Grants for small and medium-sized firms to innovate and grow are available from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, led by Mayor Dan Norris.

The £1 million mayoral scheme offers eligible firms in the West of England a one-off grant of up to £25,000 towards the cost of research and development - with the ultimate aim of getting new products or services to market or developing new processes to help companies adapt and grow.

Successful projects from previous versions of the scheme range from a project to replace single-used plastics with fully compostable seaweed alternatives led by the brilliant Kelpi, who started out in Bath, to one creating a virtual reality app to help convert classic cars to electric ones from Fellten over in Yate.

Another includes a project to measure the energy quality of a home using clever AI from Bristol's Propflo.

Dan Norris, West of England Mayor said:

"Smaller and medium sized firms are the cornerstone of our regional economy, accounting for more than 90% of all businesses in the West.

"They're essential to our current success, but they're going to be absolutely vital when it comes to the long-term prosperity of our West of England region.

"That's why I'm backing them with this £1 million fund to help unleash their full potential."

Small and medium-sized firms from any sector can apply though the Mayoral Combined Authority encourages those in the Immersive Creative, Advanced Engineering, Health Sciences and Sustainable Fintech sectors – identified in the region's Plan for Innovation.