Ipswich Waterfront Innovation Centre Project Evaluation 2016-2019 1

Contents INTRODUCTION ...... 2 OVERVIEW ...... 2 AIMS & APPROACH OF THE EVALUATION ...... 2 1. THE PROJECT (CONTEXT) ...... 2 AIMS & OBJECTIVES ...... 2 ACTIVITES/MODEL ...... 3 RATIONALE ...... 4 PROJECT ARCHITECTURE ...... 5 GEOGRAPHICAL & SECTORIAL CONTEXT ...... 6 2. PERFORMANCE ...... 7 FUNDING AGREEMENTS & FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE ...... 7 PROJECT SPEND ...... 7 PERFORMANCE HEADLINES ...... 8 CLIENT PROFILE...... 8 OUTPUT PERFORMANCE & OVERVIEW ...... 11 3. PROJECT OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS ...... 13 OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO ENTERPRISE AND R&D ...... 13 CREATION OF JOBS AND HIGH GROWTH START-UPS...... 14 PROGRAMME OF INNOVATION RELATED TRAINING AND EVENTS ...... 15 BENEFITS FROM WORKING WITHIN AN ‘INNOVATION CLUSTER’ ...... 16 DRIVING INCLUSION AND SKILLS ...... 16 SUMMARY OF IMPACT ...... 17 PRIORITIES FOR FUTURE SUPPORT ...... 17 4. PROJECT DELIVERY AND MANAGEMENT...... 18 MANAGEMENT, DELIVERY AND MARKETING ...... 18 PARTNERSHIP WORKING AND REFERRAL ...... 19 HE & SME LINKS ...... 19 BENEFITS to ACADEMIC COMMUNITY ...... 19 DRIVING INCLUSION AND SKILLS ...... 20 CHALLENGES AND ENHANCEMENTS ...... 20 MARKETING, VISIBILITY AND REFERRAL ...... 20 INVESTMENT READINESS AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS ...... 21 DELIVERY CHALLENGES ...... 21

PROGRESSION AND INNOVATION PATHWAY ...... 21 TARGETS ...... 22 5. CONCLUSION & LESSONS LEARNT ...... 22 CONCLUSIONS OF PERFORMANCE AGAINST OBJECTIVES ...... 22 LESSONS ...... 23 FOR UNIVERSITIES ...... 23 FOR THOSE DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING SIMILAR INTERVENTIONS...... 23 POLICY MAKERS ...... 23 7. ANNEX ONE: Sector SIC definition ...... 25 ANNEX TWO: CASE STUDIES ...... 26

The Ipswich Waterfront Innovation Centre (IWIC) has realised the long standing ambitions of a number of key economic stakeholders in Ipswich and Suffolk to place an innovation centre at the heart of the Ipswich Waterfront – a site of academic and economic regeneration. The IWIC has played a leading role in supporting ICT start-ups, the connection of industry to HE in Ipswich, the development of an Ipswich innovation network, workforce development, enhanced productivity and opportunities from entrepreneurs from across our communities. The impact has exceeded that envisioned by the creation of an incubation and knowledge exchange space and the future and sustainability of the IWIC has been secured as confirmation of the value it has delivered to it’s stakeholders, students, graduates and the wider community.

The capital investment enabling the refurbishment of the Atrium building created a space with further outputs and value including teaching and learning space for the Digital Technical Solutions Apprenticeships (over 200 learners) in partnership with BT and other employers – directly leading to workforce development and apprenticeship starts in the East.

The 3D productivity suite and subsequent purchasing of industry standard 3D printers, space and facilities for the computer gaming students, the relocation of the Games Hub and regular events for the gaming industry are additional highlights facilitated by this project. The IWIC is now at the heart of the business development quarter at the University of Suffolk with the recent co-location of the Suffolk Business School and provides a one stop shop for business seeking engagement with the knowledge exchange offer of higher education.

This report provides the final overall evaluation of the impact of the initial project. The University of Suffolk has assessed the project’s overall impact and lessons learnt to inform the future development of the IWIC. This report is an assessment of progress towards its objectives; a review of its rationale and strategic fit; performance evaluation and a review of project delivery and administration.

The evaluation involved a desk review of the project’s strategic context, the Capital Investment application documentation, quarterly performance reports, IWIC membership data, a survey and interviews with current and past IWIC members, looking at outcomes and impacts of the project. Case studies have also been undertaken which appear throughout/as appendices to the report.

The IWIC is now an established incubator and co-working space. Funded by a partnership between the New Anglia LEP, Ipswich Borough Council, Suffolk County Council and the University of Suffolk the IWIC was launched in October 2016 as a single point of integration between enterprise, facilities and academic expertise.

The University of Suffolk is a key partner in the economic regeneration and growth of Ipswich and Suffolk. In keeping with this role, the University led the development of the Ipswich Waterfront Innovation Centre (IWIC).

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Based on the University campus, within the newly refurbished Atrium Building, and co-located with the Universities state of the art STEM facilities, the IWIC acts as a catalyst of innovation and growth among local businesses, entrepreneurs, innovators, freelancers, digital creatives, students, graduates and academic staff. Positioning itself as a ‘community impact’ innovation centre in full alignment with the University of Suffolk’s vision to support productivity through R&D and innovation.

The IWIC was established to support a resilient, enterprising, sustainable and diverse technology sector in Suffolk through the provision of networking, training, skills development and collaborative/knowledge exchange opportunities with subject areas STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Digital Creative, Leadership and Business Management, reflecting the academic expertise within the university.

The overarching objectives for the project were to: 1. Improve rates of investment; attracting inward investment and promoting enterprise 2. Increase rates of research and innovation collaborations; Develop the Universities role in supporting entrepreneurship; innovation and interplay between HE, startups and micro-SMEs. 3. The creation of jobs and high growth start ups; Focal point for developing high growth potential ICT and other innovation orientated businesses. 4. The training of members and partners; Deliver targeted, effective, affordable yet high value resources and specialist support to SMEs and start-ups in the tech sector, with the purpose of enabling business and growth. 5. Increase rates of cross-referrals within the local innovation and technology cluster; Develop strong partnerships with digital clusters in the New Anglia region. This involves working with other business support providers to embed the needs of the sector in this support.

The project also had specific targets around the types and maturity of business supported i.e. not previously trading and registered for less that 12 months or newly relocated to the New Anglia region.

One key aim underpinning the project was the commitment to diversity and sustainability in innovation and business practice.

