ALBA INNOVATION EXPANDS AS COMPANIES ENJOY SUCCESS

ALBA INNOVATION EXPANDS AS COMPANIES ENJOY SUCCESS

New centre creates 81 jobs in less than two years Alba Innovation Centre, the tailor-made incubator for technology start-ups, has helped 19 companies create more than 80 jobs within less than two years.

Now the centre has moved into purpose-built premises at the Alba Campus, Livingston, and expects to welcome new companies during the next few weeks.

The figures represent a great start for Alba Innovation Centre’s operators, Innovation Centres (Scotland) Ltd and its backers, Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh & Lothian and West Lothian Council. “We have helped 19 companies since our fledgling beginnings in 2005,” explained centre manager Ross Clark. “We are expected two or three to move in during the next few weeks, and already four companies have ‘graduated’ from the incubator and moved on. “The incubator model enables young companies to establish themselves, with top-class advice about how to set about achieving growth as quickly as possible. That includes recruitment, marketing, product development and finding new customers.”

The news was welcomed by Councillor Willie Dunn, deputy leader of West Lothian Council. “Alba Innovation is a simple idea done well. It is vital that we see new young and innovative companies start-up and grow in West Lothian, as we shift more heavily into a knowledge economy,” he commented. Between them, Alba’s incubated companies have achieved sales of more than £5m, and created 81 new jobs. More than £2m of investment funding has been raised with the help of Alba Innovation. “Alba Innovation has exceeded its targets ahead of schedule. To date the new companies have enjoyed a 100 per cent survival rate, very high for start-ups in the technology sector,” added Willie Dunn. ‘Graduate’ companies have included Elonics, which develops state-of-the-art chips for use in wireless products and applications. Another Alba graduate, Oligon, which integrates microphones into silicon chips, has been bought by Wolfson Micro, Scotland’s leading independent electronics company which began as a spin-out from Edinburgh University.

Alba Innovation provides top-class office facilities for start-up companies, as well as a “virtual support” package for those at a very early stage of development. It began operations in 2005 within the Alba Centre at Kirkton Campus, before moving into purpose-built facility, funded by Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian, at the turn of the year.

Neil Francis, director for growing businesses at Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian, says: ‘Simply handing young, dynamic technology companies the key to high quality accommodation and letting them get on with it is not enough. “Alba Innovation Centre’s success demonstrates the importance of being innovative and enterprising in the support you offer companies to help them through the initial period of their existence and become successful new ventures. “The new facility will help to build on the centre’s initial successes and lead to many more new technology companies that will help grow both the West Lothian economy and the wider technology sector in Scotland.”