The UK economy faces a range of challenges, made all the more acute by outfall from the pandemic. These include increasing international competition, an erosion of market share in key industries, widespread supply chain challenges, the need to reduce carbon emissions and improve sustainability, and the balancing of regional economic inequalities. The UK government sees innovation as critical to tackling these challenges, and has set a goal to boost investment in research and development in the UK from c.1.7% to 2.4% of GDP, by 2027.

Take control of your programme funding channels
You can spend a lot of time looking for external funding for your programme, and thereafter be beholden to producing progress reports and demonstrable outputs. With independent financing from Portman, you can take independent control of your programme, enabling you to focus on the science.
Protect your work
In 2018, the UK was the seventh economy in terms of its share of the world’s triadic patent families – that is, patents registered with all three European, Japanese and United States patent offices. For independent science, research and technical businesses, the cost of fully protecting their work can be prohibitive, leaving them open to infringement and plagiarism in overseas territories. Finance solutions from Portman Asset Finance can be used to fund the expensive process of fully protecting your IP.
- Lab equipment
- Sterilisation units
- Labelling solutions
- Centrifuges
- Digital pathology

Invest in upgrades
You can use finance from Portman Asset Finance to help purchase or lease the very latest technology and machinery to support your important work.
Fund third-party expertise
Whatever your field, it is likely that you will need to call on the expertise of third-party service providers. This could mean anything from metronomy to certification, independent verification to consumer testing. Ultimately, it’s a necessary expense that needs to be covered in order to keep your programme moving forward, and Portman Asset Finance can help.
How can we support your Science, Research & Technical business
There is a sense of urgency about the UK government’s determination to see R&D investment rise, and you can understand why – external factors range from overseas competition to global warming – big stuff. If your business is somewhere in the mix, then the next five years should be full of opportunity for you. However, the road to discovery is not a smooth one, and turning that into revenue generation thereafter, even bumpier. Whatever stage your programme is at, Independent finance from Portman can be used to ensure you are able to focus on the science and keep moving forward.
Hire purchase usually involves paying the VAT and a deposit up-front. Fixed monthly repayments are then made, affected by whether you pay off the entire loan over the term or chose a final balloon payment. The final option to purchase is guaranteed for a nominal fee, transferring ownership of the asset to the customer.
Hire purchase is well-suited for situations where a company definitely wants to own the item at the end of the term, often where the asset has a significant usable lifespan, a high residual value and will not need to be upgraded.
Explore Hire PurchaseEquipment leasing allows a business to acquire hard or soft assets without the upfront costs associated with large purchases. A lender purchases the item, the business then leases it through fixed monthly payments over an agreed term.
Typically, asset finance is provided for high value ‘hard’ assets such as machinery, equipment, or vehicles, but Portman also arranges asset finance for ‘soft’ assets such as IT, fitness, catering, or vending equipment, as well as premises fit-outs, furniture or even air-conditioning.
Explore Lease FinanceBusiness loans are a way of borrowing money, which is repaid in monthly instalments, including interest, over an agreed term. Business loans are a common way to help smooth out cashflow fluctuations and take opportunities where otherwise they could be missed due to a lack of working capital.
Business loans can be secured or unsecured. Portman typically provides unsecured loans which can be more flexible and do not require collateral but are likely to require a personal guarantee. Secured loans are tied to an asset which the lender can claim ownership of if repayments are not made, these may be used in equipment refinance deals.
Explore Business LoansNew businesses often need an injection of finance to get them off the ground. Asset finance for new businesses allows you to focus on running your company and bringing in customers, confident that you have the equipment, vehicle or stock you need without the large initial outlay.
Using finance for your equipment means that you preserve the credit card or overdraft for contingency and operating expenses when the unexpected happens.
Explore Start Up LoansIf you recently bought a high-value item outright but would now prefer to have financed it, we can help with a sale-and-lease-back agreement. If the item is less than 3m old, give us a copy of the invoice and we will calculate the current value. After a few checks and acceptance of the term and monthly repayments, we can give you the cash equivalent of the invoice to put back into the business. You’ll then make fixed monthly payments including interest, whilst your asset earns you money.
If your business owns high value assets that are not currently on finance, subject to a valuation, it is also possible to use them as security for a loan, with lenders offering a cash loan up to a % of the asset’s value.
Explore RefinanceWith no personal guarantee up to £250k, Recovery Loans offer an excellent way of making sure your business gets back on its feet after the effects of the pandemic. Many businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and its restrictions can access the UK government’s Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS), providing UK SMEs with better access to finance.
Recovery Loans can be used for any legitimate business or simply provide cashflow. Up to £350k can be borrowed on terms from 2 to 6 years and with no personal guarantee up to £250k, your personal wealth is not at risk.
Explore Recovery LoansWe make things easy
We know that finance can sometimes be confusing and stressful, but what we do is simple.