Présentations

 

ENTERPRISE HUBS in the South East of England 2002-2004

A network of Innovation Centres

Hub : aims, difficulties and achievements

Presentation Dr John C Dodd
Locations


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What is a Hub?
Four Components
Hub Champions
Knowledge base
Flexible Workspace
Hub Director
Five Objectives
B2B Mentoring and networking
Tailored Business Support
Flexible Workspace
Affiliated to a knowledge base
Early stage finance


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What is Success for the Hubs?
Increasing the birth rate of new knowledge-based companies
Increasing the survival rate
Increasing the growth rate


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Flexible Workspace

Isle of Wight

Solent

Southampton

Newbury

40 hectare site with 60,000 sq. metres of rentable space

Sittingbourne Research Centre – Kent, UK
 


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Over 85 companies on site
  • Bio-medical - Pfizer, DRI, IMS, MDS Pharma
  • Electronics – Thales, Harada
  • ICT –Entity, Merit
  • occupied space – 80%
  • available space – 20%
  • 30 companies helped by HUB
Over 1000 employees of tenant companies now on site and ultimately could rise to 1500 employees – started from ZERO 1997!


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The Process


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The Process
1. Robert de Fougerolles – Hub Champion
2. Tim Bentley – Ex-Pfizer Financial Director
3.Trevor Carney – Cripps, Harris Hall – Law Firm
4. Tim Steele – Cazenove Fund
5. Prof. Peter Jeffries – Head of Biosciences UKC
6. Tony Buddin – Head of Marketing BLK
7. Greg Ward – SEEDA Ent. Hub Project Manager
8. Robert Williams – Site Director SRC
9. Alex King – Kent County Council
10. Hans Christian Iversen – Corporate Business Consultant
11. Dr. John C. Dodd – Hub Director


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SEH Innovation Seminars and Investment readiness Events

47 jobs and 16 companies started in first 18 months
 


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A recent example of the importance of Networking and companies meeting potential investors!
Understand your business environment don’t hide away!


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Lessons learnt?
Surprise Finding
Local Universities are NOT spinning out companies! Nor Young Entrepreneurs!
Most Start ups in Kent currently emerge from MID-LIFE Crises!!


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Surprising Fact!

Of 600 technology spin outs in the Cambridge area in UK only 10% were from the University base!

 


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Needs clear and strong Intellectual Property position: 
Some sort of protection (i.e. Patent, sole license, unique database etc).
 


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Types of Intellectual Property


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BUT……………..most important!!!!
SHOW ME THE MON£Y!!!


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So if you want to start up answer these questions:
Questions to prevent you wasting your money!
 


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3 Enterprise Hubs
2 in Kent
1 in Surrey
(600 Companies)
3 French Technopoles
Upper-Normandy Region - Rouen
CAP Santé – Picardie
Eurasanté – Lille
(600 companies)
Sectors: Life Sciences, Healthcare, IT, Biotechnology, Agri-Business
 


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Comparison of Company Incubation
UK
No pre-incubation
Companies incorporate from day 1 (£1)
Seed capital from Government grants 60% (competitive) or Business Angels, FFFs
UK risk is higher – no job security!
France
Pre-incubation
No companies just projects
Projects managed and only approved survive to enter Incubator
Incubator project €60,000 reimbursable grant
Company formation
Jobs secure if project not success.
 


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Commercialising biological value
The case for mycorrhizal fungi inoculation is proven!
A naturally healthy plant has mycorrhizas
This plant is better able to survive long-term
This is a one time treatment that will grow with the plant (plant health insurance)
These are the messages businesses want to see supported from good scientific studies
 


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The importance of customer satisfaction – Testimonials!
Rootgrow success in Grapevine production
Thinning of Huxelrebe in year two showed 2.5 times the yield on rootgrow treated vines. Final second years yields showed that the variety Huxelrebe yielded the same quantity of grapes but those from treated rows were better quality and hadn't suffered drying out to the same extent as the untreated during our very hot August 2003. In the variety Bacchus, the quality was similar but the yield was three times higher from the treated row.
“As a scientist I knew of the benefits of mycorrhizal fungi however, the results surprised even me. I now intend to use rootgrow on all future plantings on my vineyard” - Ray Newsam, Dover


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Testimonials cont…
PlantWorks treated nearly half a million trees along Channel Tunnel Rail Link in Kent UK 2000-2002 – this helped put back deciduous forest which had to be removed during the engineering project.


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Customer needs – Education of the market
YES!
Trade shows
Advertising
Editorial
Informative technical articles
NO!
Scientific Publications alone


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So where can science interact with business?
Business desires
  1. Absence of pathogens/antagonists (quality)
  2. Good shelf life (longevity)
  3. Visible benefits for the customer (value)
Scientific rigour
  1. Absence of any microbe in inoculum – (Business comment - the product is rarely intended for use in 100% sterile conditions).
  2. “The inoculum did not work – it is no good” – (Business comment – on the balance of knowledge don’t sell/use mycorrhizal fungi where they are unlikely to have appropriate conditions for mycorrhization e.g. peat)
So maybe we are not tuned into each others aims or needs!
 


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So what should our priorities be?
A Scientific view might be?:
  1. the development of molecular probes for monitoring arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and ectomycorrhizal fungi inocula in the field
  2. Increasing knowledge on the ecophysiology of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in ecosystems and on their interactions with other rhizospheric microbes
  3. selection of new plant varieties with enhanced mycorrhizal traits and of AMF with new symbiotic traits
The Business View definitely is:
  1. Sell more product
  2. raise awareness of the product to the public (the customers)
  3. Sell the importance of mycorrhizal technology for sustainable plant production and soil conservation
  4. Sell more product


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Summer 2003 – Phew What a Scorcher!!


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Things going in right direction!
The UK government-set target is that at least 40 per cent of compost and soil conditioners sold in the UK should be peat free by 2005 (already achieved 2003)
B&Q, the largest compost retailer in the country, has set itself a target that all growing media and soil conditioners it sells will contain a maximum of 15 per cent peat by 2006. It does stress, however, that this depends entirely on their suppliers developing viable alternatives.
So many challenges for environmentally-friendly plant production in the next decade and where science can support the developing mycorrhizal SMEs in the EU


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So how does mycorrhizal science end up looking to the buyer?……
PlantWorks’ range of products for the gardening market – Brand!
 


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Take home Message – or for Discussion?
The scientists may not like the dumbing down but it sells the product!
Final Message?
Help the good businesses sell the mycorrhizal products …… the customers who buy it pay your wages and fund your grants!
 


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