Merseyside Digital Development

The North West’s i-techpartner Academy event on Tuesday 12th June, organised by the University of Liverpool’s AIMES Centre, had a tremendous response from companies seeking opportunities to collaborate – confirming the thriving culture of entrepreneurship in the region’s technology sector.

This event was one of the first in a series being held across Europe. These events are designed to facilitate access to potential collaborative partners, new channels to market and investment. The Academy event was held at Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus with support from Daresbury as well as Merseyside ICT, Greater Merseyside Digital Development Agency and RTC North.

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Left to right: William Stephens, Europe Unlimited; Paul Treloar, Daresbury Innovation Centre; Richard Veal, New Mind Ltd; Steve Smith, Merseyside ICT; Professor Dennis Kehoe, AIMES.

The day saw presentations from 34 organisations, showcasing their technology innovations to over 120 attendees. Delegates included investors, entrepreneurs, academics and business and technology transfer experts.

“What really counts in commercial success is what and who you know, but information and contacts are hard to get,” said Professor Dennis Kehoe, Director of AIMES. “The Academy at Daresbury will help small companies source technology to take their business forward, enable entrepreneurs to find their next business opportunity and research leaders their collaborative partner. It fills the gap.”

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A presentation session, moderated by Iain Bennett, Sector Leader for Digital Creative Industries, NWDA.

Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive. Presenters included “social media evangelist”, Katie Lips, of Kisky Netmedia, who rated the Academy highly, saying: “The fact that the event was participatory meant that everyone had something to offer - even if they weren’t presenting, they could offer advice, contacts and comments. Also, the fact that the event attracted entrepreneurs, developers, support organisations and funders meant that everyone got the ‘bigger picture’; the technology innovation scene as a whole rather than from one single perspective. What I found most useful was the opportunity to present my forthcoming product to a group of industry specialists before we launch it. Their comments and insights will be fed back into its development.”

The event was also a valuable experience for ‘pre-startup’ entrepreneurs. Dr James Rowan, of Naismith Ltd, who is looking to commercialise his PhD research, said: “I left with some very useful contacts and received some follow up calls and invitations to discuss collaborations, so it was very useful for me.”

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William Stephens, from i-techpartner European coordinators Europe Unlimited, pictured here delivering his keynote speech, added: “The presentations today have provided us with a flavour of what the entrepreneurs and researchers are working on. Today is about getting researchers and entrepreneurs enthusiastic about partnering – the networking at this event is working well and I think it will go a long way towards building the i-techpartner network.”

Commenting on the day, Professor Kehoe said “There’s a thriving culture of entrepreneurship in the region’s technology sector. The tremendous level of interest in the i-techpartner initiative proves how forward-thinking these technology companies are, and how determined they are to drive their businesses forward”.

As a follow up to the Academy events, each of the 12 European regions participating in the i-techpartner project will also be hosting a sector-specific Forum event. Those registered on the portal will be eligible to apply to present their technology or partnering opportunity at the most appropriate Forum across Europe. The UK Forum event will take place in spring 2008 and will focus on e-services.

The i-techpartner project will end with an international investor summit in 2008 where participants can meet directly with venture capital investors.

The AIMES Centre also developed the online portal for the network. SMEs, entrepreneurs, academics, innovation experts and investors are invited to register at http://www.i-techpartner.eu/. Users can create their own profile and view others, join discussion groups and arrange meetings with likely partners in their region or apply to attend networking events. The portal also offers companies and individuals the chance to communicate and build relationships with those taking part from the other 12 European regions involved in the project. A specialised ‘radar’ facility also matches users to others most likely to become collaborative partners or provide access to new channels to market and investment.

To find out more about the project and to register, go to http://www.i-techpartner.eu/ or call Marie Mitchell at AIMES on 0151 795 0116