In its commitment to having a significant impact on the economy the IWIC model consists of the following core elements;  Pre start-up & start-up businesses and student & graduate membership of the IWIC coworking space  Non-financial support through networking, speaker events, workshops and training  Access to funded knowledge exchange opportunities for SME’s including specialist University expertise, consultancy and support, funded internships and funded graduate employment and grants through the following programmes:

• Innovation Bridge a partnership of three universities partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) • Knowledge Exchange Embedded Partnerships (KEEP+) are a partnership of eight delivery partners across four LEP areas, who work together to promote KEEP+ to eligible businesses developing innovative new products and services, also funded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). designed to facilitate knowledge exchange between Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and universities across the South East of England.

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• Enabling Innovation: Research to Application (EIRA) is a consortium of seven universities and colleges supporting innovation in the East of England. The project provides businesses with funded knowledge exchange across three key themes: artificial intelligence, biotechnology and digital creative. Funded by Research England’s Connecting Capability Fund (CCF). • The University also aims to increase graduate recruitment and help businesses improve competitiveness and productivity through the use of knowledge, technology and skills that reside within the HE sector through the UK-wide Knowledge Exchange Partnerships (KTP) programme.

Non-financial Support Non-financial Support comprised of one to one meetings, face-to-face or over the phone discussions around aspirations, plans for growth, challenges faced and potential innovations and investments. These conversations would inform the next steps either signposting to other business support providers or networks, referral to associated knowledge exchange programmes or introductions to university expertise to explore potential consultancy opportunities.

Workshops and Training Group workshops and seminars included business development methodologies and topics such as investment readiness, intellectual property and setting up a social enterprise, delivered by other business support providers including Hethel Innovation, Anglia Capital Group and Enterprise Europe Network, or expert led by solicitors and accountancy firms. Latterly the IWIC was home to the Games Hub, Student Entrepreneurs Development Programme and School of Social Enterprise East providing start-up support.

Networking, Showcasing & Speaker events Networking took place at Business Breakfasts showcasing academic expertise, Tech Meetups, and IWIC members mixer sessions. Speaker events included technical lectures from Visiting Professors and local technologists, Suffolk Centre for Female Entrepreneurship (SCFE) Women in Enterprise speakers, Suffolk Sustainability Institute (SSI), SEEDS Conference, Suffolk Centre of Excellence in Terrorism Resilience, Intelligence and Organised Crime Research (CENTRIC) and the Sector Digital Skills Plan with Tech East. Hackathons, Games Jams and Game Anglia Indie Showcase, Digital Garage and Microsoft Build Live Stream have also been delivered as part of the offer.

Grants In its commitment to having a significant impact on the economy, the University has access to funding opportunities that support business collaboration. These include funded internships, graduate employment and investment grants available through the programmes listed above. There have been a total of 16 grants awarded to a value of £586,023.

Capitalising on Ipswich’s recognition within the Tech Nation Report as one of the UK’s leading technology clusters, the IWIC would begin to realise one of the ambitions within the New Anglia Local Economic Partnership (NALEP) Strategic Economic Plan, as the first step towards the development of a more ambitious incubation facility. The development of the local industrial strategy to connect the innovation hubs and spaces within the region has important impacts for the IWIC and the role it seeks to play in ensuring the connected approach to the innovation ecosystem.

The ICT, Tech and Digital Creative sector is fast-growing, high-value and important in driving productivity across all sectors. Recognised in the Tech Nation Report as a leading technology cluster, Ipswich has a

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growing tech community and innovative start-up scene. Although R&D spending is not evenly spread across sectors, with over 60% of firms in computer related industries conducting R&D.

Despite the sector’s strengths, it faces some key challenges. It is characterised by high numbers of sole traders, freelancers and SMEs. Although these can be an important engine for growth productivity in small businesses generally lags larger firms. New Anglia also ranks as one of the worst areas nationally for enterprise and business formation despite an ongoing enterprise boom throughout much of the UK.

Sir Andrew Witty’s independent review of Universities (2014), highlighted the need to encourage greater interplay between higher education institutes and SMEs and their role in supporting growth. Accelerators and incubators have a powerful role to play in supporting young firms and helping business to develop and commercialise good ideas through the early stages of growth. This support can increase survival rates and, in turn, has consequences for job creation, regional development, innovation and economic growth. The Dowling Review of Business-University Research Collaborations (July 2015) also highlighted the importance of brokerage and simplification, particularly for SMEs, in helping to seed collaborations.

There are estimated to be 1.2m people working from coworking or incubation spaces globally. Generally micro-SMEs and freelancers, these people now represent 85% of global employment and 3.3m people in the UK (2015). Micro-SMEs and freelancers, who would normally work from home, are able to connect, collaborate and share with other like-minded people. Being part of a community increases confidence, experimentation, collaboration and growth. Establishing technology and innovation centres in specific fields, clusters of expertise can create momentum for innovation as community members collaborate on work, access resources and tools, inspire one another, and attract investment as a collective of disciplines.

The IWIC aimed to introduce a step change in the resources and support available for local innovators. To address the complexity of information and interaction between organisations that act as disincentives for SMEs to engage in innovation, create value chains and promote a model of open innovation. The IWIC was to be the focal point for developing high growth potential ICT businesses in collaboration with University of Suffolk and other partners, including Innovation Martlesham and BT at Adastral Park. The IWIC aimed to have great links with digital clusters in Norwich, London and Cambridge and members will benefit from the strong partnerships developed.

Phase 1 The Capital Projects grant from the New Anglia LEPs Growth Deal with the Government formed part of a total 5.5m investment by the University of Suffolk to refurbish the West Building to create The Atrium. The newly created facility opened in the summer of 2016.

Combined with the James Hehir Building on the Waterfront, The Atrium was created to increase the University’s STEM provision and include the Ipswich Waterfront Innovation Centre. Providing a home to the following degree programmes; BSc (Hons) Radiotherapy and Oncology, BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography, BA (Hons) Computer Games Design, BSc (Hons) Computer Games Programming, BSc (Hons) Software Engineering, BSc (Hons) Network Engineering, BSc (Hons) Mobile and Web Engineering, and will provide labs for BSc (Hons) Psychology and BSc (Hons) Business Management and Information Technology.

Rob Kurta, Director of Computer Games and Creative Technologies at UoS

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Phase 2 Based on the University campus, housed in the refurbished The Atrium, the Innovation Centre provides a space for local entrepreneurs, innovators, startups and SMEs to develop and grow and to encourage and inspire and driver of innovation and growth. Bringing businesses and academics together to seed collaborations and set businesses on the innovation and Knowledge Exchange pathway.

To stimulate activity Ipswich Borough Council committed revenue support of £120,000 over a 3 year period to support the Innovation Centre. Suffolk County Council also committed £60,000 revenue funding which was exceeded by the University of Suffolk.

