innovation
past 15 years . We now have very high-level engineering capability and the high spec laboratory facilities needed to provide the right technical environment for incubating companies within the space sector .
What specifically will the new centre do to promote entrepreneurship and business incubation ? We offer a single-price package that is a one-stop-shop for incubating companies . No worrying about bills . Tenants can tap into technical support , links to academic activities and all the right facilities , without having to pay large fees or invest in capital for something they may use very occasionally .
When working in an incubation centre you get community support and that larger organisation feel . Our clients can have anything from a single desk to larger
The OpTIC Technology Centre sits at the heart of St Asaph Business Park
There ' s a huge push within the Welsh Government and the Welsh space groups to put Wales on the map offices and laboratories . They have access to our restaurant facilities , business centre , conference and meeting rooms , external catering , and funding groups . Shared spaces also offer a more collaborative environment . We have an incubator clients ’ forum where we meet every six weeks just to discuss some of the issues that surround people with incubating businesses .
How do you believe Welsh SMEs and start-ups might feed into the UK space sector in future ? There ' s a huge push within the Welsh Government and the Welsh space groups to put Wales on the map with respect to space activity . We have a lot of very highly technical businesses , like Airbus in North Wales . We already have optoelectronic companies , space technology companies and optics technology . There ’ s a lot of expertise and academic support within this area and we are geographically well positioned too . Generally , it is a good breeding ground for new spinout companies and new technologies .
Suppliers of high quality electronic components tend not to see the space industry as open to them . We aim to enlighten companies on the opportunities offered by the space industry .
It ’ s a two-way street . There are small companies out there with expertise that could benefit the space industry , and the space industry has the skills to develop other technologies within other industries and sectors . For example , Horizon Space are a start-up company looking to set up their initial facilities here at OpTIC and in North Wales , which ties in with the Welsh space projects further down coast .
How important do you think government funding is to sector support and the development and growth of emerging technologies ? I think it ' s essential . Without that initial outlay to support incubation , technology companies will really struggle to get off the ground .
Start-ups are generally high risk from a commercial perspective and suffer from cash flow challenges . Without support from the Government and organisations like Innovate UK and the Welsh Government support programmes , these businesses would struggle to establish their ideas and get themselves in a position to market their products . ■
50 | UKSPA breakthrough | SPRING 2017