Innovation and incubation for Alba

Friday, 1st September, 2006

The new £3.5million development, Alba Innovation Centre, is close to completion and has already provided accommodation and facilities to 5 of Scotland’s youngest, most ambitious technology companies.

Part of the ICS Group of companies, Alba Innovation Centre is following in the footsteps of it’s sister Innovation Centre, the highly successful Hillington Park Innovation Centre which has been in operation for 5 years and has seen some very successful technology companies pass through their doors.

So, what is an Incubation Centre?

"Business Incubation is a unique and highly flexible combination of business development processes, infrastructure and people, designed to nurture and grow new and small businesses by supporting them through the early stages of development and change".

And, what makes Alba Innovation Centre unique?

Our key focus is to support the development and accelerated growth of the next generation of young, innovative technology businesses. Our wealth of experience in this area has developed through supporting well respected Scottish based technology companies such as Idox Plc, 4C Design, Yakara, Nicator, Keypoint Technologies, Elonics, Contact Advantage, Gladstone, Pointshift and OLM.

One of the companies, Oligon, recently graduated from the temporary Alba Innovation Centre said “An excellent addition to the facilities available to new businesses wanting to get started in Scotland. Within a very short time of arriving at Alba Innovation Centre our business was up and running and we gained instant access to a pool of experienced advisors able to support us”. Mark Hesketh, Oligon

“Our aim is to make a significant difference to ambitious, innovative technology businesses, through a tested and proven process of innovation support. This will involve the team at Alba examining all aspects of the business, challenging where appropriate, but ultimately aiming to deliver exceptional support which will help remove barriers and facilitate growth” said Ross Clark, Senior Innovation Manager, Alba Innovation Centre

With the new building nearing completion, the Alba Innovation Centre will provide 15,000 sq. feet of high quality accommodation, housing up to 45 young start-up companies at any time, with high speed internet access, a wireless network, IT support, café, reception and full admin support (including a 9am-5pm manned reception area and telephone answering service). Conference facilities, boardroom and meeting rooms are also available to tenants of the Centre.

What’s different for University Spin-Outs?

The market for spin outs in Scotland is on the increase. Edinburgh Research & Innovation (ERI), which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Edinburgh University, was quoted as saying “In 2004, the ERI filed 49 patents, 33 licences and carried out 11 company formations.

With this in mind, Alba Innovation Centre has developed a dedicated University Incubation Suite for University spin-out companies and university graduates starting up in business. This also includes working with Enterprise Fellows, Proof of Concept projects and other programmes.

The key benefits of the University Incubation Suite are:

• Access to the in-house business advisory team within Alba Innovation Centre

• Hot desk space in a modern office environment, furnished with telephone

• and internet ready

• A virtual address and telephone number

• At no cost for an initial 6 months

Gillian E. McFadzean, Director, Technology & Research Services at Heriot-Watt University said;

“The University Incubation Suite is an excellent and unique opportunity for new companies coming out of the University to move into a business environment and benefit from the comprehensive support of the Alba Innovation team and their professional network. Nothing can beat sharing experiences as you grow and the atmosphere and culture of Alba Innovation Centre gives that a “quick start” by providing ready-made opportunities and situations to talk through issues and problems with both professional and personal level support.

“We are looking forward to meeting some new and exciting young technology businesses over the next few months and helping to make a difference to their business through our incubation support facilities. If you have recently set up a technology business or are looking for some support in this area, we would be delighted to review your business and identify where we could help”. Ross Clark, Senior Innovation Manager, Alba Innovation Centre

For further details, please do not hesitate to contact Ross Clark, 01506 402472 or email ross.clark@innovationcentre.org