Chris Dashper, Head of Programmes at New Anglia LEP

Geographical and sectoral context; The project targeted the whole of the Greater Ipswich area and the wider county of Suffolk. This geography represents a predominantly rural base with Ipswich as its key economic centre. The New Anglia LEP covers Norfolk and Suffolk and is home to 1.6 million people, and around 55,000 businesses.

In 2011 there were 54,800 active enterprises in the New Anglia area, equating to 34 businesses per 1,000 residents, on a par with the national average. Three quarters of businesses employ four people or fewer and a fifth of businesses employ between 5 and 20 people. At the time there were fewer businesses were being created in the New Anglia area than the national average. Business start-up rates reduced significantly since the economic downturn, suggesting that it has become harder to establish a new enterprise in the region in recent years.

2019 saw 4,518 new companies registered in the county, compared 4,292 in 2018 - a 5.3% rise. The total number of registered companies in Suffolk rose to 36,907 - up from 35,510 at the end of 2018. The increase equates to 3.9% growth in the number of businesses. Ipswich formed the highest number of new businesses with 1,060 - bringing the total number to 6555 businesses.

Universities role in supporting entrepreneurship; interplay between HE, startups and micro-SMEs. Universities in the UK are exploiting and supporting innovation through business incubation, science & innovation parks, subsidies and grants as features and of public support for innovation in the UK. Nationally incubators and accelerators support around 3,450 and 3,660 new businesses per year, respectively, and represent an important component of the innovation ecosystem. These clusters display a range of innovative activity, and high-tech employment can be found throughout the country. Startups found the most value in having access to workspace. There is considerable value placed in the introductions and connections that the accelerators and incubators can facilitate, and co-working spaces have emerged as a model to support early stage ventures.

New Anglia is notable for its above ‘expected’ performance on BERD, (Business Expenditure on Research & Development) as a third-tier region LEP area. However, R&D spend is concentrated in a few very large firms:

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SMEs accounted for only 3.5% of the total R&D spend. The New Anglia LEP identified innovation as a priority in their economic development plan and drafted an innovation strategy to access funding that highlights the local comparative advantages.

The IWIC has been pivotal to the University of Suffolk securing significant consortium bids and embedded relationships with other HE institutions in the region. This in turn has provided funded knowledge exchange opportunities for SME’s including access to specialist university expertise, consultancy and support, funded internships and funded graduate employment and grants.

Funding for the Innovation Cluster came from two distinct areas. Capital investment was stimulated by 1.85m Capital Projects grant from the New Anglia LEPs Growth Deal with the Government. This formed part of a total 5.5m investment by the University of Suffolk.

In addition, Ipswich Borough Council committed to a funding agreement for revenue support of £120,000 over a 3 year period. Suffolk County Council also agreed a further £60,000 funding for the same. This was matched by the University of Suffolk with £120,000 of revenue investment in direct and indirect costs to seed collaborations.

Sources of funding for the project Source Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 Investment Capital Investment 5,500,000 5,500,000 NALEP Growth Fund 1,850,000 1,850,000 UOS 3,750,000 3,750,000

Revenue Investment 100,000 100,000 100,000 300,000 IBC 50,000 45,000 25,000 120,000 SCC 30,000 20,000 10,000 60,000 UOS 20,000 35,000 65,000 120,000

Source: IWIC Business Case and Grant Agreement rounded to nearest thousand

Detailed project expenditure £ Programme Forecast Achieved Variance % Forecast Target Budget (Oct 2019) (Oct 2019) Budget (to Oct 2019) Revenue Grants 180,000.00 180,000.00 180,000.00 0.00 100% Conf & Events 600.00 9,067.50 6,700.00 2,367.50 74% Membership 84,750.00 31,029.38 28,540.00 2,489.38 92% Income Total 265,350.00 220,096.88 215,240.00 4,856.88 98%

Pay Costs Total Salaries/Indirect costs 242,105.5 238,642.63 227,574.00 11,068.63 95%

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Non-Pay/Direct costs 76,500 72,148.38 68,664.00 3,484.38 95% Expenditure Total 318,605.50 365,862.38 296,238.00 69,624.38 81%

Source: IWIC Management Data, IWIC Business Case and Grant Agreement

The expenditure profile was altered after the resource profile changed in Year 3 of the project.

 Range of businesses; 93% were registered Limited Company and micro SME’s.  Established/Start Ups; 58.5% are businesses under 5 years old, whilst 41.5% have been trading for over 5 years prior to taking up membership of the IWIC.  Business sectors; The IWIC has supported a range of sectors with 43% in high performing tech activities  Output/KPI Performance Summary; C1, C5 and C26 have been strong, C8 has been harder to achieve and evaluate.

This section focuses on the IWIC client profile and performance against the agreed contracted outputs. The client profile provided in this section is based on a database of 79 companies that took up IWIC membership, an additional 47 businesses were supported by the project through Knowledge Exchange activities. The IWIC took a broad approach to defining eligibility. The characteristics of the members and enterprises were:

Range of Businesses The majority (93%) were a registered Limited Company and micro SME’s (micro businesses with less than 10 employees). Only 5% are registered as Community Interest Companies.

Range of Businesses

Community Interest Company (CIC) 2% 5%

Limited Company

Private limited Company

Sole Trader

Unknown 93%

(blank)

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Established/Start Ups 58.5% are businesses are under 5 years old, whilst (41.5%) had been trading for over 5 years. 7 were pre- start-ups and hadn’t started trading when they joined the IWIC and (41%) were in their first year of trading.

Year of Company Registration 9

8 8 7

6 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1984 1998 1999 2003 2004 2006 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Geographical Spread IWIC members are largely based (99%) in the NALEP region and the county of Suffolk, only 1 member was based in Essex (1%). Unsurprisingly, just over half (51%) of members are from the Greater Ipswich area. However, as shown below, the wider KE activity successfully reached rural and coastal areas of the county.

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Range of Sectors 43% IWIC members are active in the target technology or creative digital sector. The highest proportion reported their primary business sector being Computer programming, consultancy and related activities (27%), Software publishing (11%) and Motion picture, video and television (5%).

Range of Sectors (SIC) Supported 49.3: Other passenger land transport

58.1: Publishing of books, periodicals and other publishing activities 58.2: Software publishing

9% 2%2% 59.1: Motion picture, video and television programme 2% 11% activities 7% 62.0: Computer programming, consultancy & related activities 5% 2% 64.0: Financial service activities, except insurance and pension funding 7% 70.2: Management consultancy activities

2% 71.1: Architectural and engineering activities and 2% related activities 5% 27% 73.1: Advertising 2% 7% 74.9: Other professional, scientific and technical 7% activities n.e.c. 82.3: Organisation of conventions and trade shows

82.9: Business support service activities n.e.c.

