• BSPA's new incubator the 'Entrepreneurs for the Future Centre'
• office accommodation for 1 person to 200 people
• flexible licenses and leases
• robust IT provision to the park and excellent ICT support services, including free Microsoft software/support for software development start-ups
• 24 hour access and security
• on-site meeting and conference facilities
• dedicated business development team
• comprehensive events calendar
• access to graduates and university resources, including the Business School and Library
• BSPA internet service offering – which currently offers the best value for business broadband in Birmingham
• Ideas and Communications Suite offering the latest video conferencing facilities.

The Digital agenda is seen as a catalyst for the future development of Birmingham. BSPA is positioning itself as the gateway to Birmingham's Digital District and will drive digital connectivity. Its focus will be on creating interfaces between the Clean Tech, Digital Media and Creative Sectors through the application of innovative ICT services and facilities, and indeed, new ICT businesses. These interfaces will stimulate wealth, and hence job creation through exciting new businesses and smarter new ways of working.

Business Creation: Entrepreneurs for the Future (e4f) Centre
In November 2009, BSPA opened its 'Entrepreneurs for the Future' (e4f) Centre, established with the assistance of Birmingham City Council and b-Birmingham's Working Neighbourhood Fund. The objective is to promote new high-growth technology businesses to diversify the region's economy, create new high-value jobs and retain more of the city's graduate population as they look for their first employment. e4f is also there to support people leaving previous employment that want to set up on their own, rather than work for someone else. The facility in Faraday Wharf provides a base and access to a complete business support package with a view to transforming putative businesses into investment-ready propositions. The BSPA offering provides for an initial period of 6 months' free access to a multi-occupancy incubation unit with full ICT support, including free access to the BSPA Ideas and Communication Suite which comprises of Cisco's Tandberg Dual video conferencing system, including two 65 inch screens to enable real time, highly interactive meetings. This service allows start-ups to connect to a global directory of investors, mentors and colleagues. As well as this the e4f centre is able to provide meeting facilities, business mentoring and access to a business angels syndicate. Within the 6 months, BSPA's team works with the founder(s) to devise and deliver a milestoned development plan to create a value proposition with a view to securing investment funding. At the end of the period the BSPA team will work with the company to provide a further tailored creative support package to move the new venture forward. During the first 12 months of the e4f programme 23 companies were established and consequently BSPA has now added two new units including a specialised gaming incubator this has allowed a significant expansion of the e4f offering. This facility is also working closely with the Aston University 'BSEEN' project that will house up to 30 new graduate start-up ventures in Faraday Wharf which BSPA envisage will then feed into e4f.

e4f is the first in a series of building blocks that BSPA is putting into place as it drives proactive engagement with start-ups and SMEs. It also provides a seamless link between the incubation and innovation centre offering and the wider but historically more property-focused science park.

BSPA also supports the regional innovation economy by accessing leading excellence in academia for its clients. The five Birmingham universities train 64,000 students and 21,000 graduates and more than 50% of the graduates now choose to begin their working lives in the City. These strong links with the regions universities enable BSPA to provide assistance regarding a range of activities that can support companies in their development:

• graduate recruitment
• library membership
• access to leading-edge new technologies
• collaborative research
• staff professional development/executive education
• MBA Projects
• student placements and assignments (technical, scientific and business projects from two weeks to two years)
• access to scientific and technical services at competitive commercial rates
• discounted rate for membership of University sports facilities
• hotel and conferencing.

There are also routes to funding to promote such interaction, such as:

• Innovation Vouchers
• Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs)
• CASE awards
• EREBUS
• Graduate Advantage.

