ 213 apprentices in 2013 and to share with others what worked and what did not work, in order to encourage more businesses to employ apprentices and get more young people employed.

Caroline Williams continued: ” Although only a small business ourselves, we employ two apprentices and although to start with additional resources is needed to get them up to speed, their enthusiasm and new ideas definitely makes up for it . Growing your own workforce has many advantages.

“We are very excited about this year’s theme as a greater involvement of young people in Norfolk’s business community can only make us all more successful”

A Chamber-led delegation will be travelling to Westminster on Wednesday 6 February to meet with the Energy Minister, John Hayes. They will be highlighting to the Minster the business case and the opportunities available in Norfolk and Suffolk from the offshore renewable industry and seeking clarification on key issues affecting Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.

The delegation will include business members from Norfolk and Suffolk Chambers, the local MPs, Brandon Lewis, MP for Great Yarmouth and Peter Alldous, MP for Waveney and representatives from NSEA, EEEGR, Orbis Energy and the New Anglia LEP.

John Morse, President of Great Yarmouth Chamber Council, who will be attending on behalf of the Norfolk Chamber, said: “The Great Yarmouth Chamber Council during one of their regular meetings with Brandon Lewis MP identified key issues affecting local companies which they wanted to put directly to the Minister. We are delighted to have been invited to meet John Hayes and look forward to discussing effective ways to maximize Great Yarmouth’s potential to support the burgeoning offshore renewables industry.”

Great Yarmouth businesses will also be able to talk directly to John Hayes MP and follow up on this meeting at a special lunch he had agreed to attend after he has delivered a keynote speech at the Chamber’s Sustainability 2013 Conference on 8 May at the John Innes Centre.

Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said “It is essential that Government Ministers hear directly from local businesses about their needs and concerns and it is great that we have these opportunities to talk, one to one, with John Hayes as Energy Minister and influence his thinking and hopefully his actions”.

The East of England was the most represented UK region at last month’s Offshore Wind Energy event in Paris.

Those businesses now have the opportunity to capitalise on this success and follow up the leads and contacts made in Paris by attending THETIS. This is an international convention on Marine Renewable Energies that will take place in Brest, Brittany from 10 – 11 April 2013. (www.thetis-emr.com/uk).

Many of the French companies, who attended in Paris and had expressed a strong interest in partnering with UK, have already registered for THETIS, so this is an excellent opportunity to consolidate any gains, or simply to meet those companies that you did not quite manage to meet in Paris.

UKTI are subsidising a UK pavillion at THETIS and companies that are among the first to commit to THETIS will be able to have their own area to hang posters, put up pop up banners and run presentations/videos on laptops, as well being able to access a “meeting area” and set up one-to-one meetings within the UK pavilion.

Participation is via the OMIS programme @ £585 plus VAT per company, which is considerably less than it would cost independently for up to two delegates, including their entrance fee, two days exhibiting at the event, UKTI support and up to 20 one-to-one meetings during the event.

East of England businesses can register their interest in THETIS, by sending an email to the following email address: [email protected] which will gain them access to the support provided by UKTI in the East of England.

Space in the UKTI pavilion will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis and will depend on a combination of when you send your email and when you agree formally to the OMIS.

For more details of THETIS, please see the attached document.

The European Commission has recommended to the EU Council of Ministers that the Union should vote in favour of renewing two long-standing trade agreements: the International Sugar Agreement and the Grains Trade Convention.

It is seeking the Council’s authorisation for Commission representatives to vote, on behalf of the Union, in favour of renewal at the forthcoming meetings of the governing bodies of these two agreements.

The Grains Trade Convention 1995 was concluded by the EU by Council Decision 96/88/EC until 30 June 1998 and, since then, it has been regularly extended.

Last considered in June 2011, it remains into force until 30 June 2013. A further extension of the Convention by up to two years is seen by the Commission as being in the EU’s best interest.

Similarly, the International Sugar Agreement 1992 was concluded by the EU by Decision 92/580/EEC and entered into force on 1 January 1993 for a period of three years until 31 December 1995.

Since then, it too has been regularly renewed for further two-year periods.

The Agreement was last extended in June 2011 and remains into force until 31 December 2013. The Commission has said that it would be in the interest of the Union to vote for an extension of the Agreement to 31 December 2015.

It is intended to facilitate trade by collecting and providing information on the world sugar market and other sweeteners and provides a forum for intergovernmental consultations on sugar and on ways to improve the world sugar economy.

The Convention exists to further international co-operation in all aspects of trade in grains and to promote the expansion of international trade.

Healthcare UK, the new organisation set up to promote Britain’s healthcare sector to international customers, will be launched in the Middle East at a major international trade show this month.

In a joint initiative between the Department of Health, NHS Commissioning Board and UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), Health Minister Lord Howe will launch the organisation at the Arab Health Congress in Dubai on 29 January.

He will be joined by UK Business Ambassador Lord Darzi and the newly appointed Healthcare UK Managing Director, Howard Lyons.

Lord Howe described the UK as a world leader in healthcare, with unrivalled experience and expertise in meeting the health needs of a diverse population.

“Healthcare UK is good news for the UK economy, which will benefit from the extra jobs and revenue created by our highly successful healthcare industries as they trade more across the globe,” he went on. “It also means more money for the NHS across the UK.”

The aim is to provide a single gateway to the UK’s capabilities in healthcare – private, public and academic – to help international customers access the UK’s expertise.

UKTI Chief Executive Nick Baird said that Mr Lyons brought a great deal of international commercial healthcare experience to his new job, having worked in the NHS and the private health sector in Britain and overseas.

One of the tasks of Healthcare UK will be to facilitate the formation of consortia of UK organisations to provide complete solutions to major healthcare challenges.