Business Support and Growth

The Agri-Food Industry Council for Norfolk and Suffolk includes representatives from across the entire agri-food chain as well as world-class research assets – like Norwich Research Park, Adastral Park and CEFAS (aquaculture and fisheries).

The Industry Council previously published Agri-Food in Eastern England: An Investment Opportunity. This was developed in partnership with Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership and the Cambridge & Peterborough Combined Authority. It outlines a plan of action to unlock the full potential of the region’s agri-food sector.

This partnership was also behind the successful bid to Innovate UK for the £7.5 million Agri-Tech and Food Tech Launchpad.

The Council for Digital Tech provides strategic leadership for Norfolk and Suffolk’s digital sector. It has representatives from businesses, tech incubators, innovation centres, universities and colleges, local government and organisations like Tech East

The Council has a strategic focus on skills, inward investment, and innovation hubs. There are regular conversations around key tech sub-sectors for Norfolk and Suffolk including:

• Artificial intelligence (AI)
• Financial technologies (FinTech)
• Agricultural technologies (Agri-tech)
• Gaming
• Space technologies

It receives regular updates from the Connected Innovation programme, the Agri-Tech and Food Tech Launchpad, and Space East. This includes updates on ‘The Future’ programme, which provide early-stage tech founders with support to develop their business.

New Anglia Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (NAAME) is a network of seven manufacturing groups. These groups are free to attend and cover all of Norfolk and Suffolk. They provide a trusted forum for manufacturing and engineering businesses to:

• Connect with each other
• Exchange knowledge
• Explore new business ventures
• Access expertise to help with new product development or innovation
• Discuss and resolve industry challenges

The NAAME Industry Council provide strategic leadership, oversight, and decision-making for this network.

With a UK space sector worth around £19 billion pounds, Space East was launched in 2023 to realise and unlock the potential for the growth of the regional space cluster.  Hosted by Suffolk County Council, Space East covers the six counties of the wider East of England and forms part of a national network of 15 other regional space clusters, working with the UK Space Agency, Satellite Applications Catapult and others in growing the UK Space Ecosystem.

The East of England is the 3^rd largest in the UK in terms of income from space related activities and with world-class strengths across a range of converging sectors. Space technologies and satellite communications critically underpin the region’s key sectors including agri-food and marine, shipping and logistics, offshore energy, telecoms and advanced manufacturing. Our strengths in Earth Observation in relation to climatic and environmental research also places us at the forefront of pioneering solutions to solve global challenges.

Our Space Enterprise Lab located at Adastral Park offers opportunities for business networking, collaboration and events as well as the potential to link up with other UK space clusters, businesses and universities. For further information please visit www.spaceeast.co.uk.

The Innovation Grant Mentoring Project, funded in partnership by Suffolk and Norfolk County Councils, provides support to businesses based in the counties that are interested in applying for innovation funding to research and develop a new product, process or service.   

The project offers, 

• fully funded 1:1 support from a team of expert Innovation Mentors, who also advise on the development of the project proposal, 

• help from a Bid Writing Coach on the application process, 

• a programme of webinars and workshops introducing innovation funding to businesses in the region. 

Innovation funding can help you take a business to the next level.  However, applying for the funding can be complicated and time-consuming, especially for a smaller business.  The project guides businesses through the application process and increases their chances of getting funding. 

The criteria are as follows: 

• The business must either be looking to test the feasibility of an innovative idea to make sure it will work, OR be looking to a create or improve a product, process or service, through research and development. 
• The applicant must be looking to grow their business through an innovation project. 
• The business must be based in Norfolk or Suffolk. 
• The business must have fewer than 250 employees and a turnover of less than £42.9m. 
• The business must have received less than £198k in public funding in the last 3 years. 

As of January 2025 

476 businesses have registered with the project and received advice on their area of innovation. 

369 businesses have registered to IGMP Innovation webinars. 

125 applications received for the projects one to one Innovation Mentoring and Bid Writing Coaching. 

73 bids worth £14.5m from businesses on the project into Innovate UK have been supported by our team. 

