Business Productivity and Digitisation Grant Scheme
The Business Productivity and Digitisation Grant Scheme is back for 2026!
SMEs based in Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster, seeking help to boost productivity or digitise systems for improving efficiency and competitiveness can apply for a grant – subject to meeting the conditions.
The Business Productivity and Digitisation Grant Scheme has a track record of success in supporting the growth of small to medium sized business by helping them to become more productive, while ensuring that improvements are monitored and measured against success.
More than 200 Sheffield-based businesses have already received productivity grants of up to £10,000 each.
This has have resulted in the creation of 100 more jobs, and the launch of 120 new products or processes.
What funding is available?
There are two types of grants available:
- Business Productivity Grants of between £2,500 and £10,000
- Digital Innovation Grants of between £2,500 and £5,000
The grants are available to help SMEs invest in improvements that will increase innovation and productivity, and drive growth.
The grants are available to help fund projects for capital investment in new/updated machinery and/or equipment or to pay for specialist business support.
Individual South Yorkshire councils, in Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley and Rotherham provide business advisors to support applicants in understanding what the blockers are in their business, and how to change them.
They will implement metrics to understand the effect of the changes, helping business owners to plan the next steps for continued growth.
Who is eligible for the funding?
To be eligible for the funding you must meet certain criteria:
- be trading (for 12 months or more for productivity grants)
- be based in commercial premises in Sheffield with a lease or license in place (home-based, virtual office, hot-desking and co-working businesses are not eligible)
- be ready to start an application submission now
- be able to complete the project and pay supplier invoices in full by December 2026
- cover the full cost of the project in advance of claiming the grant
- have received less than £315,000 of state aid / subsidy (minus the grant amount applied for) over the current and previous two consecutive fiscal years
How can Rebus Creative help your business make the most of Business Productivity and Digitisation Grants?
At Rebus Creative, we’ve spent the last 20 years helping manufacturing, engineering, and environmental businesses in South Yorkshire turn big ideas into results.
We’ve worked with everyone from business owners to boards of directors, and we’ve seen first-hand how the right support at the right time, can drive growth, transforming a company’s future.
All our solutions are built around your business, your goals, and your budget. No upselling. No fluff. Just straightforward, transparent advice that delivers impact, value for money, a return on your investment into Rebus Creative services, and measurable results.
If you’re successful in securing a Business Productivity and Digitisation Grant, we can help you to make every penny spent on the project, count. Whether it’s:
- Launch or upgrade eCommerce online stores and customer portals, including integration with ERP, CRM, and fulfilment systems
- Linking a CRM system into your website to personalise and improve the customer experience
- Using Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to connect software, sharing data to make processes faster, smarter, and more efficient
Whatever the project, we’ll make sure it delivers impact and clear results you can measure.
How can I apply for the funding?
To take advantage of these grants, please contact:
Business Sheffield – Tel: 0114 224 5000 or BusinessSheffield@sheffield.gov.uk
Barnsley – investment@barnsley.gov.uk
Rotherham – Tel: 01709 331133 or info@rotherham.gov.uk
You will be guided through the entire application process. For additional support, get in touch and we will support you in putting together a project outline.
What does the future hold?
Going beyond the Business Productivity and Digitisation Grant project
A grant can be the start of something great – a spark to really get things moving, but long-term growth needs a plan.
This is where the Rebus Creative strategic marketing planning service can help you to maximise the impact of the project and deliver your long-term goals.
We’ll work with you to develop a strategic marketing plan that:
- Defines your business goals
- Assess sales targets to reach those goals
- Define your ideal customer and detail how you are going to engage them
- Align your marketing activities to business goals, so every action produces results
We’ll review and improve the strategic marketing plan as we go along, ensuring it delivers ROI, guaranteeing you stay on track even when your business, trading conditions or the market changes.
Every project the Rebus Creative team undertake will be costed, time-scaled, and regularly reviewed so you always know what’s working, and what to focus on next.
Start with a Free Marketing Audit
Not sure where to begin? Our FREE marketing audit is the perfect first step.
It will reveal:
- How long it’s been since your last marketing review
- Whether your current efforts are delivering results, and whether they match your business goals
- Any changes in your business that may affect marketing performance
- How your marketing channels are performing, and where improvements may be required
- How to optimise your budget
What we uncover in the FREE marketing audit will become the foundation for a strategic marketing plan that puts you in the best position for sustained growth.
