TO BE PUBLISHED September 2026
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This conference will examine support for start-ups and scale-ups, including approaches to tackling barriers to growth and priorities for enabling new businesses to develop and scale.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss practical implications of recent policy initiatives for early-stage and scaling firms. Attendees will assess measures announced in the 2025 Autumn Budget and the Government’s Backing Your Business growth strategy for SMEs aiming to expand funding incentives, introduce new tax reliefs and simplify access to business support. The Small Business Protections Bill currently progressing through Parliament will be examined, including measures for tackling late payments and improving cash flow.
Overall, the agenda explores strategy for translating commitments into practical support, alongside approaches to enhancing pathways for access to capital - including public funding and private finance - and ways forward for increasing accessibility for under-represented founders and regional firms. Delegates will consider how increased funding for the British Business Bank and Innovate UK might effectively be deployed, including priorities for improving access to finance and supporting firms with different growth ambitions, funding requirements and business models.
Further discussion will consider priorities for strengthening the networks and partnerships that can connect businesses with opportunities for growth, including how co-ordination between regional and national enterprise hubs, universities, government and industry can be improved.
Access to finance & strengthening investor confidence
Attendees will consider priorities for attracting greater private investment into start-ups and scale-ups. They will examine the effectiveness and strategic focus of the British Growth Partnership, direct investment mechanisms, and Innovate UK’s Growth Catalyst in broadening the investor base and improving access to growth capital - alongside the role of targeted support for priority sectors such as AI.
Discussion will explore approaches to improving UK listings competitiveness and wider capital markets reform - including early indications from implementation and operation of PISCES - in addressing barriers to scale-up finance, strengthening investor confidence, and improving access to long-term growth capital in the UK.
Sessions will also assess implementation of the expanded Enterprise Management Incentives Scheme and related changes to Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trust Scheme investment limits, including how incentives might impact access to finance and competitiveness in attracting global talent.
Business support, commercial practices & regulation
Further discussion will consider measures to tackle late payments as part of the Small Business Protections Bill. Delegates will assess priorities for deployment of new powers for the Small Business Commissioner, approaches to dispute resolution, and what will be needed to improve SME cash flow, supply chain resilience, and scaling capacity.
The role of government procurement will be discussed in terms of opening new routes to market and identifying export-led growth opportunities, including through Advance Market Commitments and proposals for a new online procurement marketplace. Business support mechanisms for start-ups and scale-ups will also be examined, including strategic approaches to tackling fragmentation, priorities for improving access for under-represented founders, and next steps for supporting firms in adopting emerging technologies and strengthening digital capabilities.
Further sessions look at priorities for reducing regulatory complexity and supporting early engagement, including the role of the IPO, CMA and FCA. Areas for discussion include addressing IP protection, tackling barriers to entry and anti-competitive practices in specific markets, and practicalities for developing a framework that supports innovation.
Talent, innovation & regional growth
With the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper signalling a shift in research and innovation funding towards Industrial Strategy priority areas, there will be discussion on balancing support for priority sectors with wider innovation objectives, as well as next steps for taking forward recommendations for improving investor-university links highlighted in the Hickson Review published in February 2026. Approaches to embedding entrepreneurship in academic pathways and supporting early investor engagement will be discussed, as well as priorities for deployment and access to proof of concept funding.
Discussion will also focus on measures to support talent attraction and retention, including potential changes to tax-advantaged investment schemes and increasing eligibility thresholds for Enterprise Management Incentives, as well as how the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund might effectively be deployed to projects that support development of regional clusters and strengthen local innovation partnerships.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department for Business and Trade; Department for the Economy, NI; Department for Education; UK Export Finance; and the Welsh Government.