21 of these bids have been successful (to date) bringing in £3.1m of funding. 

Suffolk is a national leader in clean energy generation, playing a crucial role in the UK’s transition to a low carbon system.  By 2050, the sector is projected to more than double to £1.5 billion.  

Suffolk’s coastline is home to several nationally significant offshore windfarms including the East Anglia ONE and Greater Gabbard offshore wind farms.  Larger and increasingly powerful projects are currently under construction with a globally competitive renewables supply chain and support industry in place.  Once completed, these will power the equivalent of 4.5 million UK homes 

The port of Lowestoft and its surrounding industrial area, PowerPark, is an important hub for offshore renewable energy operations and maintenance.  Home to the clean energy business incubation and innovation centre, OrbisEnergy, alongside the recently completed Nexus industrial complex which provides flexible, clean energy focussed grow-on space for energy developers and their supply chains. 

In 2025, Associated British Ports, officially opened the Lowestoft Eastern Energy Facility (LEEF), further enhancing Lowestoft’s capability and capacity to handle the next generation of offshore support vessels and increasing volumes of energy related vessel activity. 

Sizewell in Suffolk has been home to nuclear power generation since the 1960s, originally the location of the now decommissioned Sizewell A plant, Sizewell B generates 1.2GW of low carbon baseload electricity.  Advanced plans for Sizewell C are in place and together are set to generate enough electricity to power 8 million UK homes.  With Sizewell C projected to add £4.5 billion in local value from construction to operation.  

Suffolk has the widest range of energy Nationally Strategic Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), in the UK, 14 in development.  Future investments, such as a £150 million green hydrogen plant at Felixstowe, further enhance the county’s clean energy credentials making Suffolk a strategically important hub for the UK’s clean energy sector. 

The county is home to several advanced manufacturing clusters, including automotive, civil aviation, composites and pharmaceuticals.  Advanced manufacturing is the largest of the growth sectors in the Suffolk Economy, with £1.9bn gross value added in 2022.  

The sector employs 39,200 people across over 3,000 businesses, with a particular focus in West Suffolk. The cluster is supported by the New Anglia Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering (NAAME) network, fostering innovation, collaboration, and productivity.  Manufacturing and engineering in Suffolk supports other key sectors including agriculture, and energy, and is a critical element of tech convergence. 

 NAAME  is the recognised regional sector group for manufacturing and engineering businesses in Suffolk and Norfolk.  It has a number of Manufacturing Groups across Suffolk (Greater Suffolk, East Coast and West Suffolk).  The network of Manufacturing Groups provide a trusted forum for businesses within the industry to establish connections and facilitate collaborations. Their meetings are themed around a particular topic that is relevant to the industry, aimed at identifying common issues and stimulating debate around these to identify solutions which can then be pursued. 

A key focus of Advanced Manufacturing in Suffolk will be a new AME centre.  A state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing and engineering centre is set to be delivered by West Suffolk Council and Suffolk County Council.  The two councils are funding the construction of the centre at Suffolk Business Park in Bury St Edmunds, with the scheme set to benefit businesses across Suffolk.  The centre will deliver self-contained, flexible workshop units, as well as meeting rooms and conference facilities to support business growth, collaboration, and networking for the wider AME community.  The centre aims to stimulate economic growth by creating high-skilled jobs and supporting the development of new businesses and technology. 

Suffolk is the larder for the UK, excelling in horticulture, cereal, sugar beet, pig and poultry farming. It is also a key hub for food processing and the drinks industry particularly brewing. Over the last decade the sector has outpaced national job growth by 1.6% annually, underscoring its importance, and it is projected to grow a further two and a half times by 2050 to £4 billion. 

Suffolk strengths complement those of our neighbouring counties – Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk – together forming ‘Britain’s breadbasket’ and producing a third of the UK’s crops and nearly half of its home-grown vegetables. 

Suffolk capitalises on the food processing potential by promoting collaboration between agribusinesses, regulators and research institutions, finding solutions, developing facilities, opening markets, and re-localising food systems. 

Suffolk’s innovation and research capabilities are bolstered by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) – world leaders in marine science and technology providing ground breaking solutions for the aquatic environment, biodiversity and food security. 

