BUSINESSES have until Monday (Sept 16) to grab a slice of European cash.

A grant of £8.3 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is already providing business support in the borough.

It was won some months ago by the Bury Strategic Partnership's European Objective 2 action plan, entitled "Bury: the Place for Business".

Councillor Ray Watts, executive member for regeneration, said: "This latest financial support from Europe is helping to provide valuable support and advice to local companies, helping them to prosper and create more jobs.

"We have worked hard to track down funding and will continue to do."

Successful schemes supported so far are:

Groundwork Bury: Bury Business Environment Association. It received £519,568, to help smaller businesses be more competitive through developing environmentally friendly products.

Moving Pimhole Forward: £27,916, to help car breakers in Pimhole to raise their productivity.

Bury Council: Encouraging New Start-Ups: £52,266 to support homeworking schemes.

Secure Bury: £100,000 to help new businesses to improve security.

Bury Business.Commence: £24,954 for "micro" firms to boost communications technology systems.

Bury Business Network: £40,385 to encourage firms to share information and work together.

Bury Competitive Tourism: £41,000 to help set up a specialist Tourism Business Forum.

Business Investment Programme: £1,615,142 to improve the environment around industrial and business premises.

Bolton & Bury Chamber of Commerce: Developing Business in the Supply Chain & Supply Chain Development & Mapping: £174,759. Two projects to improve the supply chain.

Bury College Business Solutions: Business Knowledge.com: £285,000, helping small and medium-sized businesses with new technologies in personnel management.

Prince's Trust: Helping Young People into Business: £30,921. Assisting poor or jobless people aged 18-30 to set up in business.

Bolton Business Ventures: Entrepreneurial Business Starts: £146,640. Again, helping people to set up businesses with long-term chances of success.

Women in Business: £50,787. Help for established women entrepreneurs.

Women Into Business: £52,105. Again, helping women into business.

Business Link North Manchester: Facilitating New Enterprises: £360,392 to improve the survival rates of new businesses.

Building Enterprises: £1,313,735. Support for smaller firms to grow and pursue business excellence.

Technology Enterprise Development: £300,125. To speed up innovation and grow together.

Any firms who want to take advantage of the funding should urgently contact Hilary Sayers on 253 6040 or email h.sayers@bury.gov.uk