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The IWIC surpassed all but one of the objective targets; for the number of direct jobs created/employment increase in supported enterprises, where businesses have reported an uplift of 15.6 FTE against a stretching target of 75 FTE. The number of enterprises cooperating with research entities/institutions, where the IWIC has supported 47 businesses, significantly surpassing the target of 24 by 196%. Progress against the other output targets are as follows:

 47 enterprises cooperating with research entities/institutions  17 enterprises have been awarded grants through the associated knowledge exchange programmes  24 new enterprises have been supported (no target set)  36 out of a target of 24 enterprises received non-financial support (150% achieved)  15.6 out of 75 new jobs created (20% achieved)

As shown in the table below, Output Performance Summary - Investment Priority 1b Outcomes (to Oct 2019), all but one of the output measures have been met or surpassed. Only the number of jobs created/employment increase was not achieved. Micro-businesses, have low numbers of employees and growth is usually managed through sub-contracting arrangements rather than employment growth. It could have therefore been anticipated that any employment growth attributed to interactions with the IWIC would be low.

Output Performance Summary - Investment Priority 1b Outcomes (to Oct 2019) Enterprise & Innovation Theme: Output Measures Target Oct 17 Q4 Oct 18 Q8 Oct 19 Q12 Total [defined in SCC/NALEP Grant Agreement (Growth Deal Capital Projects)] (C1) Number of Businesses/Enterprises receiving support (12hrs) 24 1 8 31 36 (i.e. received non-financial support; training, advice or consultancy of (12 hours) or more) (C5) Number of New Businesses/Enterprises supported N/A 5 10 11 26 (i.e. not previously trading and registered for < 12 mths or now relocated in NA region) (C8) Number of jobs created/Employment increase in supported enterprises − Number of Direct FT jobs created (i.e. 30+ hrs p/w, expected to last 12mths) 75 5 9 1.6 15.6 − Number of Direct PT jobs created (i.e. 15-29 hrs p/w, expected to last 12mths) 4 (C26) Number of enterprises cooperating with research entities/ institutions (comprising of) 24 16 17 14 47

(T02) Number of training events held 75 60 22 44 370

(T03) Number of people trained (taught) 400 320 380 526 1226

IBC KPI Performance Summary – Review of Balance Score Card Milestones/Objectives/KPIs Target Oct 17 Oct 18 Oct 19 Total Q4 Q8 Q12 Achieved Total Revenue achieved £44-50K 3,650 11,090 18,715 £32,350 Revenue achieved from IWIC memberships £44-49.4K 5,450 8,455 14,650 £28,555 Revenue achieved from IWIC events/commercial bookings £ 600 0 2,635 4,065 £ 6,700 Number of IWIC members 24 39 16 79 Number of IWIC commercial bookings 0 15 29 44 Number of enquiries for membership 51 51 57 159 Number of events hosted 75 125 109 119 353 Number of networks hosted (meetups) 6 6 3 8 Number of people attending events (footfall) 1206 1659 1,223 4,088 Number of schools STEM sessions 1 1 1 3 Number of Student/Graduates enterprises initiated/supported (SEDP/Games Hub/MBA) 5 6 3 14 Number of student enterprises activities operating out of IWIC (SEDP/Games Hub/EMBA) 1 3 3 7 Number of student interns placed with IWIC members 1 2.5 2 5.5 KE Grant applications/awarded 1 6 10 17 Innovation Bridge 0 1 4 £27,615 KEEP+ 0 4 1 £19,800 EIRA N/A N/A 4 £30,784 KTP £40,956 £245,427 £212,649 £499,032 Total Grant Value £40,956 £262,427 £252,225 £586,023 IWIN Members 200 170 310 343 343 Social Media Followers Facebook N/A 13 83 83 LinkedIn N/A 93 202 202 Twitter 574 814 796 796

This section of the evaluation report explores the project outcomes and impacts and performance against the output measures.

Raising awareness of opportunities for academic collaborations and/or investment Objective: Improved rates of investment & Increased rates of research and innovation collaborations;  47 enterprises cooperating with research entities/institutions out of a target 24 (200% achieved)  36 out of target of 24 enterprises received non-financial support (150% achieved) The expertise of academics at institutions such as the University of Suffolk can often prove highly valuable to business and can open up new avenues for growth through the development of new products and services. The University of Suffolk has been involved in four knowledge exchange programmes which aim to realise the potential from such collaborations, funded by Innovation UK, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Research England’s Connecting Capability Fund (CCF). Which in turn have stimulated and improved rates of investment in innovation. The IWIC has worked hard to raise awareness of these opportunities for collaboration to its members and the wider business community. Increasing engagement with 48 businesses cooperating with the University to explore innovative opportunities and 36 businesses received non-financial support, advice or consultancy of 12 hours or more from the IWIC, Business Engagement and Entrepreneurship team and Academic teams. 16 enterprises have been awarded grants or funded internships through the associated knowledge exchange programmes. The value of the grants awarded is in excess of £586,023 and has generated an investment of around £245,000 from the businesses supported. Mark Robinson, from the Fresh Sauce Company, contacted the IWIC team at the University of Suffolk to see what support might be on offer to help with their latest innovation plans. Mark received support from Innovation Bridge project and was also awarded a KEEP+ grant to improve productivity.

Mark Robinson, The Fresh Sauce Company Mark Sherman entrepreneur and founder of Temmt, a proximity marketing and reward app, received consultancy support from a University of Suffolk expert in games and app development through the Innovation Bridge programme.

Mark Sherman, Temmt The flagship knowledge exchange collaboration has been a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project developed between the University and Stowmarket based Orbital Media resulted in a revolutionary new app to help children with asthma, MySPIRA. The project was shortlisted for the Knowledge Exchange/Transfer Initiative of the Year Award in the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards 2019 and received a national “outstanding” classification for KTP performance. As well as developing a high value research collaboration the KTP Associate and University of Suffolk graduate was recruited into a permanent full-time position with Orbital.

Focal point for developing high growth potential ICT and other innovation orientated businesses. Objective: The creation of jobs and high growth start-ups. Improvements in bringing projects to market;  26 new enterprises supported (C5)  10 out of 75 new jobs created only 13% of target achieved (C8) The IWIC has supported 26 new businesses that were not previously trading or registered within the 12 months prior to engaging with the IWIC. Daniel Haden-Scott, UK Haulier and Haden Media Fourteen student and graduate enterprises have been supported through a variety of programmes and initiatives including the Games Hub, Student Entrepreneurs Development Programme (SEDP) and MBA student membership in addition to knowledge exchange activity with the wider business community. Sponsorship from the University of Suffolk Foundation Board supported three student memberships each year through the Student Entrepreneurs Development Programme (SEDP). The programme was developed specifically to support students to develop their entrepreneurial ideas and set up their own business.

