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Cambridge Technolpole: High summer hi-tech summit in Cambridge

Written by News Desk
Wednesday, 05 March 2008
Walter Herriot, MD of St John’s Innovation Centre A high summer hi-tech summit is being held to probe ways of sustaining the vibrancy of the Cambridge technology cluster. No-one is pushing the panic button as the ‘Ideas Region’ continues to prosper globally, but the organisers Cambridge Network – sponsored by the Greater Cambridge Partnership – believe there are new challenges facing the Cambridge Technopole. How it deals with those challenges will determine the number and nature of opportunities the technopole is able to create going forward, says Martin Garratt, director of Greater Cambridge Partnership. He said: “The GCP is working with a range of partners to co-ordinate a meeting in early June of key movers and shakers from across business, academia and the public sector, to consider how we can move the cluster forward. “Later in the year, following the Cambridge Enterprise Conference, GCP will formulate a policy morning inviting key officials and ministers to demonstrate progress and seek Government support for the Greater Cambridge cluster.” Walter Herriot, MD of St John’s Innovation Centre and a key driver of the Cambridge Technopole, has masterminded a new report that sets out the pluses and minuses of the cluster. He said: “The cluster remains vibrant but we do face a number of issues.” According to Herriot, these include:- • Should the Cambridge Technopole become part of a wider supercluster linking Cambridge with Oxford and London? • What is the role of public support in sustaining and enhancing the technopole? • What are the core business and technological strengths within the technopole and can these be facilitated further? Herriot said that the June brainstorming event and the open forum this autumn “should both enable us to formulate a better strategy and decide what initiatives we can undertake ourselves and what, if any, public support is needed if we are to make the best of ourselves in the interest of not only Cambridge but UK plc as a whole.” A Cambridge Technopole Group was formed to improve the range and quality of the business support services available in the sub-region, particularly for companies based on technology. The group includes such influential players as GCP, ERBI, EEDA, the Great Eastern Investment Forum, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, the chamber of commerce, Cambridge Network, Cambridge and Colworth Science Parks, ERBI – the local biotech facilitator which now steers the medtech segment as well – Health Enterprise East, St John’s Innovation Centre, Babraham Institute and various University departments and offices including Judge Business School, the Institute for Manufacturing and Cambridge Enterprise. This informal network is endeavouring to bring a joined up approach to the way leading organisations locally collaborate for the greater good. The Cambridge Technopole Report – authored by Herriot and Tim Minshall at the Institute for Manufacturing – signposts key organisations locally and deals with the history of the technopole as well as the future opportunities and challenges. The report, plus associated documents and references, can be downloaded from: www.cambridgetechnopole.org.uk Set as favorite Bookmark Email This Hits: 257 Trackback(0) TrackBack URI for this entry Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Show/Hide comments Write comment Show/Hide comment form This content has been locked. You can no longer post any comment.