The Strategic Role of Birmingham City Council in Supporting Academic Entrepreneurship in the West Midlands Region Joanna Fletcher European Bioenergy Research Institute Aston University
Content: Academic • POLICY entrepreneurship • LOCAL AND REGIONAL PARTNERS Cooperation • PROGRAMMES AND between technology SME THEIR IMPACT ON parks incubation and investors THE ECONOMY
Strategic direction Economic Strategy for Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) is to create: - 100,000 new jobs by 2020 and - growth in GVA of £8 billion.
Birmingham Association of Aston Birmingham Partners: Assay Aston Academy Town Centre Reinvestment Business Chamber Office University for Chief Management Fund Improvement Group Districts Executives City Centre Business Business in Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham British Partnership Research Science City Science Park Insight the City Jewellers’ Park Aston University Community Association Euro Cities Department Federation Finance GHK Creative European GBSLEP Deloitte LLP for Regions of Small Birmingham Consulting Birmingham Communities Research Partnership Businesses Ltd and Local and Government Innovation Network WM UK Trade West University Marketing Midlands PA Innovation Jewellery Prince’ Manufacturing Midlands in Consulting and of Birmingham Xchange Heart Quarter Trust Advisory Ltd Birmingham Europe Industry Trade Service Alliance
Skills Gap Skills Creation Open Programmes Programmes to train people to get a job to train people to develop entrepreneurial skills RECESSION ECONOMIC RECOVERY ECONOMIC GROWTH
Past: Skills creation programmes Working Neighbourhood Fund (DCLG) Birmingham Economic Development Partnership Entrepreneurs Higher Skills for the Future Development
Past: Skills creation programmes Working Neighbourhood Fund (DCLG) Collection of projects worth of £10million to get higher skills graduates into private sector employment or to train graduates to develop entrepreneurial skills Higher Skills • Graduate Advantage : is a placement programme that puts gradates into short term project based placements in the private sector Development • GradCentral : IT recruitment company supported by investment from Regional Development Agency to fill a gap in the market placing graduates into SME jobs • O ther projects that worked with employers to upskill their workforce to a graduate level or to advertise graduate opportunities in the Birmingham area
Graduate Advantage Case Studies Graduate Intern secures permanent role in luxury travel company Travel Club Elite is an award winning luxury travel and holiday business based in Birmingham. They contacted Graduate Advantage to source an Intern to assist with the growth of Sales, maintaining the Website and to help to free up time to concentrate on higher level Strategy. Graduate Sherrie Henry was the successful intern to secure the role of Digital Copywriter Graduate intern makes significant impact at The Giftware Association The Giftware Association wanted to invest in a Graduate Intern to drive forward their social media presence and website development. Assistant internship was a fantastic opportunity for a graduate to gain hands on experience and specific responsibility for customer service and project work. Michael Hardwick, Human Geography graduate from Sheffield Hallam University successfully secured the internship. Graduate Intern's ambition leads to permanent role Let's Live Residential Lettings is a growing micro business with a housing stock of 250 properties in Birmingham city centre, Edgbaston and Harborne. They were looking to recruit a graduate to support and assist with administration duties within the business. French and Hispanic Studies graduate Kezia Stanley-Kaussen was successfully recruited for the role of Lettings Coordinator.
Past: Skills creation programmes Working Neighbourhood Fund (DCLG) BSEEN is a collaborative scheme led by Aston University. It is a student and graduate start-up programme. It offers a great package of intensive start-up support for new ventures. Successful participants benefit from a variety of workshops, networking opportunities, tailored mentoring, grant and work space at Birmingham Science Park Aston, Birmingham City University or the University of Birmingham Skills for Birmingham. BSEEN is available to undergraduates and graduates, up to 5 years after Enterprise and graduation living in the West Midlands region. Employability Network Once a business is registered the support provided by BSEEN is classed as De Minimis Aid (up to 200,000 EUROS of aid every three year period). Ongoing support is available to business owners for one year. Business owners typically receive £1340, which includes a grant plus monthly support.
Past: Skills creation programmes Working Neighbourhood Fund (DCLG) Entrepreneurs for the Future (e4f) is an incubator programme to support the growth of technology companies in the West Midlands (gaming, in cloud, social media, applications, Entrepreneurs digital technologies, clean tech and low carbon). Based at the Innovation Birmingham Campus, e4f helps start-ups that use technology in innovative ways to launch, develop and for the Future grow their business. E4f provides smart incubation for up to 9 months (access to our Entrepreneurs in Residence to build a robust action plan and accelerate the development of business into a commercial enterprise; access to co-working space, a state-of-the-art meeting room, 1-2-1 sessions with visiting experts, round-table discussions, workshops, partner benefits, showcasing opportunities and investment days, advice on and access to finance). E4f provides an access to purpose built Test Lab with the latest digital devices and software for developers to test their apps and programmes.
Not just an ordinary office. e4f is a vibrant community of multidiscipline entrepreneurs working on a variety of tech start-ups. I have been lucky enough to be a part of e4f for almost a year in which time I can truly say that my knowledge, skills and business progress have greatly benefitted from the events, visiting expert sessions, great management and community that e4f have facilitated. Mike Bandar, Director, Turn Partners After hearing about e4f at Tech Wednesday, we knew it was a place we had to be to grow as a start- up and meet like-minded people. Being here now for over six months has proven to be a success, we've met many new clients, and people that can help and mentor us in difficult situations. e4f offers a wealth of talent and expertise; it’s a place any tech start -up should be at. Ben and Paul O’Brien, Founders, Fresh Face Media
Current: Open Programmes European Regional Development Fund (EU) Business Business Green Bridge Innovation Development Programme Programme
Current: Open Programmes European Regional Development Fund (EU) Business It is a successful revenue programme consisting of high growth coaching and mentoring and financial assistance. It offers financial assistance via revenue Development and capital grants of £10,000 - £20,000 to existing growing SMEs towards expansion, relocation, capital equipment, coaching and mentoring and market development costs. The programme has demonstrated a successful Programme model of improving confidence, encouraging private sector investment, stimulating business growth and creating new jobs.
Current: Open Programmes European Regional Development Fund (EU) Business The programme offered SMEs financial assistance to acquire new plant and equipment upgrades, investment in production processes, development of Innovation innovative production processes to have products that are “close to market” and business innovation mentoring. Programme The Programme delivered 760 new and safeguarded jobs (350 target) and offered mixture of grant assistance of £10,000 to £30,000 with a match investment by the private sector SME being equal to the grant secured.
Current: Open Programmes European Regional Development Fund (EU) Green • S upport for new and existing SMEs, • G reen sector or cluster of 10 companies who would like to diversify into the green Bridge sector, • F inancial assistance via revenue and capital grants of £20K - £1m • Support available f or expansion, relocation, capital equipment, product development, coaching and mentoring, market development costs • Programme encourages further investment, business growth and job creation
Future: Growth and Supply Chain Development increase business support •increase geography • portfolio of programmes • new delivery models • open to new companies • support of large companies (R -R, Carillion) European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme (ESIF) Business Supply chain Business Star Supplier Start-up Innovation programmes: Development Green Bridge Programme Programme Programme High Speed 2 Programme (£15m) (£11.4m) (£5m) (£10m) (£40m) (£8.5m) Work with large companies to build capacity of their supply chain: Success of SMEs feeds the success of large companies
Thank you for your attention Contact details: Joanna Fletcher European Bioenergy Research Institute Aston University E: j.fletcher@aston.ac.uk
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