Amy Wragg, Get on the SoapBox The Games Hub, which is co-located with the IWIC, works with third year Computer Games Design and programming students helping them showcase their games through the Tranzfuser scheme, the UK Games talent programme. Teams received invaluable support and expertise throughout the competition learning more about business skills and industry engagement. The programme has achieved notable success with three teams selected to progress through the Tranzfuser programme and two winning teams receiving funding of over £25,000 each. The mobile game RUYA, developed by Miracle Tea Studios, has been released to the market with two more games due to be released this year.

Bradley Smith, Miracle Tea The support offered by the IWIC has allowed local businesses to accelerate their growth plans and hire people earlier on in their development as it has provided the financial security needed to proceed with recruitment. Orbital Media, an innovative digital marketing agency, applied for and were awarded a KEEP+ Innovation Internship grant to help them find a talented graduate with graphic and web design skills to scope and develop the new website. KEEP+ creates graduate level opportunities by offering SMEs funding towards 12- week internships. The interventions offer a unique opportunity for businesses to embed knowledge within their organisation and for universities to increase their business engagement.

Peter Brady, CEO, Orbital Media A KEEP+ award also helped Luke Brown, Element Softworks, dramatically shorten the time to hiring his first full-time employee. Ryan Impey joined Element Softworks as the first full time employee in 2018. Ryan's entrance into the company marked a major milestone for Element Softworks. Luke has since recruited two

further people through the KEEP+ and EIRA programmes both graduates of BA (Hons) Graphic Design at University of Suffolk. This has enabled Luke to increase the portfolio of services offered to his clients.

Luke Brown, Element Softworks

Objective: The training of IWIC and IWIN members and partners; affordable but high value resources and support enabling business and personal growth. Deliver effective, targeted, specialist business support to SMEs and start-ups in the tech sector.  370 training events hosted and 1226 people trained at the IWIC  4,088 people attended a range of activities, networking and events

The IWIC and University of Suffolk has been host to a range of activities that stimulate collaboration and creativity including the Games Hub and Tranzfuser competition, the annual Global Game Jam, Gals that Game Jam, Game Anglia Indie Showcase, Digital Garage and Microsoft Build Live Streams and the first Innovate Suffolk 48 hour Hackathon focused on mental health. Speaker events have included the Out of Hours lectures from Visiting Professors and local technologists, Suffolk Centre for Female Entrepreneurship (SCFE) Women in Enterprise speakers, Suffolk Sustainability Institute (SSI), international SEEDS Conference, Suffolk Centre of Excellence in Terrorism Resilience, Intelligence and Organised Crime Research (CENTRIC) and the Sector Digital Skills Plan with Tech East and Innovate UKs regional Additive Manufacturing event in partnership with the New Anglia Growth Hub.

Jared Tilston In addition the IWIC hosts a variety of peer to peer networking opportunities including IWIC member mixer sessions and tech sector meetup groups, the networking and training sessions and are open to members and the wider community. The Quay to Growth Business Breakfasts, which aim to showcasing the academic expertise available has grown in popularity and has attracted a variety of business, academics and students.

Mark Sherman, Temmt

The IWIC Entrepreneurs Programme ran in early 2017 but had a low level of interest from members and the wider network. However, the IWIC has sustained regular input from enterprise development partners providing start up support including Hethel Innovation, Enterprise Europe Network, the Growth Hub and Menta. The IWIC has provided a space to connect with early stage start-ups and entrepreneurs and deliver interventions through training and support programmes such as;  Hethel Innovation delivered popular training programmes designed for businesses at different stages of their respective journeys including Activate, Accelerate and Agile. These have attracted a committed cohort of students and businesses week on week.  Enterprise Europe Network Working Lunches covered Intellectual Property, Innovation, business and funding opportunities in Europe.

 School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) East has delivered The Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland Start Up Programme through the IWIC since 2018. The programme, for people in the early stages of setting up a social enterprise, charity or impact project, offers 12-14 days of training and a grant. The IWIC continues to signpost members to available start-up and scale up support from enterprise development partners. This approach has ensured that the IWIC does not displace existing enterprise support in Ipswich and Suffolk.

Luke Brown

Objective: Increased rates of cross-referrals within the local innovation and technology cluster. Universities provide a space to create connections between academia, students and companies that would not otherwise exist and therefore foster an environment for innovation.

Daniel Haden-Scott, UK Haulier and Haden Media

The IWIC and University of Suffolk developed good working relationships with digital clusters in the area specifically the Adastral Park tech cluster including BT and Innovation Martlesham. On reflection the IWIC could have developed stronger partnerships with innovation clusters in the wider region including, Essex Innovation Centre, The Bradfield Centre, Orbis Energy and Scottow Enterprise Park, to reach a wider audience for knowledge exchange opportunities. The IWIC is now participating in regular regional meetings of UKSPA members (an association of over 100 science parks that provide space and services to support the innovative, high tech, knowledge based businesses) and other key innovation locations for peer to peer support, knowledge sharing and referrals. Strong and enduring partnerships have also been developed across the LEP region with the New Anglia Growth Hub, Tech East and the Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Network to embed the needs of the sector.

The University of Suffolk is active in providing support to local groups to encourage inclusivity and diversity in the sector. The Suffolk BME Business Awards have been held at the University since 2016 and recognise the contribution that the hundreds of BME businesses in Suffolk have on the economy.

STEM outreach has been a feature to inspire future generations of innovators and to explore the application of STEM subjects. Children from years 5 and 6 at St John’s primary school got first-hand knowledge of cutting edge 3D printing technology when they visited the University of Suffolk during an innovation day In March 2018. Part of the CATCH! Project, funded by Innovate UK.

A group of Girl Guides and their leaders took part in the #GenerationCode programme, funded by Microsoft to deliver ‘Microbits’ training to young people. Thomas Smith, from local charity Autism and ADHD who delivered the session with support from the IWIC said,

The support of female entrepreneurs has also been a feature with the launch of the Suffolk Centre for Female Entrepreneurship in October 2017. The centre aims to provide a leadership role and knowledge base for the support and promotion of female entrepreneurship within business and a reduction in gender

inequality across all sectors. The ‘Women in Enterprise Speaker Series’ provides a spotlight on entrepreneurial role models and has attracted many entrepreneurs within Ipswich and Suffolk to the IWIC. As well as hearing from inspirational speakers, the series has given attendees an opportunity to develop their local network and hear about the wealth of opportunities to grow their business with the IWIC.

