< Previous20 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk END OF YEAR SUCCESS STORIES T he East Midlands ends 2025 in a stronger position than many expected at the beginning of the year. Businesses across the region have navigated a difficult economic climate marked by high operating costs, cautious consumer spending and tightening investment conditions, yet the area has also seen a series of developments that point to a more confident medium-term outlook. Much of this momentum has come through long-range decisions rather than quick wins: strategic investment frameworks, skills planning, infrastructure consultations and national designations that will shape how the region competes throughout the 2030s. These are not overnight stories of turnaround. They are more measured signals that the region is being positioned (with increasing intent) as a core player in the UK’s transition towards cleaner industry, upgraded transport networks, and modern manufacturing capacity. One of the clearest demonstrations of that shift is the East Midlands Freeport’s £1 billion investment strategy, announced this year as the most ambitious plan in the organisation’s short history. Rather than focusing solely on tax incentives, the strategy sets out a broader attempt to create development- ready locations for clean energy, logistics, and advanced manufacturing across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. The framework outlines how the Freeport intends to unlock sites around East Midlands Airport, Ratcliffe- on-Soar and the region’s strategic road corridors, combining infrastructure investment with skills support and business engagement. The economic forecasts are significant: up to 28,000 jobs and an estimated £9 billion in economic impact over time. These figures are aspirational, but the direction of travel is clear. The Freeport is presenting itself not merely as a special-tax zone, but as a long-term mechanism to consolidate the region’s industrial strengths and attract new investment that would otherwise gravitate south or towards established northern hubs. Where the Freeport provides a large, outward-facing statement of intent, the East Midlands Investment Zone offers evidence of work already under way. East Midlands stakes its claim on the UK’s clean-growth future Despite another difficult year for businesses, 2025 delivered major steps forward for the region, from billion-pound investment plans and long- term transport reform to clean-energy training hubs and early progress on next-generation nuclear. www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 21 END OF YEAR SUCCESS STORIES Now one year into delivery, the zone has begun allocating its first rounds of support to firms in green industry, digital technologies and advanced manufacturing. The early focus has been on helping businesses accelerate commercialisation and expand locally rather than moving activities elsewhere. Grants have backed projects ranging from low-carbon industrial processes to specialist engineering growth, supporting companies that see the region as a competitive base for innovation as well as production. The investment zone’s initial progress has not generated the same headlines as the Freeport’s announcement, yet it connects the region’s existing strengths with new funding streams, ensuring that the East Midlands is not simply preparing the ground for future investment but enabling tangible development in the present. These industrial moves sit alongside a major piece of regional policy work: the East Midlands Mayor’s launch of a large- scale public consultation on a 15-year transport plan. The plan is not merely about improving commuting times or tackling congestion, although both remain central concerns. It seeks to define how the region will move people and goods across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in a way that supports a growing workforce, attracts investment, and prepares for changes in travel behaviour. As the first directly elected mayor for the area, Claire Ward has emphasised that the transport plan is meant to align the region’s priorities around buses, roads, rail and active travel, with the potential to guide funding bids and long-term spending commitments. While consultation is only the first stage, its scale reflects a shift in how the region expects to exercise devolved powers: not through piecemeal schemes, but through a unified framework that creates clearer expectations for industry, local authorities and residents. Signs of future strength also come from the region’s role in national clean- energy policy. Lincolnshire, in particular, secured a designation this year that gives the area an influential place in shaping the UK’s net-zero workforce. As part of the Government’s clean-energy 22 Á22 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk END OF YEAR SUCCESS STORIES jobs plan, Lincolnshire has been named a key national training hub, placing it at the centre of efforts to prepare thousands of workers for roles in offshore wind, hydrogen, grid modernisation and related technologies. The designation recognises the concentration of industry expertise already present along the Lincolnshire coast and in the Greater Lincolnshire area, including its offshore wind servicing base, engineering firms and existing FE and HE providers. It also reinforces the narrative that the region is becoming a pivotal contributor to the UK’s low-carbon talent pipeline, not merely a location for physical infrastructure but a region shaping the skills that will sustain clean-energy growth for decades. The region’s position within national energy strategy has been further strengthened by Government progress on assessing potential new nuclear power station sites, signalling a fresh chapter in how the region contributes to the UK’s long-term electricity supply. While no final decisions have been taken, several locations have been considered as candidates for future nuclear development. This forms part of a wider shift within the UK’s energy policy landscape, recognising that new nuclear capacity is necessary to underpin renewable expansion and provide stable baseload power. The assessment process sits alongside other major projects, such as the emerging plans for the Cottam site (just beyond the East Midlands boundary) to become the UK’s first nuclear-powered data centre campus, reinforcing the wider Midlands region’s rising relevance in secure, low-carbon energy generation. For the East Midlands, inclusion in the nuclear-site assessment is significant because of future energy needs and supply-chain opportunities that nuclear development typically brings. Engineering firms, specialist manufacturers, construction contractors and training