Member Article

Cheshire technology campus names Gold Partners

Sci-Tech Daresbury has announced the strategic partner organisations which will enhance business support services for high-tech SMEs based on the site.

DWF, Dow Schofield Watts, Giles Insurance, Grant Thornton, IBM, Inventya, Santander, Marks & Clerk and the University of Liverpool have been named as Sci-Tech Daresbury’s Gold Partners for the period 2013 to 2014.

The Gold Partners are a select group of partner companies which offer high-level strategic support for Sci-Tech Daresbury companies in areas such as intellectual property, risk management, financial and tax management, corporate finance & funding, legal services, technology commercialisation, scientific research, banking and cloud solutions.

The partners will provide the 100 SMEs based at the science and innovation site with access to specialist skills and advice through free surgery sessions.

John Downes, chief executive of Langtree and director of the Sci-Tech Daresbury joint venture board, said: “High-growth SMEs operating at the cutting-edge of science and technology, like those based at Sci-Tech Daresbury, require the highest quality expertise, business advice and networks, particularly in areas such as strategic development, finance and taxation, IP management and attracting investment.

“Sci-Tech Daresbury’s Gold Partner scheme addresses those specialist needs directly and gives businesses access to the additional guidance they need at a critical point in their growth. We are delighted to have the nine Gold Partners on board, a number of whom have been working with us on this programme for three years already. We’re confident that their varied areas of expertise will prove hugely valuable to the SMEs on site.”

The Gold Partner programme is one of several benefits open to science and technology businesses that start up or relocate to Sci-Tech Daresbury, along with access to a wide-range of opportunities and expertise, including access to markets and key customers, business collaborations, funding and investment, and key skills through the Sci-Tech Daresbury network. Sci-Tech Daresbury has also achieved Enterprise Zone status, which allows business rates to be reinvested in the site to provide important new support infrastructure and specialist office, laboratory and technical space.

Each partner will offer specialist expertise:

Dow Schofield Watts will provide complete corporate finance advice covering fundraising, investment, exit strategy, company sales, company acquisitions and due diligence

· DWF will provide legal services focusing on employment, corporate fundraising options, commercial routes to market, data protection and other compliance, commercialisation and enforcement of intellectual property, tax savings for SME’s, private client and wealth management, disputes, contracting and procuring intelligently

· Giles Insurance Brokers Ltd, has a specialist Science and Technology division, which will provide companies with expert insurance and risk advice. It also has a Healthcare division which can provide employee benefits.

· Grant Thornton’s dedicated technology and innovation practice has an enviable track record of working with successful and dynamic companies, at all stages of their business life cycle, and will advise SMEs on site to help them realise their ambitions for growth through areas including accounting and tax advice, audit, financial planning and commercialisation of intellectual property. Visit www.grant-thornton.co.uk

· IBM will support businesses that are part of the wider Daresbury community to extend their reach, scale and opportunity for establishing contacts and increasing sales of their products and solutions to as wide an audience as possible. IBM work with SME organisations to ensure IBM hardware and software is available to help them build and manage their technology.

· Santander is one of the UK’s leading personal and commercial finance companies and will support the banking and financial requirements of SME customers based on the campus.

Marks & Clerk, patent and trade mark attorneys, will provide companies with intellectual property advice - identifying, protecting and defending their innovations and brands both in the UK and globally.

The University of Liverpool is committed to maintaining the very best research, an outstanding teaching and learning experience and excellent links with business and the public sector. It partners with companies to offer unrivalled access to specialist institutes, research centres, facilities and individuals. The University can seek to access various funding opportunities and explore how its international connections could benefit companies. www.liv.ac.uk

Inventya, based at the Sci-Tech Daresbury campus, provide marketing intelligence for science, engineering and technology business ventures. They work with a wide range of clients to help companies make the right business decisions.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .