BUILD (Business Upgrading Initiatives for Long-Term Development)
SPRING is stepping up efforts to help SMEs develop key capabilities for long-term growth by leveraging on a comprehensive set of capability programmes. A $200 million enhanced capability development package, BUILD has been rolled out on 1 February 2009 for a period of two years. SPRING targets to support 2,000 enterprises over this period through BUILD.
BUILD provides enhanced support to SMEs by increasing the grant level from 50% to 70% of qualifying costs for all the existing capability development programmes that SPRING offers. These programmes currently cover areas such as technology innovation, design, branding and business management systems, business leaders development, process re-engineering, IP management and product development.
BUILD also provides enhanced support to industry associations by increasing the funding support for new LEAD projects to 80%. For the secretariat of LEAD Associations, there will be training grants of up to 90% to enhance their abilities to execute their respective LEAD Programmes.
The emphasis of BUILD is on strengthening enterprise capabilities during the downturn so that companies can emerge stronger when the economy recovers.
List of programmes with enhanced support
List of Capability Development Programmes