Business & Growth

Dorset joins local enterprise partnership network: Businesses in Dorset will be supported by a new local enterprise partnership approved by Business Minister Mark Prisk and Decentralisation Minister Greg Clark.

Open Public Services- have your say: The Government has outlined its vision for modernising public services in the Open Public Services White Paper. Businesses, from SMEs to large companies, will be able to compete with providers from state, private and voluntary sectors to deliver public services.

European Regional Development Fund: The Department for Communities and Local Government now manage the European Regional Development Fund from the EU. This money is used with matching funding for economic development and regeneration projects, and is worth €3.2 billion between 2007-13.

Further Education & Skills

Vocational Education: A groundbreaking agreement outlining how the UK and China will work together to boost vocational learning in both countries was signed during an official visit to Beijing, China, by Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning Minister John Hayes.

Intellectual Property

Investment in UK businesses: Reports have been published which show that investments made by businesses in products and services that are protected by intellectual property rights are worth £65 billion a year. The announcement was made by Intellectual Property Minister, Baroness Wilcox.

Cracking Ideas Competition winners: After receiving over 6,000 entries from across the UK the three overall winners have been announced by Baroness Wilcox.

Climate Change

International climate change report: Climate change impacts from abroad could affect the UK more than climate change at home according to a report, published by Foresight, the Government’s futures think tank.

Get Involved

BIS currently has 8 consultations open. These include:

• Consultation on statistics that measure the progress of children from disadvantaged backgrounds to higher education
• Consultation on 'Regional Economic Performance Indicators'
• Consultation on Modern Workplaces