Our flagship programme for ambitious GM businesses ready to grow internationally.
Get up to £2,500 in grant funding, a dedicated advisor, expert-led workshops and a supportive peer cohort, giving you everything you need to enter new markets with confidence.
Who it’s for: Greater Manchester businesses with a turnover of £500k+ and a scalable product or service, whether you’re new to exporting or already trading internationally.
Cohort 4 starts January 2027.
Hear from Cohort 3
Ged Tyrrell, Tyrrell Building Technologies Group Ltd
Chris Cooke, Jeff Gosling Ltd
Who is the programme for?
You’ll need to:
• be based in Greater Manchester
• have traded in the UK for at least 3 years
• employ at least 5 staff
• have a turnover of £500,000 or more
• have a product or service with clear potential to scale internationally
All sectors are welcome. Year-on-year growth strengthens your application.
Not quite there yet? If you’re a fast-growing business that’s younger or smaller, email international@growthco.uk and an advisor will talk through the right support for you.
What you get
- Up to £2,500 grant*: fund the next step, from market visits and trade shows to training and consultancy.
- A dedicated advisor: one International Trade Advisor who knows your business and your target markets.
- An export action plan: leave with a clear plan you can put into practice.
- Support with trade missions, market visits, and introductions to overseas partners
- Expert-led workshops: fully funded 2-day workshops covering strategy, customs, getting paid and more.
- Mentors and market experts: meet people who have done it and partners who can open doors.
- A peer cohort: learn alongside up to 24 other Greater Manchester businesses going through the same stage.
- 20% off GM Chamber membership: for your first year.
*subject to companies attending the 2 DAY mandatory workshops in the programme.
Trade Diagnostic - Understand how export ready your business is
Export Strategy - Develop a robust global growth strategy
Export Training - Preparing for success
Making Connections - Meet Market Experts and Potential Partners
Access to Funding & Getting Paid - Helping you Access New Markets
Customs, Regulations & Documentation - Helping your business remain compliant
Seb Heeley, Spirit of Manchester distillery
David Roe, FilmMyMatch
Applications for Cohort 4 are now open
Key dates:
-
Apply by 22 November 2026
-
Shortlisted businesses will hear from us by mid-December 2026
-
In-person workshops will take place between 19th - 28th January 2027
(exact dates to be confirmed)
Applications are reviewed as they arrive. Apply now to secure your place.
Apply NowFAQs
A funded programme that helps ambitious Greater Manchester businesses grow internationally. It combines a grant of up to £2,500, a dedicated advisor, expert-led workshops and a peer cohort of businesses at the same stage.
The Enhanced Trade Partnership in Greater Manchester: Greater Manchester Combined Authority, GM Business Growth Hub, Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, and Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.
Both. Whether you’re exporting for the first time or expanding into new regions, the programme is built around your plans.
Up to 25 businesses per cohort. The programme has supported businesses across three cohorts so far.
Your business needs to:
- be based in Greater Manchester
- have traded in the UK market for at least 3 years
- employ at least 5 staff
- have a turnover of £500,000 or more
- have a scalable product or service, with strong evidence that it can scale
- You can be either a first-time exporter or have international trading experience.
- Ready to commit time and resources for this 6-month programme, although individual tailored activities for which a grant has been allocated will have a max of 12-month period to take place (e.g. Specialised Training, Consultancy, Market Visits, Trade Exhibitions, etc).
Year-on-year growth strengthens your application. All sectors are welcome.
If you’re growing fast, email international@growthco.uk. An advisor will talk through your situation and the right support for you.
- a dedicated International Trade Advisor
- help to build an export action plan
- fully funded expert-led workshops
- access to mentors and market experts
- support to join trade missions
- 20% off your first year of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce membership
- Trade diagnostic: how export-ready your business is
- Export strategy: building a robust international growth strategy
- Making connections: meeting market experts and potential partners
- Funding and getting paid: financing exports and getting paid safely
- Customs, regulations and documentation: staying compliant
Up to £2,500 towards activity in your export strategy, such as training, consultancy, market visits and trade exhibitions. Grant-funded activity can run for up to 12 months.
Yes. You must attend both 2-day workshops to apply for the grant.
No. The workshops and advisor support are fully funded.
Click Apply now and complete the online form. It takes about 60-90 minutes. The form can’t save your progress, so have your turnover, staff numbers and export plans to hand before you start.
22 November 2026. Applications are assessed on a rolling basis and places are competitive, so apply early.
You can apply for a future cohort. Sign up to the International Growth Outlook newsletter for cohort dates, events and international trade insights. Our advisors can also tell you about other international trade support from the GM Business Growth Hub.
Stay in the loop.
Get international trade insights, events, and opportunities straight to your inbox with the International Growth Outlook – our monthly newsletter for GM businesses with global ambitions.
