A final call has been sounded for ambitious businesses looking to expand overseas ahead of an upcoming funding deadline.

The Tees Valley Export Fund has helped no fewer than 127 Tees Valley companies with more than £800,000 of grant funding to help secure international business.

And this latest round of funding is still available to firms for the rest of August.

The Fund has helped a string of our own growing companies from a wide range of industries fund trips overseas and secure attendance at vital conferences.

Nouveau Legal – based on Baker Street in central Middlesbrough – specialises in providing businesses across the UK and beyond with dedicated commercial law support.

With the help of the fund, Legal Director Adeel Bashir attended a key conference in Dubai to forge closer ties with potential clients for the firm.

Adeel added: “It helps open another avenue to potential work and broadens your horizons. Going to another country and understanding how they operate in person makes a really big difference.

“I would recommend it to all businesses as well as those looking to expand.”

Middlesbrough gaming firm Observer Interactive cemented key ties with the help of the fund through its support with trips to the United States.

Matty McGrory, Design Director and COO at Observer Interactive, said: “The Export Fund has been unreal for us – it’s been an absolute game changer.”

We've got some absolutely brilliant businesses across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool, and this fund has already helped more than 120 take their products and services to markets across the globe.

Whether it's opening doors in the Middle East, the USA or Europe, exporting helps firms grow, create jobs and bring more money back into our local economy.

There's still time for businesses to make the most of this opportunity before the programme ends. If you've got ambitions to reach new customers overseas, I'd strongly encourage you to get your application in now and see how this support can help take your business to the next level.

Roughly 35% of the fund has supported companies with travel, accommodation and exhibition costs to attend international trade shows or trade missions.

A total of 16% has supported marketing research and materials for specific international markets, while almost half (49%) has paid for website adaptation, internationalisation of material and international legal support.

All told, it has helped Tees Valley companies reach 43 different countries around the world – with the most popular being the USA, UAE and across Europe.

The most successful sectors for fund bids have been in the digital, creative and advanced manufacturing sectors.

This latest round of the Export Fund closes on 31 August – and all activity must be delivered, and associated expenditure incurred, by mid-September this year.

However, leaders have stressed it is not too late to make good use of the opportunity.

Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke, TVCA Cabinet Member for Finance, Organisational Improvement and Business Growth, said: "We've seen first-hand how access to targeted support can give businesses the confidence and resources they need to explore new opportunities overseas.

“From attending major trade events to adapting products and marketing for international customers, this fund has helped companies across a wide range of sectors strengthen their growth plans.

"The deadline is fast approaching, but there is still time to apply. I'd urge any eligible business considering export opportunities to take a look at what's available and submit a bid while funding remains open."

The Export programme offers financial backing to businesses starting out on their export journey or looking to grow or diversify their current export activities.

Grants between £3,000 and £10,000 are available for eligible companies, with a 25% match funding requirement.

Its aim is to boost the number of our region’s firms involved in exporting and increase both the range and value of exports from companies already trading internationally.

It can cover attending overseas trade fairs to commissioning market research, adapting websites for new markets, or securing passes and licences to trade abroad.

Among events happening this month are:

Gamescon 2026 in Cologne, Germany – the world's biggest event for computer and video games, where developers, publishers, funders, service suppliers and the media gather to establish partnerships and cement relationships, and there is still space available in the hugely dominating UKIE mission space, which offers dedicated tables, demo stations and meeting rooms

The LEAP Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – a flagship global tech event from August 31 to September 3, 2026, featuring more than 1,000 speakers, 600 startups, and 200,000 attendees focusing on AI, future tech, and digital transformation

Offshore Northern Seas in Stavanger, Norway

Wood Products & Technology Fair, Gothenburg, Sweden

Bio-based building materials, Copenhagen, Denmark, a conference on bio-based building materials

World Water Week, Stockholm, Sweden, an international water forum focusing on responding to emergencies related to climate change, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss

The Export Fund is backed through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

The grant fund is finite and we reserve the right to close the programme early should the value of applications received equal the budget available.

To apply, go to: Tees Valley Export Fund - Business