Amy Wragg, Get on the SoapBox

Stef Thorne was invited to speak at the UKSPA Conference on development of the SCFE at IWIC and at the Institute of Directors Workforce Inclusivity and Diversity Conference in Duxford. The Suffolk Centre for Female Entrepreneurship achieved success at the UKSPA Awards in 2019 scooping Most Successful Project. The work of the team has carved out a distinctive place amongst UK Science Parks and Innovation Centres for the IWIC where diversity in innovation and entrepreneurship is nurtured and celebrated.

This review has indicated the effectiveness of different types of support with elements having greater impact than others. Through ERDF and Innovate UK funded projects the University was able to significantly increase the number of research and innovation collaborations from academic support and mentoring through to knowledge exchange projects with significant economic and social impact. Rates of investment were higher than anticipated. However. businesses that pursued grants were largely not from the IWIC community as these require investment to match the funding offered. SMEs financially ready for investment and knowledge exchange are generally in the growth phase of development rather than individuals seeking hot desking space. Some training provision did not perform well and others were increasingly popular. The IWIC Entrepreneurs Programme had a low level of interest but the programmes offered by local enterprise development partners were more popular. Generally, there is a lack of clarity and understanding from the business community and student body about how the innovation centre can support businesses and entrepreneurs. In contrast, members attending networking events were significantly more likely to feel connected to the IWIC’s supportive network. Participants felt part of an entrepreneurial group and this in turn made them more likely to collaborate producing a ‘cohort effect’.

 Maintain legacy using low-cost delivery models and ensure the existing network is sustained and can be built on. Peer to peer networking models; entrepreneurs in residence and graduate, business mentors and sector specific Meetups.  Continue to host talent development, business planning and validation programmes such as Hethel Innovation’s Activate and Accelerate training programmes, Social Entrepreneurs Start Up Programme and the Games Hub. While developing skills enhancement provision through the Enterprise Skills Programme (ESP) and the Universities CPD offer.  Articulate the student and graduate offer, to increase awareness and participation by bringing together the IWIC, ESP and Alumni activity into a cohesive offer and promote to the student and Alumni community.  Build community and loyalty from IWIC members with more peer to peer networking opportunities, inspirational speakers and meetups. Members have also suggested professional services clinics, with accountancy, tax, legal and HR professionals.  Continue to improve partnerships with innovation clusters and enterprise development partners

This section of the evaluation report explores the implementation of the project. It considers project delivery strengths and challenges.

Strategic direction was provided by the IWIC Steering Group comprising: UOS Registrar & Secretary (IWIC Project Sponsor), UOS Deans of School for Technology and Business, representatives of NALEP, Ipswich Borough Council, Suffolk County Council and key stakeholders in BT and Innovation Martlesham whose expertise and guidance was relevant to the success of the project.

Oversight of the project was provided by the Director of Business Engagement and Entrepreneurship. An IWIC Manager was appointed to take overall management responsibility of the project.

Routine operational matters were managed by the IWIC Operations Group comprising: IWIC Manager and IWIC Administrator. The IWIC project received considerable support from the wider business engagement and entrepreneurship team which was co-located at an early stage of the project to connect businesses with academics through knowledge exchange outputs including internships, innovation vouchers, KTPs and networking events.

Project Management Processes and control systems included; • Terms of reference for the project established providing a single source of reference about project • Delivery plan for the project to be established with clear actions, timescales and assigning of responsibility to individuals • Project management reports • Quarterly evaluation report to steering group • Annual reports to IBC • Risk register including impact, probability, mitigations and person responsible • End of project evaluation report

There has been strong and effective management and communication from University of Suffolk with a dedicated team with suitable knowledge and expertise to work with businesses. The University welcomed strategic input from stakeholders to the IWIC Steering Group meetings.

The initial launch and marketing activity generated a steady flow of leads and enquiries from advertising in Waterfront Life and on Greater Anglia trains. A targeted Google adwords campaign and Google My Business profile promoted the IWIC in Google searches. The IWIC has a good social media presence across the three main platforms; Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin and has generated a strong and organic following of; 200+ Facebook followers, 550 Twitter followers, 342 Linkedin followers as well as 343 Ipswich Waterfront Innovation Network mailchimp subscribers. The IWIC has exhibited annually and sponsored local business exhibitions including; ABE, Felixstowe and East Suffolk Business Exhibition, Menta Business Festival, DevelopHer Awards and dev://east, one day developer conference in Ipswich.

A combination of proactive approaches resulted in high quality leads via partners, growth hubs and other enterprise development partners than those generated through more passive approaches (responding to enquiries for example). These activities have raised the profile of the IWIC and the funded knowledge exchange programmes on offer through the University of Suffolk.

Objective: Increased rates of cross-referrals within the local innovation and technology cluster Partnerships were forged across the LEP region with enterprise agencies and organisations including; Anglia Capital Group, Enterprise Europe Network East, Growth Hub, Hethel Innovation, Institute of Directors Suffolk, Innovation Martlesham, Menta and Tech East. This provided a good source of referrals and access to an extensive network of potential business support and wider expertise.

The University of Suffolk’s Business Engagement team provided a conduit into academic expertise and funding opportunities which worked well especially in promoting funded knowledge exchange programmes such as Innovation Bridge, KEEP+ and EIRA by being co-located with entrepreneurs and start-ups in the Innovation Centre.

The University undertook awareness raising activities with local authorities and Chambers of Commerce and enterprise development services. There is clear evidence of the IWIC working with the Growth Hub advisors and overlapping with other business support agencies. Links with the LEP were strongest as there was a good mutual understanding of the offer and support available between the Growth Hub Business Advisors and the Business Engagement team.

Key stakeholder BT had representation on the IWIC Steering Group. Adastral Park at Martlesham is at the forefront of global telecoms innovation, home to BT Labs Global Research centre and a growing cluster of 100 high-tech companies located in the Innovation Martlesham cluster. The early intention was to provide a pipeline of businesses to Innovation Martlesham activities from the Ipswich Waterfront Innovation Centre.

Objective: Improved rates of investment & Increased rates of research and innovation collaborations Knowledge and innovation are fundamental to economic growth, productivity growth is driven by knowledge and innovation which in turn drives economic growth. As producers of highly-skilled graduates, generators of world-class research and development and located at the centre of industry clusters, universities make a significant contributing to economic growth.

