EUROPEAN grants of up to £3,000 are available for Keighley businesses to help expand overseas sales.

Local companies are being urged to apply to the Export for Growth programme before the Government and European Union scheme closes in May.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) is offering match-funded grants of up to £3,000, and £70,000 is still up for grabs.

The scheme was this month highlighted by Paul Snape, programme director for ExportExchange.co.uk, a free peer-to-peer export mentoring service for Leeds City Region.

He said: “There are some great new exporters who haven’t yet received funding from this programme, and around ten per cent of our members have made successful applications in recent months.

“Sometimes the match funding makes the difference between an export project being viable, or not, to a small or medium-sized business.

“We know that the process of claiming funding has been streamlined in recent years to help businesses reduce the time it takes to get support approved. We’re trying to spread the word to new or growing exporters across the region.”

The grants are available to help pay for a range of services that are often essential for businesses that are exploring or expanding overseas sales. They include design, international marketing, translation services, market research and the costs of overseas visits.

Ingunn Vallumroed, ERDF project manager at the DIT, said: “Through organisations such as ExportExchange, we have had lots of applications for Export for Growth grants and more than 350 Leeds City Region businesses have used this funding so far to grow or initiate overseas sales.

For more information on Export for Growth visit enterprisegrowthsolutions.co.uk or call the ERDF team on 0300 365 1000.