Annual Report 2011
| Annual Statistics 2011: figures to year end 2010 (PowerPoint document) UKSPA continues to provide its key services for its members in return for an annual membership fee which has remained at the same inflation-proofed level for the last nine years. I should report that the Association finances remain in reasonably good order but remain critically dependent on membership subscriptions. Association finances during 2010-2011 were as anticipated and overall our financial position is relatively stable, but it should be noted that over the last few years the annual 'funding gap' between the costs of running the Association and revenues from Member subscriptions is becoming increasingly difficult to close. In the current economic climate corporate sponsorship has all but dried up, and revenues from advertising have also been hit hard. On the operational side of our business, the key performance indicator is the number of Members retained, and although we have had a small number of casualties this year, we have also been able to attract a number of new Members to replace these. It is vitally important that we continue to offer value-for-money – and supportive – services to our Members but also that our Members play a full and active role in supporting the work of the Association in order that we continue to promote the sector nationally and internationally. Membership Matters I am pleased that we have managed to sustain a healthy level of membership during these difficult times. We have also welcomed the following new Full and Associate Members to the Association over the last 12 months:
We continue to produce our e-newsletters so that we can keep Members up to speed with Association activities. From the e-news management system we know that an extremely high proportion of recipients open the newsletter before deleting it, which encourages us to continue to produce it every month. These monthly e-bulletins are supplemented with a number of ad-hoc, subject specific newsletters and these have covered Government announcements, Technology Strategy Board initiatives as well as updates on individual Association events and projects. Our magazine 'Innovation into Success' is published three times a year and we are currently looking at ways of improving its appeal as well as its content. UKSPA Projects A number of initiatives are underway and the next year should see a range of projects coming to fruition including:
We are extremely grateful to the Parks who hosted our Members' Meetings this year (NetPark, Harwell Oxford and the University of Nottingham Innovation Park) and I would like to thank them and all the Members who have taken time from their demanding day jobs to attend, participate and support the Meetings. The range of speakers at these events continues to impress all who attend. The programme of events and activities that we now have available is greater than ever before, and we believe offers great value for our most important asset – our members. The UKSPA Investment Conference at Harwell Oxford was a particular highlight of the year with almost 200 members and guests attending the conference. The event provided an opportunity to look at future funding options for the sector and drew some important conclusions on the impact of reduced public sector funding and ways to demonstrate growth potential to attract private investment. One important project over the next twelve months will be around this Investment Agenda and we are currently looking at ways in which we can deliver performance information that will attract additional investment to the sector. We will certainly continue to play our part from the UKSPA offices in Chesterford Research Park to support the Sector and if there are any services you believe we could be delivering better, or in a different way, please let us know. Paul Wright September 2011 |