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Ladies and Gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to be here today to
launch the Kent Innovation Centre.
I think the first thing that is exciting about this is that this Centre
has been jointly developed by Thanet District Council and Canterbury
Christ Church University College with funding from the European Regional
Development Fund, Single Regeneration Budget and Thanet District Council.
Innovation and entrepreneurship are vital to the success of businesses
in the UK and it is encouraging to see the emphasis being given to these
here in Thanet by the Council and the learning providers. Innovation
centres, enterprise hubs and gateways are all key to getting this process
of innovation going.
I think one of the most striking features of the economically deprived
areas of the UK and elsewhere is the low rate of business formation,
and this is something that needs to be tackled directly. We need to
use money for regional and local economic development to invest in producing
long-term jobs.
There is no doubt that the availability of special status, such as
Objective 2, Regional Selective Assistance and the funding that this
attracts has helped significantly with the regeneration of the area,
and this can be seen to be paying off with Thanet becoming a location
of choice for new businesses.
Infrastructure development in the form of roads and utility services
are supporting this regeneration although there remains much to be accomplished.
Being in the middle of this exciting development, the Kent Innovation
Centre can play a key role for new and growing businesses.
As you probably know, the Centre's aims are:
- To provide facilities with support, advisory and business services
to encourage innovation, technology transfer and entrepreneurship
- To target SME's with high growth potential or operating in new economy
areas to strengthen the business base
- And to provide a link between business and higher education activities
to encourage skill development, ensure learning provisions are relevant
to business needs and maximise research activity and technology transfer.
I think this last role is particularly important if we are to raise
our skill levels in this country. What will motivate students to study
is the availability of qualifications with value in the market place.
With this background it is no surprise that the Kent Innovation Centre
has some 72% occupancy already, everything from software development
to ultra violet technology. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this
is the number of companies here who, no doubt encouraged by the 'easy
in, easy out' situation, have taken the major step of moving their business
from their homes into business accommodation. Equally encouraging for
Thanet is the decision by Adecco to site a small office here to help
with recruitment issues.
In any economy an appropriately skilled workforce is vital to the success
of business, but also important is the need for continued re-skilling
to keep pace with technological change. Innovation Centres, linked to
higher and further education establishments play a key role here. Small
entrepreneurial businesses are dynamic businesses swiftly reacting to
change but equally needing the flexibility of a skilled workforce to
implement the changes.
In considering business growth, it is essential to recognise also the
importance of women entrepreneurs and it is encouraging to see the support
being given them by Canterbury Christ Church University College. There
is a big opportunity to move ahead and achieve the same level of women
entrepreneurs as in the USA.
Of course the Innovation Centre is not just for starts ups but for
expanding companies also, often the period of most challenging change.
There is help and advice available for these companies also.
The Centre can also act as a very important link to other services
both county and region wide, from providers such as Business Link and
SEEDA.
So can I congratulate all those responsible for this development. Especially
Thanet District Council, Canterbury Christ Church University College,
Pfizer, and also particularly Tony MacDonald for giving up his time
to be Chairman of the Innovation Centre. This is a real coup for the
Innovation Centre.
It gives me great pleasure to declare the Kent Innovation Centre officially
open, and I will certainly follow with great interest what I am sure
will be a great success in the future.
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