Breakthrough Spring 2017 | Page 68

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Innovation Birmingham will engage digital champions and communicators within its ‘ without walls ’ strategy
striking a balance between order and chaos with a proactive and energetic management catalysing interaction
Innovation Birmingham will work within Birmingham ’ s city centre to address the needs of Greater Birmingham ’ s knowledge-based economy . Innovation Birmingham orchestrates a connected innovation community through the provision of facilities linked to its 30 Gig / s web infrastructure . We aim to catalyse digital entrepreneurship through an accelerator , two incubator programmes and a community of digital businesses , through technology and demand-led innovation .
There are currently over 150 businesses , employing 1,100 people , located in the three buildings on the Innovation Birmingham Campus . The connected real-estate ethos has been embodied in the design , delivery and now operation of the new iCentrum ® building which opened in April 2016 .
The building has been designed to promote community dynamics , striking a balance between order and chaos with a proactive and energetic management catalysing interaction . A physical community is connected to the citizens and business community of Birmingham across all sectors through an active meeting and events programme .
digital champions Through this ‘ without walls ’ strategy , Innovation Birmingham engages digital champions and communicators in globally connected local debates to overcome local limits on growth in Birmingham ’ s knowledge economy . This same approach drove the first Industrial Revolution in Birmingham – then it was called the Lunar Society and was geographically located .
Metrics suggest that science parks do not achieve their full catalytic potential in terms of GDP impact . It is our contention that an alliance of trusted interconnected centres with common interests and requirements around knowledge economy-led regeneration is the way forward . Indeed , an alliance may become essential in a post-Brexit world where public sector financial support becomes even more scarce .
Virtual incubator Innovation Birmingham is a founding member of Cisco ’ s National Virtual Incubator network , which currently links seven centres across the UK using the latest video technology to promote connected collaboration . We also have agreements with the DMZ incubator in Toronto . These links provide an example to illustrate the concept of an alliance of centres of innovation .
Innovation Birmingham operates the Innovation Birmingham Campus , but it is a Knowledge Economy business . Whilst our main income is generated from property , business success is driven by the continued development and support of a thriving creative community of collaborating entrepreneurs and innovators – based on the campus , integrated into the city , and connected to world . That is our extended version of the ‘ property-plus ’ model that identifies the science park movement .
Investment opportunity We continue to develop our strategy , with three further buildings planned . The first development will break ground in 2017 with pre-lets confirmed .
The Board of Innovation Birmingham and Birmingham City Council are actively seeking investment , in exchange for equity , to support the continued development of Innovation Birmingham and the campus as a next generation innovation community .
For those interested in the further development of this alliance model , we would be keen to open a dialogue . We are also interested in exploring means of providing ready access to early stage capital and growth venture capital to accelerate the growth of our clients . ■
Potential investors should contact Innovation Birmingham : innovationbham . com
68 | UKSPA breakthrough | SPRING 2017