Barclays Eagle Labs has launched its government-funded two-year programme of support for tech businesses.

The bank was awarded £13 million from the Government’s Digital Growth Grant last year, which led to the closure of Tech Nation, the government’s own programme for tech startups.

The programme includes mentoring, educational resources and partnerships with industry experts. It aims to support around 22,000 businesses over the next two years, with an aim of driving regional growth in the UK tech sector.

Barclays said the programme will be monitored by an independent advisory board consisting of twelve leaders representing the UK tech ecosystem.

The programme will initially concentrate on three areas, with other projects including a knowledge hub and scheme for Black-owned tech businesses added at a later stage.

The Ecosystem Partnership Programme, which aims for 80 per cent of the businesses it supports to be outside of the UK, will enable businesses outside London to apply for funding to help solve local challenges.

The HealthTech and AgriTech Industry Bridge Programme, a year-long initiative in partnership with Codebase, aims to connect corporates with startups.

The Funding Readiness Programme, in partnership with Capital Enterprise, is a virtual three-month programme of webinars and networking events to teach founders about funding.

Commenting on the news Hannah Bernard, head of business banking at Barclays said: “The Digital Growth Grant will make our support accessible to even more businesses up and down the country and enable us to provide tailored growth programmes, first-class business mentoring and access to even more resources to drive further growth.”

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