The IWIC is the first step in demystifying the innovation process and academic world and for many SMEs it provided a first point of access into University expertise and capabilities, formalising the initial collaboration. Members and clients often said, ‘I had no idea a University did that’ adding that people assumed that Universities are all about student placements and teaching students and had no idea how universities could contribute the growth of their business.

The IWIC and the Knowledge Exchange opportunities available through the Business Engagement and Entrepreneurship team has given the University a tangible suite of products to offer businesses. It helped academics form new alliances with local entrepreneurs and stimulate the Knowledge Exchange pathway.

The Innovation Centre has been a good pool for engaging with SME’s on a longer-term basis such as sourcing placements and project-based work. The IWIC has provided excellent opportunities to get academics involved in knowledge exchange. Offering academics real world experience for personal development and further research opportunities that they can apply in their teaching or to use as case studies. It has raised the profile of the University and unlocked expertise opening new opportunities for research projects or funding opportunities, KTPs, placements. Providing entry level expertise into innovation, making introductions between academics and entrepreneurs, it puts innovation on the map for academics to embark on the Innovation Journey in incremental steps with local businesses.

Objective: The creation of jobs and high growth start-ups. The training of members and partners. The UK Powerhouse study in early 2018 placed Ipswich in the top 5 locations across the UK creating the biggest year-on-year growth in GVA terms. Positioning the town as a hub for highly-skilled jobs in technology and knowledge-based sectors is a key factor in its success and the University of Suffolk plays a significant role in supplying these skills.

The Tech Nation 2018 survey also received the largest response yet from members of the UK tech community. People responded about the opportunities and challenges the local ecosystems face, and Ipswich start-ups say their number one challenge is access to talent.

Despite this skill levels and wages in the area are lower, with more jobs than the national average in lower paying industries. Enabling local people to access the skills they need to benefit from and drive future growth sectors such as digital and higher end business services is central to continuing to increase wage levels.

In support of the work by New Anglia LEP and Tech East the IWIC hosted the launch of the Digital Tech Skills Plan for New Anglia in June 2017. An opportunity for businesses in the region to share their views, ideas and possible skills requirements with the University and consider how, in partnership, any possible gaps could be filled.

In response to this demand the University has made significant investment in the Apprenticeship programme, to meet the demands of the digital tech sector in the East of England. Promoting and support the delivery of high quality apprenticeships providing clear entry routes into specific sectors, and produce the skills and capabilities our needed by our economy – including higher level technical skills through degree and higher- level apprenticeships. The current provision of the digital skills teaching is delivered in The Atrium.

Further investment to address the skills gap and demands of the sector has also been awarded to the University. The New Anglia LEP awarded £6.497m for the establishment of a Digital Skills & Innovation Accelerator to meet the increasing need for higher level technical skills in the area. The unique partnership between the University of Suffolk and BT for the establishment of nationally significant ICT learning, research and training centre at Adastral Park to boost skills, innovation and productivity in sectors which use ICT as a key enabler. The centre will leverage the capabilities of the University of Suffolk, BT and the Adastral Park tech cluster. Projected outputs include: 520 new learners (level 6+),145 apprentices (level 6+), 36 new jobs.

Generally, there is still not as clear as desired understanding of the opportunities presented by the IWIC in the business community or student body and how it can help and support businesses and entrepreneurs.

Georgia Downs, SU President

The initial branding, launch and marketing activity was not sustained, and clarity of the offer was not as visible or engaging as it might have been. Leads from online listings were not as high quality as anticipated. A review of the marketing strategy for the IWIC and the 3D productivity suite is underway to enhance visibility and drive the pipeline of clients.

There is scope to improve the number, quality and relevance of referrals to and from other sources of support in the area and create a more tangible pathway of support and longitudinal evaluation of impacts. A CRM is being scoped for ensure improvement in data collation.

Brexit has had an impact on businesses’ willingness to invest and outlay for services during this period of uncertainty which also made the marketing of the IWICs facilities more challenging.

Business owners lack the certainty of what to expect and remain concerned about the future of their start- up and the IT industry in general. Brexit is likely to cause the reduction of capital investment in innovative start-ups, access to external finance will also reach lower levels post-Brexit, as more than half of all foreign direct investment comes from the EU.

Start-ups are generally lean by nature the economic strategy recognises that early stage start-ups need support and funding. However, the expectation to generate revenue from these same start-ups and businesses as well as encourage investment in Research & Innovation seems counterintuitive.

Entrepreneurs with a concept or potential disruptive innovation are generally at pre-incubation stage and need more intensive support that the University can currently offer. The Knowledge Exchange programmes the University partners with require some investment in exchange for technical expertise, investment that preincubation businesses are lacking.

Pre-incubation stage clients required more intensive support than anticipated which was a challenge within the allocated resources with a need to manage their expectations.

Administration has been resource intensive and integration with existing University systems difficult. There is scope for simplification of some processes for instance using on-line tools to capture enquiries, register membership, make payments, list events and take bookings. This could also create a space to develop an online ‘community’ as well as the co-working community. Providing an online forum to encourage entrepreneurs to interact and connect with the IWIC and Business Engagement and Entrepreneurship services and get entrepreneurs out of their silos is a priority for year 5.

It has been challenging collating the evidence on business collaborations and R&I opportunities, new products and jobs created. The length of time for these collaborations to come to fruition was seen as another barrier to engagement.

An enhanced pipeline of businesses feeding through from IWIC to the next stages of innovation would be advantageous. There’s still a gap between IWIC and more intensive innovation support for many companies in terms of commitment and resource.

The IWIC provides a useful stepping-stone to more intensive support including grants and/or entering new programmes and working more collaboratively across those programmes to create a seamless pathway – however improved connectivity with other spaces would strengthen the potential here. It is also agreed that there is a demand for the IWIC to have more grow on space to maintain the relationship with businesses as they grow and look to collaborate in Knowledge Exchange opportunities.

The targets for the project were broadly realistic but some outputs were more challenging to deliver. The targets were challenging as the University had to build a new pipeline of activity and interest. Outputs took some time to come but these are broadly on track.

This final section briefly summarises how the project has performed against its objectives and highlights some emerging lessons for UOS, similar projects and policy makers.