Business Growth
The BSPA offering is committed to providing support throughout a company's maturation and growth. It has established a business development team focused on the delivery of a fully integrated business support and events programme delivered by the team in conjunction with a wide range of partner organisations. Through its relationships with technology organisations, Higher Education Institutions, finance and business support providers, BSPA is able to offer companies access to a range of services in support of the needs of both early stage developing companies and existing organisations. Networking is crucial to this process and BSPA offers opportunities for both formal and informal interaction. A series of themed seminar and networking events under the 'Seminars for Success' banner promotes thought leadership and awareness in technology opportunities, finance and entrepreneurship. There are also opportunities to utilise one-to-one Drop-in Sessions to meet technical and professional experts providing advice and support. BSPA's Café Resource™ in Faraday Wharf, represents an informal networking environment for meetings with free Wi-Fi access to enable clients to work efficiently and effectively.

BSPA also offers a Launch Pad scheme enabling companies that do not have an operational presence on the park to avail themselves of the facilities and engage with BSPA's activities. This is ideal for fledgling companies or businesses that wish to develop and expand their presence in Birmingham whilst maintaining their corporate image without an immediate significant commitment.

Premises
Faraday Wharf: BSPA's head-quarters building, opened in 2001, provides 45,000 square feet of incubation units ranging in size from 100-3,000 square feet. The facilities are organised along the 'Oxygen Street' and houses both the Entrepreneurs for the Future Centre and Café Resource™. Faraday Wharf now stands proud within the BSPA complex, displaying a range of contemporary architecture, specifically designed to make the best use of natural lighting and passive energy for the benefit of occupiers. The building itself incorporates a substantial basement car park and is constructed on a podium level with three upper floors including a common reception and the 'Oxygen Street' provides excellent opportunities for interaction and networking. The spacious open-plan nature of the upper floors makes Faraday Wharf particularly attractive as companies start to grow and require larger office accommodation.

iBIC: is designed to accommodate IT and communications companies. It provides 23,000 square feet of incubator space including reception, five meeting rooms, post-room and refreshment facilities with networked telephony and high speed broadband internet access. Located in the Holt Court development, the iBIC is aimed at helping SMEs grow and compete with their bigger rivals in the information and communication technology sector.

Venture Way, Holt Court, Ashted Lock and 3 Priestley Wharf: Represent 300,000 square feet offering accommodation in multiple units of 1000 to 5,500 square feet. These units are designed for 'graduates' from the incubation unit and also those established companies wishing to further new product development in the creative and supportive environment of BSPA. They offer flexible and cost-effective facilities adaptable to meet the requirements of rapidly growing innovation and high technology users. The units are built in a campus style environment ideal for research and development, prototype and small-scale production.

3 Priestley Wharf will become available over the next 18 months, it is a self contained office building with three floors covering 37,000 square feet. Being located on the BSPA site 3 Priestley Wharf benefits from 200 parking spaces, scenic positioning and includes all BSPA service offerings including access to links with Aston University. To find out more visit www.3priestleywharf.com.

Looking Forward
The BSPA strategic plan is directed at making the park more than a location. It will be a fully integrated urban environment promoting Birmingham's knowledge economy.

State-of-the-art technology is enabling BSPA to pioneer its 'Science Park Without Walls' concept – this will allow SMEs and start-ups to communicate with leading innovators, academics and investors from across the world as if they are sitting in the same room. The Science Park Without Walls initiative utilises the latest web-based communication tools to link Birmingham into a global virtual cluster to drive economic regeneration.

The 'Ideas and Communications Suite', as the first embodiment of the Science Park Without Walls, is now available. It features Cisco's Tandberg equipment, including two 65 inch screens to enable real time, highly interactive meetings to take place around the clock with up to four other different national or international centres at any one time. The Suite represents a hybridisation of the physical and virtual meeting 'place', bringing people with ideas, experience and funds to invest together to drive new knowledge based businesses.

The new technology will use the Park's advanced broadband facility, which has a connection and response time that equals the best on offer anywhere in the UK. The Science Park Without Walls initiative is a vital part of BSPA developing a flexible and highly connected and collaborative culture. It will establish BSPA as a location that offers the opportunity to access and provide resources to and beyond its geographic boundaries as it becomes a creative non – special place supporting innovation to benefit the region's economy.

Further Information
Visit www.bsp-a.com, email info@bsp-a.com
www.3priestleywharf.com e4f.bsp-a.com