Invest Northern Ireland’s Business Innovation Grant (BIG) is helping 160 SMEs and micro businesses to embrace innovation and boost productivity.
Developed and delivered in partnership with Innovate NI, BIG was launched in November 2024 to help micro-businesses, sole traders and SMEs develop and bring new products, services, or processes to market.
Making the announcement while meeting with Ballynahinch based parent teacher engagement platform company, Equipple, Alison Currie, Chief Development Officer at Invest NI said: “BIG is making innovation more accessible for businesses by helping to remove financial barriers and supporting them to develop and bring new products, services, or processes to market.
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“Since launching, the grant has supported 160 companies across Northern Ireland. These businesses are planning to invest a total of £3.6m to drive innovation, increase productivity and strengthen the growth ambitions of their businesses.
“The programme has also enabled us to reach a wider range of businesses, and to help more to take their first step on the innovation journey.”
Invest NI has offered the 160 companies £2.3m of financial support through BIG.
Equipple is a software platform that automates parent-teacher meeting scheduling and pupil data management. The company successfully applied to BIG in 2024.
Reflecting on the impact of BIG on his businesses, Stuart Henry, co-founder of Equipple said: “BIG has been instrumental in helping us commercialise our platform for market. As a small business, it can be challenging to dedicate the time and resources needed to do this. The funding has enabled us to gather customer feedback and develop new features that our customers desire. We have also been able to build relationships with schools by attending EdTech events to gain valuable insights directly from educators and parents.
“By commercialising our platform, we have now secured our first sales in England and the UAE, marking an important milestone for the business. The grant has given us the confidence and capability to move from being a promising start-up to a sustainable, growth-focused company, giving us a strong foundation for future opportunities across the UK and other international markets.”
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BIG has helped business in multiple sectors across Northern Ireland such as digital and creative technologies, advanced manufacturing and life and health sciences. Other companies which have benefited from the grant include:
Alison Currie added: “SMEs are the backbone of our economy. Often based in the heart of communities across Northern Ireland, they make a significant contribution to local prosperity, job creation and economic growth. By supporting SMEs to invest in innovation, we are strengthening their competitiveness, helping them seize new opportunities and laying the groundwork for sustainable growth right across the region.”
Applications for the next cohort of BIG are now open until Friday 4 September 12 noon. More information can be found here.
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