TEESSIDE University is helping fledgling Tees Valley start-ups bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic through new ‘re-incubation’ support which will help their businesses recover and thrive as they exit lockdown.

The re-incubation support is focussed on ensuring early stage businesses can quickly and confidently make the right decisions to ensure they survive the adverse environment caused by the coronavirus lock-down.

Steve Dougan, Head of Enterprise at Teesside University who leads the successful Launchpad programme, says this support will be key to sustaining enterprises which might otherwise be overlooked.

He said: “Research shows that pulling through the early years of trading is key to long-term business survival and impact of the pandemic is likely to have significantly shortened those odds.

“Many start-ups will be too small or too early stage to take advantage of the Covid-related financial businesses support on offer. That’s why it’s vital for the university to use its wealth of expertise in supporting start-ups to get them through this tricky time."