Protomed, the Cheshire-based pharmaceutical design company, has been awarded a £79,000 proof-of-market grant by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). The drug packaging business said it would use the money to carry out market research into developments in telehealth and medication management for the healthcare sector. Chief executive of Protomed Norman Niven said: “Grants from bodies such as the NWDA are vital for young and innovative companies like us, as we explore new avenues that could transform the future of healthcare.”

A Liverpool property management company that deliberately misled potential investors has been wound up in the High Court following an investigation by the Insolvency Service. The investigation discovered that European Property Management Ltd sought to con unsuspecting investors into buying shares in the company, which it claimed it would then invest in property across Europe. Investigator Scott Crighton said the sale of shares involved the use of “high-pressure telephone selling methods aimed at unsophisticated investors”.

The Budget’s deficit reduction policies should go easy on small businesses, the Forum of Private Business said in response to long-term projections of slow growth. The call came after the coalition government’s Office for Budget Responsibility downgraded the UK’s economic growth forecast from 3.25 per cent to just 2.6. The Forum’s head of policy Matt Goodman said: “While addressing the gaping public deficit must be the first priority to stabilise the economy, this must be balanced with continued support for the drivers of growth – small businesses.”

Merseytravel has funded a £340,000 upgrade to Blundellsands & Crosby Station. The project, which has been delivered by Merseyrail, has more than doubled the number of car parking spaces and improved pedestrian access. Last year Merseyrail and Merseytravel secured a £1m bid to become a National Cycling Demonstration Train Operator, with Blundellsands & Crosby being one of 18 stations to benefit from new facilities. Cycling England has also funded the new cycle storage facilities at the station.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has appointed Preston-based Bespoke Healthcare to provide its adult neurophysiology services. The contract, which runs for an initial period of two years with an option to extend for a further 24 months, will see the company assess approximately 200 patients per year. Services including electroencephalograms, which evaluate electrical activity produced by the brain, will be carried out by Bespoke Healthcare at the hospital.

Environments for Learning, a consortium led by building and maintenance group Interserve, has been named preferred bidder for the £150m St Helens Council Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. Interserve will construct two schools costing £47m and provide facilities management services worth £8m. Six further schools, worth more than £100m, have been identified for subsequent development. Three of the schools will be financed using the private finance initiative. Financial close on the contract is expected in autumn this year, allowing construction to begin immediately.