The focus is not just to provide bricks and mortar , it is on providing an interactive supportive environment where innovators can interface with like-minded people .
Universities Centre at Innovation Birmingham Campus
Since it was established in 2009 , e4f has supported the creation of over 120 new technology companies .
National Virtual Incubator
Innovation Birmingham is a founding node in this pioneering network led by Cisco ; which connects incubation centres and research institutions around the UK via state-of-the-art Cisco video conferencing technology . Mentoring sessions and multi-location live events are being delivered across the NVI network , enabling initial introductions and follow-up meetings to take place , irrespective of geography .
iCentrum ®
Marking the first phase of Innovation Birmingham ’ s £ 30 million campus expansion plan , iCentrum ® recently opened . The building encompasses 42,149 sq ft ( 3,881 sq m ) of open work space ; promoting mobile working , a new Serendip ® Smart City Incubator offering , self-contained offices , event facilities and a new café – Six Degrees .
Set over three floors and a mezzanine level , the £ 8 million iCentrum ® building has been developed to create the optimum environment for innovative collaboration between innovative start-ups and corporate partners . Businesses benefit from free high-tech office space , mentoring from experienced entrepreneurs , a 180-seat presentation auditorium with 7m + wide HD presentation screen , access to over 100 evening networking events and workshops .
Serendip ® Smart City Incubator
Sitting in the heart of iCentrum , the Serendip ® Smart City Incubator is a new offering aimed at accelerating the growth of digital startups by working directly with large corporate partners on challenges defined by market need . A core element of Birmingham ’ s ‘ Knowledge Hub ’, the incubator co-locates promising start-up businesses with large , existing commercial partners ; enabling start-ups to market-test and refine products and services with real commercial partners and take their businesses to investors in the full knowledge of commercial opportunity and route to market . The partners may also , in turn , become customers or distribution channels as the start-up develops .
Serendip ® will accommodate start-ups and commercial partners working within the following markets :
• Digital Health – in partnership with West Midlands Academic Health Science Network
• Intelligent Mobility – in partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Transport Systems Catapult
• Future Energy – in partnership with RWE npower
• Barclays Eagle Labs – in partnership with Barclays
Maker Wharf
Innovation Marketplace iCentrum ’ s ground floor will operate as an open marketplace to promote innovation and needs-led development of technologies in support of the regional economy . It will act as a focal point ; a meeting place for Birmingham ’ s innovative students , academics and individuals from the public sector , SMEs and corporates . By bringing together a diverse cross sector of the citizens of Birmingham from the science , tech , digital , making and the arts , iCentrum ® will remix ideas and concepts to promote delivery of new commercial products and services .
Universities Centre The Universities Centre will open September 2016 and will create an additional 5,812 sq ft of enterprise space , acting as a detached extension of the site ’ s Faraday Wharf building . Over half of the space in the new facility will be dedicated to flexible co-working , with the remainder purpose-designed for training sessions and events . It will also feature state-of-the-art communications equipment , linked to all five universities in Birmingham which will all benefit from high definition video conferencing suites as part of the project .
The main function of the Universities Centre , which received a Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership ( GBSLEP ) award of £ 2.49m Local Growth Fund grant , is to reduce the perceived / actual barriers to effective collaboration between early-stage , microenterprises , small businesses and universities .
Maker Wharf Located next to iCentrum ® , Maker Wharf will be the next development on the Campus . It will incorporate a Fab Lab prototyping facility on the ground floor with office and workshop space for tech companies on the upper floors . In a sense , combining the Campus ’ existing digital capability with Fab Lab facilities has the potential to reinvent Birmingham ’ s manufacturing heritage .
30Gbit / s broadband connectivity In a move to enhance Birmingham ’ s Smart City credentials , Innovation Birmingham has invested in infrastructure to increase its broadband connectivity to 30Gbit / s . As a result , tenants benefit from download and upload speeds that equal the best on offer anywhere in the UK .
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