Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

The handful of staff detailed to start the venture in offices at St John’s Innovation Centre on September 1 is expected to grow substantially over time as the Cambridge badge opens more commercial avenues in the UK and Europe for Chinese companies and investors.

The enterprise is also dedicated to promoting Cambridge in China as a bridge to trade in western Europe – notably the East of England.

Three ambitious, young Chinese companies have already set up within St John’s Innovation Centre to be at the heart of the Cambridge business networks.

There is a tremendous appetite among the Chinese academic community in Cambridge to stay close to a fountainhead of intellectual capital that promises much for both economies.

Walter Herriot, director of SJIC, said: “The Chinese market is vast and eager for collaboration. We have no doubts about its potential.

“But that isn’t the end of the story: We are also seeing a greatly increased appetite from the Chinese, Russians and now Nordic nations to forge a local presence as well as business collaborations with East of England contemporaries.”

A delegation from Invest Hong Kong is due to host a breakfast meeting at the Innovation Centre on September 24 to press the location’s claims as a stepping stone for East of England companies seeking a foothold in China and East Asia.

A similar mission from the Government of Victoria in Australia is also beating a path to Cambridge’s door in October to push potential trade and research collaborations between East of England biotech companies and contemporaries in Melbourne.

It is hoped that in the longer term, the initiative may encourage Australian life sciences companies to establish a permanent base in the East of England biotech cluster.

A new Russian academy in Cambridge, also within the St John’s Innovation Centre, is close to launch.

The centre is increasingly becoming a fulcrum for international business opportunities. The East of England Innovation Relay Centre, which is based there, has expanded its team ready to help tenants and networked external companies to exploit new trade openings.