Suffolk is a linchpin in global logistics and trade.  Home to the UK’s largest intermodal port at Felixstowe and nationally significant ports for clean energy and agri-food sectors in Lowestoft and Ipswich. 

Freeport East, encompassing tax sites at Felixstowe, Gateway 14 in Stowmarket, and Bathside Bay in Harwich, is one of the largest Freeports in the UK, with the A14 corridor as a major strategic location for smart logistics hubs, port expansion and innovation.  With 29,400 employees in over 3,000 businesses the area is poised for significant growth. 

Freeport East is positioned to be a major investment opportunity for both advanced logistics and manufacturing businesses, with a drive for clean growth. It has the potential to attract £300 million in investment and create 13,500 new jobs, projected to generate £5.5 billion to the UK economy over 10 years. 

Suffolk’s commitment to innovation and economic vitality is highlighted by the £35 million development of Lowestoft Eastern Energy Facility port for offshore wind and advancements in the application of 5G technology, AI and satellite applications. 

The sector in Suffolk includes recognised tech clusters centred around Ipswich and East Suffolk, with BT’s global research laboratories at Adastral Park and Innovation Martlesham, hosting over 150 high-tech ICT companies.  Adastral Park also hosts the University of Suffolk’s DigiTech centre and Digital Futures Institute which drives applied research and technology innovation. The University and their Innovation Labs on Ipswich Waterfront support start-ups, while the Ipswich Creative Hub promotes the growing media and gaming businesses.   

Suffolk’s distinct landscapes, expanding film infrastructure, and talent development underscores its potential in the creative industries especially in the film industry, immersive technologies and gaming. 

Suffolk is a county that has a wide and varied tourism offer. Between Lowestoft and Felixstowe, are the picturesque seaside resorts of Dunwich, Orford, Southwold and Aldeburgh.  Inland, Suffolk has rural villages and attractive market towns like Bungay, Beccles and Bury St. Edmunds; that are rich in history making the region of particular interest to the visiting tourist. 

Suffolk’s attractions range from Pleasurewood Hills Theme Park to the home of horse racing at Newmarket.  From page one of English history at Sutton Hoo to international music and cultural festivals such as Latitude, Aldeburgh Festival at Snape Maltings and the SPILL Festival in Ipswich. 

Across Suffolk in 2022 there were 35.8 million day visitors who spent £1.17billion and 1.52 million overnight trips (domestic and international), spending £323.4 million. 

These are exciting times for the Visitor Economy.  Suffolk and Norfolk have joined the new national framework of VisitEngland-accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEP)  

The benefits of having an LVEP with a strong governance structure are significant, as they contribute to effective collaboration, decision-making, and the achievement of common goals within the visitor economy. 

The new LVEP  is managed by Visit East of England and is overseen by a board chaired by Dr Andy Wood OBE which includes representatives from each County Council as well as representatives of the DMO Coalition, the VENI Skills group, and the Visitor Economy Group of local authorities. 

Screen Suffolk is the official film office for Suffolk, representing all County, District and Borough Councils. 

They offer a ‘one-stop’ film service, from initial enquiry through to crew sourcing and permitting. They promote Suffolk’s film service infrastructure, creative talent and fantastic locations, all within easy reach of London.  Their aim is to make Suffolk the most film-friendly county in the UK.  Screen Suffolk also liaise with other film offices across the region and the country. 

High-profile productions facilitated by Screen Suffolk have included The Dig, Yesterday, The Detectorists, The Power, and The Personal History of David Copperfield. 

As well as film and tv productions, Screen Suffolk have facilitated a wide range of shoots for music videos and advertising campaigns.  They have a large database of locations on their Locations Hub and liaise with local partners and public sector bodies on a regular basis to deal with client enquiries. 

The film and TV industry has a positive impact via the visitor economy by providing economic boosts via productions visiting the county and offering skills and employment opportunities to the local workforce,  The power of Screen Tourism is real and there is substantial evidence that people book their next trip having been influenced by something they have seen on screen.