OPEN DOORS DOES THE BUSINESS FOR SCOTLAND’S TECHNOLOGY ENTREPRENEURS

OPEN DOORS DOES THE BUSINESS FOR SCOTLAND’S TECHNOLOGY ENTREPRENEURS: Over 150 young Scottish technology companies have resoundingly confirmed Open Doors as the must attend technology event of the year.

Open Doors 2007 which took place at the Hillington Park Innovation Centre on Friday 28th September attracted over 150 young technology companies who were keen to discuss partnerships with some of the world’s leading technology organisations.

During the event, organised by Innovation Centres Scotland Limited, the attendees met on a one-to-one basis with some of the world’s largest technology players to discuss collaboration, joint ventures and partnerships. The partner companies taking part in the initiative included Sun Microsystems, IBM, Oracle, Nokia, RIM, LogicaCMG, Microsoft, Orange and Plexus.

A number of discussions have already led to commercial partnerships being initiated. Huw Evans, Director of Media and Content Consultancy practice at LogicaCMG said: “We’ve been very impressed with the quality of people we have met today. They have taken the time to understand what LogicaCMG does and have tailored their pitch accordingly. There have been some really interesting ideas coming forward in the areas of language input solutions and field force automation. I was particularly impressed by a potential software application which can identify which language you are speaking. As far as I am aware no one else has come up with such an application.”

Attendee Anthony Ashbrook, managing director of Mobile Acuity said: “We had a very positive meeting with one of the world’s mobile industry leaders. They have agreed to trial our technology for carrying out a focus group campaign, the results of which will be reported to senior management. For us it could be the beginning of a very fruitful relationship with this company.”

Stuart Bain of Third Circle Business Development commented: “This is a great environment for high growth potential companies to short-circuit the sales cycle. This event could ultimately take months out of the commercialisation process for many. Networking in this environment is extremely high quality whether you are an SME, an OEM or an investor. My client Design LED will see significant savings in time and energy through the OEM connections they have made today. ”

Tom Ogilvie, chief executive, Innovation Centres Scotland (ICS) Limited said: “The feedback from the event from both attendees and partners has been very positive. In particular, attendees have said that having the opportunity to present their ideas to key decision makers within the partner organisations in one easy accessible place has been the biggest benefit. It is fair to say that for many companies ‘that one meeting has taken their businesses to the next level’. We have put mechanisms in place to ensure that the opportunities presented today are followed through and put into action to maximise the benefits for all concerned.”

He added: “We are delighted by the success of today’s event. We believe it provides an excellent model for organising similar types of events in the future. ICS is already exploring the possibilities for hosting ventures aimed at other key vertical markets such as pharmaceuticals, electronics and construction.” For further information please visit www.innovationcentre.org/open-doors