providers stand to benefit if the region is selected. These developments illustrate a pattern that has defined much of 2025 in the East Midlands: progress has not come from a surge of short-term commercial expansion but from a widening set of long-term structural commitments. Businesses across the region have continued to face difficult trading conditions, yet the broader economic narrative has been shaped by policy decisions and strategic investments designed to anchor key sectors for the future. That balance, between present-day pressure and long- horizon opportunity has been visible in local conversations throughout the year. www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 23 END OF YEAR SUCCESS STORIES Chambers, councils and combined authorities have routinely acknowledged the challenges while pointing to the importance of locking in advantages now so the region can compete more effectively over the next decade. The integration between skills, infrastructure and industry is becoming clearer as well. The decision to designate Lincolnshire as a clean- energy training hub complements the East Midlands Investment Zone’s focus on innovation funding. The Freeport’s long-range plan matches the mayor’s intention to create a transport system capable of supporting industrial scale- up. And the nuclear-site assessment connects the region’s existing engineering base with emerging national priorities. These moves do not operate in isolation. They form the outline of a more joined-up regional strategy. One built from the ground up through individual announcements, but increasingly coherent in its overall direction. As the year closes, the picture that emerges is one of a region preparing itself for recovery and a different kind of economic identity. The East Midlands of the late 2020s and early 2030s is being positioned as a central hub for clean industry, advanced manufacturing, logistics and transport integration. The groundwork being laid today, whether through infrastructure planning, skills investment or innovation funding, is intended to help businesses attract talent, secure supply-chain resilience, and respond to national policy shifts. The path ahead is not guaranteed. Many of the initiatives launched this year are at the consultation or planning phase and will require consistent political commitment, investment and collaboration to deliver their full potential. Businesses will need support to navigate the transition, local authorities will need stable funding, and communities will expect improvements that feel tangible rather than abstract. Yet even with those challenges, the region enters 2026 with clearer ambitions, stronger frameworks and a more defined sense of how it fits into the UK’s long-term economic vision. In a year where national headlines have often centred on uncertainty, the East Midlands’ success stories stand out not because they offer quick fixes, but because they chart a realistic route forward: one built on infrastructure, skills, clean-energy leadership and strategic investment. Behind each announcement, there is a wider commitment to shaping a future in which the region is not simply reacting to economic change, but actively helping to drive it.24 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk BUSINESS SCENE The Build Club has quickly become a staple in Nottingham’s built environment community, focused on a fresh form of networking, with the latest event on Thursday 30th October highlighting the strength and diversity of the industry as property and construction professionals gathered at Roxy Lanes. Organised by Mohammad Fahad, associate at Church Lukas, and Alex Edmeades, area sales manager at Roy Geddes Bricks, attendees from all corners of the sector – including contractors, developers, structural engineers, architects, and many others – enjoyed an evening of informal networking over pool, karaoke, and a little friendly competition. The event also saw the announcement of The Build Club’s evolution, with the launch of a new learning series on the horizon. Mohammad Fahad told Business Link: “As we look to the future, we are excited to announce The Build Club: Collaborative Learning Series, set to launch in January 2026. This new series will feature sessions every two months, with short, insightful talks from industry professionals – maintaining the relaxed, informal atmosphere that makes The Build Club unique. “We’ll also be hosting upcoming events in Birmingham (February 2026) and at UKREiiF in Leeds (19th May 2026). For any questions, feel free to reach out at events@thebuildclub.co.uk, and don’t forget to follow our LinkedIn page to stay up to date with upcoming events and announcements. “We’re thrilled to keep building these connections and can’t wait to see what the next year brings!” Connecting through informal collaboration Nottingham’s built environment community gathers for The Build Club. www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 25 BUSINESS SCENE PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF LEO COLLIER-BETT open call of €166 million and a submission deadline of 12 May 2026. Additionally, three challenge-specific calls totalling €96 million will open until 28 October 2026, encouraging novel solutions to pressing scientific and societal challenges. For innovations approaching commercialisation, the EIC Transition programme provides up to €2.5 million per project, supporting the translation of Pathfinder research into viable products or services. Applications for this €100 million funding stream are open until 16 September 2026. A new addition, the EIC Advanced Innovation Challenges, offers two-stage funding for breakthrough technologies: Stage 1 provides up to €300,000 (deadline 26 February 2026) for proof-of- concept development, while Stage 2 offers up to €2.5 million F or ambitious companies looking to accelerate innovation, European grant funding offers a compelling alternative to private investment. Unlike equity-based finance, these non-dilutive programmes allow businesses to retain full ownership while gaining the resources, credibility, and momentum needed to bring breakthrough ideas to market. Working with Streets dramatically accelerates your path to funding. Teams that partner with us are up to three times more likely to secure investment and turn bold ideas into real, scalable outcomes. At the forefront of Europe’s innovation landscape is Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research and innovation programme with a €95.5 billion budget spanning 2021 to 2027. It supports collaborative projects 26 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk ACCOUNTING Unlocking innovation – European grant funding options for growing businesses Dr Rehman