Local Factsheet - Oxford City

We are here to help Oxfordshire’s small and medium sized businesses (SME’s) access the support they need to thrive at each stage of a business’s journey – pre start through to Scale Up.

The Growth Hub aims to signpost businesses to the most appropriate business support, schemes, and events. To do this, businesses complete our short business support tool so we can better understand their needs and provide them with more targeted help and advice.

We offer invaluable business support, including one to one support through our mentoring programme, peer networks activity, workshops and events, as well as signposting to local and national business support services, schemes, and events.

Eligibility: Available for all stages of business including businesses not yet trading.

Website: https://www.oxlepbusiness.co.uk/oxlep-business-support-tool

Tel: 0345 241 1196 (dial 2 for the growth hub)

E-mail: business@oxfordshirelep.com

Looking for information on business support?

Oxford City Council can provide signposting to sources of business support and commercial property. Information is available on licensing, business rates, networking opportunities and selling to the council.

Eligibility: Available for all stages of business including businesses not yet trading.

Website: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20005/business

Tel: 01865 249 811 - Main switchboard

Oxfordshire County Council can provide a wealth of information for business including: trading standards, local procurement and contract opportunities, supplying goods and services to the council, fire safety advice and commercial waste responsibilities. Oxfordshire County Council also provides support for apprenticeships.

Eligibility: Available for all stages of business including businesses not yet trading.

Website: https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/business

Are you thinking about starting a new business or becoming self-employed?

Free, fully funded, short courses offered online, providing an introduction to the key considerations of starting a business or becoming self-employed.  Learners will gain two enterprise qualifications, and receive ongoing support for three months afterwards.  To register your interest, complete the online form.

Following completion of the course, participants have the option to join further free programmes focussed on digital promotion and digital skills in the business, covering areas including using digital technologies and software for word processing, presentations and spreadsheets and digital skills career progression.

They also provide access to a fully funded, self-paced online Functional Skills course to help people build on their abilities in English and Maths, equivalent to a GCSE qualification.

For ex-offenders who have left the prison service, Through the Gate Support, provides learners with the opportunity to gain a recognised business qualification.  Through a series of engaging sessions, the course covers all the basics of starting up, and supports learners to work with other specialist ex-offender agencies as part of their resettlement journey.  To make an enquiry contact the team by emailing referrals@kickoffinbusiness.co.uk. 

Eligibility: Available for people over the age of 19, not started trading or within the first 12 months of trading.

Website: https://www.kickoffinbusiness.co.uk

General contact form: https://www.kickoffinbusiness.co.uk/contact

This scheme is part of a pilot project, that brings together OxLEP Business, the Berkshire Growth Hub, Buckinghamshire Business First and Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum to look at how by working together can support local businesses. The scheme is open to all businesses and will provide  information and advice via occasional SMS messages. The aim is to support businesses to be more resilient for emergencies and also for changes in the climate, by them to plan, prepare, be ready and adapt, so that any risk and impact on businesses is minimised.

Eligibility: Available to all businesses in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.

Oxfordshire: https://oxlepbusiness.co.uk/business-resilience-and-continuity/

Buckinghamshire: https://bbf.uk.com/news/new-business-resilience-programme-is-a-boost-to-buckinghamshire-organisations

Berkshire: https://berkshiregrowthhub.co.uk/code-red/

People starting or growing a business can access a range of FREE information and support services such as workshops and events, a range of resources and research databases (British Standards Online, COBRA, Fame, GrantFinder, IBISWorld, Local Data Online, Mintel, NewsBank) as well as bookable appointments for one to one business support or intellectual property advice. The centre also offers start-ups the use of a workshop room, photography marketing suite, co-working area and a Makerspace with specialist scanners and 3D printing. Local centres and support are now also available in Bicester and Blackbird Leys library.

Eligibility: Available for all stages of business including businesses not yet trading.

Website: https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/business/business-and-intellectual-property-centre-bipc

Email: bipc@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Contact form: https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/contactus/contact-business-and-intellectual-property-centre-bipc-oxfordshire

A police-led and not-for-profit organisation providing support to help protect businesses from cybercrime. You will gain access to a range of different tools and resources providing you with practical steps to protect your business. Different membership levels are available, including a free membership package. A range of cyber resilience services are also available – more information can be found on the website. 

Eligibility: Available to all stages of business. 

Website: https://www.secrc.co.uk/

Oxford University understands the challenges that come with trying to grow or scale a business and provides support to help with this. Some of the support available includes:

• flexible building and letting at the Oxford Science Park
• flexible facilities in a unique research environment at Begbroke Science Park and the BioEscalator
• engagement with entrepreneurs, academics and students at the Entrepreneurship Centre
• facilities for science and technology based innovation and enterprise at The Harwell Science & Innovation campus
• office space and specialist business support services at Culham Science Centre
• local networks, regional and national government support for local businesses

Website: https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/engage-with-us/external-organisations/resources-facilities/grow-your-business-oxford?wssl=1#Support 

A programme for manufacturing companies in the South East of England. Made Smarter is designed to help accelerate growth, boost productivity and increase competitive edge through new digital technologies.
This includes support from Technical Experts to help businesses switch to advanced and automated technologies, up to 50% match-funding, specialist advice, leadership training and student placements.  