There is a clear demand for the activities of the IWIC and the wider network and opportunities to develop the business model further to include further revenue streams. The IWIC strategy for the next three years includes

 The development of the IWIC as a CPD and Executive Education Training Centre, co-located with the Suffolk Business School  The connection of the IWIC to other innovation spaces and the enhanced pipeline anticipated by the Digitech Centre  The development of the 3D productivity suite and the commercialisation of specialist facilities at the University of Suffolk  The embedding of enterprise and entrepreneurship across the curriculum so that increased numbers of students and graduates are seeking the extra curricular offer of incubation provided by the IWIC.  Applying for a University Enterprise Zone at the next opportunity to support relocation of appropriately scaling businesses to the Ipswich Waterfront.  Investment in Business Development Managers to be co-located in IWIC to drive up opportunities and manage relationships.  Establishing entrepreneurs in residence scheme to widen mentoring opportunities for businesses within network.

Observations against the project objectives are as follows: 1. There has been significant progress against the objective to increase engagement in research and innovation by SMEs by supporting collaboration with University. Collaborations that require little or no investment from the beneficiary have been popular. It has been harder to engage SME’s in collaborations that require financial investment to match grants or pay interns. 2. Increased rates of cross-referrals within the local innovation and technology cluster; Referrals across and within the network have been ongoing. A study of exits from the innovation centre over three years would assist assessing impact 3. In terms of the final objective more grant has been levered than anticipated. It will also achieve the number of predicted grants to SMEs which in turn has stimulated businesses investment in R&D 4. Creation of jobs (particularly indirect) and high growth start-ups is harder to evidence and has fallen short of the target, albeit the initial investment has supported wider job creation and workforce development in numerous ways. 5. Training and entrepreneurial skills development; The opportunities for skills development for members and the wider network have been numerous and a real highlight of the project.

Other programme managers, designers or policy makers may wish to consider the following lessons.

1. Ensure marketing activity is well resourced from the outset with a clear and consistent message about the focus, content and potential of the project and what it can achieve. 2. Improve efficiency and effectiveness of data collection and analysis through use of effective CRM. 3. Ensure wider University systems and innovation centres can be integrated seamlessly e.g effective wi-fi support for ICT businesses from outset, easy payment systems, digital offer. 4. Invest in business development managers to nurture wider relationships with business support providers. 5. Ensure workload allocation models for academic staff and CPD include business engagement and knowledge exchange.

1. Hotdesking as a source of revenue is limited and innovation centres need individual office spaces for companies with staff of 3 or more. There was too much focus on revenue streams from early stage start-ups and entrepreneurs using hot desking space with limited cash flow. 2. Job creation is of limited value as a target during a relatively short project engaging very early stage start-ups, students and graduates. A social return on investment (SROI) analysis would have been more insightful 3. SMEs financially ready for investment and knowledge exchange with a University are further down an innovation pathway than members seeking hot desking space. Relocation of businesses at a later stage of development to the University campus and/or Waterfront would greatly benefit IWIC performance. The IWIC would benefit from being located within a University Enterprise Zone 4. Getting the project marketed within the local ecosystem – from Growth Hubs to Economic Development Officers and University departments across the full target geography is essential but resource intensive. Business Development Managers needed to scale up impact of project. 5. Longitudinal study of exits from range of innovation centres within region to assess longer term impacts of early stage impact. 6. Establish network of mentors and entrepreneurs in residence to provide mentoring alongside academic input

1. Consider how collating data and reporting attached to successor funds could be smarter, lighter and more straightforward (using digital technology etc). 2. Connectivity between innovation spaces essential to ensure cross-referrals, lessons learnt and support for innovation centre managers 3. Consider minimum m2 of innovations centres to enhance commercial viability

There is a demonstrated demand for this type of support in the sector and stakeholders are positive and supportive of the programme. However, there are real challenges for future funding, the future of ERDF and the possible replacement funding is still overshadowed by the uncertainties of Brexit and the COVID 19 pandemic. The IWIC and the University of Suffolk will play a key role in supporting business to restart and rebuild with innovation and R&D accepted as essential for economic recovery. The employment of students, graduates and the wider workforce is of particular concern and the IWIC will be well placed to support the connection of business to the University of Suffolk.

The local business community played a key role in creating the University and this sense of ownership continues to grow. As a responsive University it supports industry through education, producing work-ready graduates, offering innovation support, as well as providing infrastructure through the Ipswich Waterfront Innovation Centre and organising networks and events to strengthen the business community. The University’s business support work is continuing to grow and develop, which will further increase its impact in the business community going forwards.

Information and Communication Sector Subcomponents include: Division 58: Publishing activities Division 59: Motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording and music publishing activities Division 60: Programming and broadcasting activities Division 61: Telecommunications Division 62: Computer programming, consultancy and related activities Division 63: Information service activities

SIC Information and Communication Sector Division 58: Publishing activities 58210 Publishing of computer games 58290 Other software publishing Division 59: Motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording and music publishing activities 59111 Motion picture production activities 59112 Video production activities 59113 Television programme production activities 59120 Motion picture, video and television programme post- production activities 59131 Motion picture distribution activities 59132 Video distribution activities 59133 Television programme distribution activities 59140 Motion picture projection activities 59200 Sound recording and music publishing activities Division 60: Programming and broadcasting activities 60100 Radio broadcasting 60200 Television programming and broadcasting activities Division 61: Computer programming, consultancy and related activities 61100 Wired telecommunications activities 61200 Wireless telecommunications activities 61300 Satellite telecommunications activities 61900 Other telecommunications activities Division 62: Computer programming, consultancy and related activities 62011 Ready-made interactive leisure and entertainment software development 62012 Business and domestic software development 62020 Information technology consultancy activities 62030 Computer facilities management activities 62090 Other information technology service activities Division 63: Information service activities 63110 Data processing, hosting and related activities 63120 Web portals 63910 News agency activities 63990 Other information service activities n.e.c.

Key Case Studies: 1. Fresh Sauce Company, Mark Robinson (Innovation Bridge) 2. Temmt, Mark Sherman (Innovation Bridge) 3. Orbital Media (KTP) 4. Amy Wragg, Get on the SoapBox (Student Entrepreneur) 5. Luke Penning, Village Green Pictures (Student Entrepreneur) 6. Remi Morrison, Red Cactus Media (Graduate Entrepreneur & Innovation Bridge) 7. Games Hub 8. Miracle Tea (Games Hub & Student Entrepreneurs) 9. Biscuit Sandwich Games (Games Hub & Student Entrepreneurs) 10. Orbital Media (KEEP+ Innovation Intern) 11. Element Softworks (KEEP+ Innovation Intern) 12. Jared Tilston (IWIC) 13. Dan Haden-Scott, Haden Media (IWIC) 14. Luke Brown, Element Softworks (IWIC) 15. Stuart Welham, Seated (IWIC) 16. STEM St Johns Catch App 17. STEM Girl Guides Generation Code 18. SCFE Suffolk Centre for Female Entrepreneurs