Rafiq, associate director – grants, at Streets explores the European grant funding options available for growing businesses. At the forefront of Europe’s innovation landscape is Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research and innovation programme with a €95.5 billion budget spanning 2021 to 2027. addressing major global challenges across health, climate, digital transformation, and advanced manufacturing. Within this framework, the European Innovation Council (EIC) provides targeted support for high-risk, high-impact technologies through a range of instruments. The EIC Pathfinder programme offers up to €4 million per project to fund early-stage, disruptive research, with an www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 27 ACCOUNTING (deadline 18 June 2027) to scale commercially promising solutions. Finally, the EIC Accelerator remains the flagship route for scaling deep-tech innovations. With an open budget of €414 million across six cut-off dates in 2026, and €220 million dedicated to five challenge-specific calls, it supports companies developing technologies at TRL 6+ with a streamlined proposal process, evaluation by technical experts, and an interview stage. The 2026 cut-off dates are 7 January, 4 March, 6 May, 8 July, 2 September, and 4 November. Complementing this is the EIC STEP programme, with a €300 million budget and four proposal batches in February, May, September, and November, focused on supporting scaling and market entry for high-impact companies. Another important route for R&D- focused SMEs is the EUREKA Eurostars programme, which funds international collaborations developing novel products, services, or processes with strong commercial potential. For UK companies, Innovate UK continues to provide a bridge to European funding opportunities, helping businesses access both domestic and cross-border innovation programmes. UK companies are also eligible to apply for European Grant Funding. Accessing these competitive funding programmes requires strategic planning, aligning innovation goals with funding priorities, building credible partnerships, and demonstrating measurable impact. Companies that combine technical excellence with clear market validation and exploitation strategies significantly improve their chances of success. For expert guidance, Streets Innovation offers end-to-end support in proposal writing, submission, and project management, increasing the likelihood of securing funding by up to threefold. With the right strategy and support, your next innovation could be Europe’s next success story. For further information or a conversation to explore how we can help your business please email innovation@streets.uk 28 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk CONSTRUCTION INNOVATION Wearables, drones and robotics are reshaping the UK’s most hazardous industry, reducing injuries and changing how risks are managed long before problems emerge. C onstruction has long been one of the most hazardous sectors in the UK, where heavy machinery, high platforms and fast-moving schedules create a working environment that demands constant vigilance. For decades, improvements in safety depended largely on training, supervision and experience. Now a new generation of technology is beginning to shift that balance. Wearables, robotics and intelligent monitoring tools are creating construction sites that look and feel markedly different from those of even five years ago. The change is subtle rather than dramatic, yet its impact is reshaping how risks are managed and how workers carry out their daily tasks. On many sites, the smallest innovations are proving the most transformative. Smart helmets, boots and vests embedded with sensors are Technology steps in as construction redefines safety on site www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 29 CONSTRUCTION INNOVATION giving companies a clearer picture of what is happening on the ground. These devices can track fatigue, heat exposure, posture and proximity to hazards, alerting both workers and supervisors before an incident occurs. For employees, the result is often a heightened sense of support, with technology acting as an extra pair of eyes during long shifts. For managers, real-time data offers early warnings that allow them to intervene quickly, adjusting workloads or redirecting teams before conditions become unsafe. This shift towards preventative action is one of the most meaningful changes emerging from construction innovation. Historically, safety improvements were reactive, relying on incident reports and investigations. Wearables invert that model by capturing continuous information, turning risk management into a dynamic process rather than a static checklist. Companies are learning that when workers know the technology is designed to protect rather than monitor them, adoption becomes smoother and cultural resistance eases. It is a delicate balance, yet one that many firms are navigating successfully through clear communication and transparent data policies. Robotics is also beginning to assume a larger role in tasks that have traditionally carried high physical strain. Autonomous and semi-autonomous machines are now handling activities like rebar tying, drilling and repetitive lifting. These tools are not replacing jobs wholesale; instead, they are reducing the physical burden on workers and allowing them to focus on supervision and more skilled work. The impact on long-term wellbeing is significant. Musculoskeletal injuries remain one of the most common reasons for time off in construction, and the introduction of robotic assistance is helping lower that risk. By shifting the most taxing tasks to machines, companies are extending the working lives of experienced staff and reducing turnover linked to injury. Drones, too, have become part of the everyday landscape on many sites. Once seen as experimental or suited only to high-budget projects, they now support routine inspections, surveying and progress checks. Their ability to access hard-to-reach areas reduces the need for workers to climb scaffolding or enter confined spaces for visual assessments. In practice, this means that risks once accepted as part of the job are no longer necessary. Surveyors can examine rooftops, structural joints and excavation perimeters from a safe distance, generating detailed imagery that feeds directly into digital project models. The increased accuracy reduces rework, accelerates decision- making and lowers the likelihood of human error during planning. Behind these visible tools is a quieter technological layer that is just as influential. AI-driven platforms are analysing site data from sensors, machinery and project management 30 ÁNext >