To find out more and make an enquiry, visit the website.

Eligibility: Manufacturing businesses trading longer than two years, with a turnover above £100,000.

Closing date: March 2026

Website: https://www.madesmarter.uk/adoption/in-my-region/south-east/

Innovate UK Business Growth (was Innovate UK EDGE) is a key part of the UK innovation agency’s investment in the innovative businesses that drive economic growth. It provides intensive, specialist-led support to ambitious innovation-led businesses to help them grow and scale.

Each high-potential, innovative business is supported by a dedicated innovation & growth specialist local to them. The specialist will consider a business in the round and, working closely with its leadership, identify the most productive ways to accelerate its growth. This could be by working on the core business plan and value proposition or through exploiting innovation, accessing funding and finance, and/or expanding into new markets.

In particular, the specialists can help companies to develop an innovation-driven business plan; understand how to protect and create value from their intellectual property; develop a strategy to fund and finance their innovation, growth and be investment ready; connect to new partners for commercial, technology and R&D collaborations; and discover opportunities in overseas markets learning how to capitalise on them.

Innovate UK Business Growth  also offer the Scaleup Programme for enhanced support, the Global Incubator Programme and the Global Business Innovation Programme.

Eligibility: Available for businesses that have begun trading (innovative businesses, looking to grow and scale their business in the UK market and internationally) with up to 500 employees (250 in Northern Ireland). It is not suitable for pre-starts, or for those businesses who have no ambition to grow through innovation or internationalisation.

Website: https://iuk.ktn-uk.org/business-growth/

Online Contact Form: https://iuk.ktn-uk.org/business-growth-contact/ 

Tel: 0300 123 3066  (National Gateway)

Do you need legal advice? Lawyers for your business is a scheme offering a free half-hour consultation with a member of the Law Society.

The lawyer will not be able to deal with existing legal issues but can help with general legal enquiries about starting a business, employing people, contracts with customers and suppliers, taking on leased premises, business structures, health and safety and raising finance. When contacting a solicitor for a 30-minute free consultation you must advise you are calling regarding the Lawyers for your business scheme and use the named contact on the sheet sent to you from the service.

Eligibility: Available for businesses trading up to 12 months including businesses not yet trading.

Website: https://solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk/

Tel: 020 7320 5650 - If you need help with using the find a solicitor section, Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm

E-mail: lfyb@lawsociety.org.uk - please include postcode or town/city in the e-mail.

For solicitors interested in joining the LFYB scheme
https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/career-advice/individual-accreditations/lawyers-for-your-business

Oxford City Council
Information on how to do business with the council.
https://www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20023/selling_to_the_council
Tel: 01865 252 497

South East Business Portal
Portal for businesses looking to supply to Local Authorities in the South East. Registration is not required to browse opportunities.
https://sebp.due-north.com/
E-mail: ProContractSuppliers@proactis.com - Portal Support Team

SE Shared Service e-Sourcing portal
The portal is a collaboration between public sector authorities in the South East region to provide a simple, secure and efficient way for managing sourcing and quotation activities, reducing time and cost for buyers and suppliers.
https://in-tendhost.co.uk/sesharedservices/aspx/Home

Oxfordshire Business Support – Growth Hub
Online events and webinars.
https://www.oxlepbusiness.co.uk/events 

Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce group
Training, webinars events and networking in Thames Valley.
https://www.thamesvalleychamber.co.uk/event/

Federation of Small Businesses (FSB)
Events calendar from the Federation of small businesses.
https://www.fsb.org.uk/event-calendar.html

The Athena Network
Networking events for women in business.
https://theathenanetwork.com/events/ 

Oxford Business Community Network
Business networking group and community.
https://oxfordbusinesscommunitynetwork.co.uk/

BNI Oxfordshire
A networking group for businesses Oxfordshire.
https://bni-oxnb.co.uk/en-GB/index

BNI Oxford Spires
Networking and referral group.
http://bni-oxnb.co.uk/oxfordshire-oxford-spires-chapter/

Oxford City Council
Commercial property availability lists, and details of small business centres and business parks.
https://www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20021/business_premises

Oxford Innovation
Business and innovation centres at several locations across Oxfordshire including Oxford and Cherwell. Offering office space, meeting room hire and virtual office services.
http://www.oxin-centres.co.uk
Tel: 01865 261 480
E-mail: space@oxin.co.uk 

OxLEP Growth Hub
Free inward investment service for businesses locating to Oxfordshire, which includes support to source premises.
https://www.oxfordshirelep.com/business/invest-oxfordshire/investment-support
Tel: 0345 2411196
E-mail: investservice@oxfordshirelep.com