Tees Valley businesses with realistic plans to find customers overseas have until 31 August to apply for the latest round of the region’s Export Fund.
The programme offers firms grants of between £3,000 and £10,000, with the business providing 25 per cent . It is open both to companies beginning to export and to existing exporters looking to enter new markets or increase the value of their international work.
What the money can cover
Exporting carries costs before the first order arrives. The fund can help with overseas trade fairs and missions, market , translated or adapted marketing, changes to websites, legal advice, licences and other practical work needed to trade in a new country.
says 127 local companies have received more than £800,000 through the programme and reached 43 countries. The USA, United Arab Emirates and European markets have been the most common destinations, with digital, creative and advanced manufacturing firms among the strongest groups of applicants.
The spending so far shows how companies have used the help. About 35 per cent went towards travel, accommodation and exhibition costs for trade events or missions. Market research and materials accounted for 16 per cent, while 49 per cent supported website adaptation, internationalised content and overseas legal work.
Local firms putting the fund to work
Middlesbrough-based Nouveau Legal used support to attend a conference in Dubai and build relationships with potential clients. The company provides commercial law services to businesses in the UK and abroad.
Observer Interactive, a Middlesbrough games studio, used the fund to strengthen contacts during trips to the United States. Both examples show that the is not a reward for vague ambition. It is intended to pay for specific activity that puts a company in front of customers, partners or market knowledge it could not easily from home.
The current round closes on 31 August 2026. All supported activity and related spending must then be completed by mid-September, and the authority warns that the finite fund can close early if applications use the available budget.
The short timetable means a business needs a defined project, eligible costs and the capacity to move quickly. For firms already preparing an overseas launch, conference or market-entry plan, the remaining window could turn that work into a properly funded next step.
: Grant values, deadlines, programme results and company examples were checked against the Tees Valley Combined Authority update of 11 August 2026. Image: Tees Valley Combined Authority.