The Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority - Greater Lincolnshire Business and Infrastructure Board met on Wednesday, 7 January 2026, approving the Save Steel, Buy British pledge, endorsing a plan to submit an Expression of Interest for the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, and endorsing plans for future business engagement events following a review of the Great Exhibition 2025.

Review of the Great Exhibition 2025

The Board noted the review of the Great Exhibition 2025, which was held at the Lincolnshire Showground on 22 October 2025. The event aimed to showcase Greater Lincolnshire businesses, products, and expertise to a regional, national, and international audience, and to provide networking opportunities. Eighty-five exhibits were presented, with 48 of these being new to similar events. Over 1,000 delegate tickets were booked, and approximately 700 attended on the day, including over 125 VIP delegates. The exhibition facilitated 11 private meetings between embassies, international investors, and local businesses. The total net cost for the exhibition was £69,237.74, with £23,750 secured in private sector cash sponsorship and an estimated £5,000 in in-kind sponsorship. The Board endorsed the ambition to further develop a programme of business engagement events during 2026, with plans for three business conferences throughout the year, culminating in a Great Exhibition 2026.

The Local Innovation Partnerships Fund

The Board endorsed the plan to submit an Expression of Interest for the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF). This fund aims to invest £500 million into the development and scaling of high-potential innovation clusters across the UK. Greater Lincolnshire was not included in the earmarked strand of the fund and must therefore compete for funds through the competed strand, which has a total of £200 million available. The bid will focus on the Defence and Agri-Tech sectors, with a particular emphasis on the cross-over technologies between these two sectors, a proposition believed to be unique in the UK. The Authority will act as the Lead Bidder, responsible for submitting the application and managing the funds if successful. The Expression of Interest must be submitted by 12 February 2026.

Save Steel, Buy British Pledge

The Board approved the Authority signing up to the Save Steel, Buy British pledge, a campaign promoted by British Steel. This pledge reinforces the commitment already made by signing the UK Steel Charter in June 2025, which commits the Authority to sourcing British-made steel wherever possible. The pledge states: We stand with Britain's steelworkers and commit to using British-made steel wherever possible. Signing this pledge is intended to support the sustainability of jobs at the British Steel plant in Scunthorpe and across the UK supply chain. There are no direct costs associated with signing the pledge.

Approval of an Investment Framework

The Board endorsed an Investment Framework approach for the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority's Investment Fund. This framework aims to maximise investment into the region, develop a pipeline of investable propositions, and ensure strategic alignment with the Greater Lincolnshire Plan. The framework will comprise three core elements: an Investment Plan detailing regional investment priorities, a Prioritisation Toolkit to assess the strategic impact and investment readiness of projects, and an Investment Pitchbook to showcase Greater Lincolnshire's investment potential to the investment community. The framework is intended to articulate the Authority's investment priorities, align public and private sector funding, and attract further investment into the region. The development of the Investment Plan is expected to be completed by June 2026, with the prioritisation toolkit also developed by this time and tested internally. The Investment Pitchbook is scheduled for completion by May 2026 to support engagement at UKREiiF and other inward investment opportunities.

Public Question Time

The Board received questions from the public during Public Question Time.