Developing your project

Advantage West Midlands provides investment to support projects that make a significant and lasting contribution to the economic development and regeneration of our region.

If you have a project idea that you think may qualify for support from us, you need to follow the proposal and appraisal process outlined here.

We’ve produced new advice and guidance to help you develop your project and build the case for our funding. This is set out in our Project Development Pack.

Before you invest a lot of time and effort in developing your project you’ll need to confirm that we are the most appropriate organisation to support your specific project requirements.

Who do I contact first?

Please do not complete a project application form until you have made contact with a named contact as detailed below.

We work with people across the West Midlands Region to agree what should be done to develop and regenerate our region. The framework for the region’s growth is set out in the West Midlands Economic Strategy (WMES). Through our  Corporate Plan we set out the contribution we will make to the delivery of the WMES.

To receive our funding support your project must show how it strategically fits with our Corporate Plan, our policies and local plans.

For guidance and advice on the potential for funding your project and to help you through the early stages of project development work you will need an AWM Sponsor

If your project is about developing specific industries refer to our representatives in the Business Clusters otherwise you should contact one of our Partnerships Team Leaders who will be able to help you.

How does the application process work?

The process of applying for and successfully attaining funding from Advantage West Midlands is a two stage process.

Initially, your AWM Project Sponsor will work with you to review and help develop your initial project idea to ensure that it meets local strategic needs and opportunities as well as the broader regional picture.

If our funding is to be sought, your AWM Project Sponsor will help you complete an Outline Proposal to us for your project. Our Outline Proposal Form and Guidance material is available in the Outline Proposal Pack.

If your project shows the potential to make a viable case for our funding your proposal will be endorsed and your Project Sponsor will work with you to develop the Full Application. Our Full Application Pack contains Application Forms and Guidance.

Keeping track of your application

Once we have accepted your proposal or application for appraisal your AWM Project Sponsor will keep you updated on progress. You can now also monitor the progress of your project(s) through our processes up to the Contract stage using our new “Project Tracker (Opens in new window)”. This will show progress to date and forecast dates for future milestones.

Ask your AWM Project Sponsor to allocate a username and password so you can log on to the system. If you are not sure who to contact please see the guidance above for contact details. As certain project information may be confidential it is important that you do not share your password with anyone else.

Your AWM Project Sponsor will work with you to make sure you fully understand the information provided by this facility and additional guidance on individual milestones is available via the ‘Milestone help’ link shown at the bottom of the Milestones panel of the facility. Where you have queries on the data displayed you are advised to contact your Project Sponsor.

All financial support offered through Advantage West Midlands is provided in accordance with State Aid rules.