Member Article

Digital SME support wins extra backing

A business support project aimed at helping SMEs across the whole of the North West has won a further £2 million in funding.

Around 130 SMEs in the region stand to benefit from a 12-month continuation of the ISIS programme, which is run by the School of Computing and Communications, based in InfoLab21, Lancaster University’s ICT centre of excellence.

ISIS aims to help SMEs identify and utilise digital technologies to develop innovative products and services - increasing levels of investment in the region’s ICT sector.

The project funds a team of recent graduates of IT disciplines to offer short term consultancy services such as research into new technologies, proof of concepts, ICT Strategies and infrastructure development, as well as mobile and web technologies.

Dr Steve Fish, head of business partnerships and enterprise at the school of computing and communications, said: “We are happy to be able to offer our successful ISIS programme to a further 130 businesses across North West England.

“The programme is a great way for the region’s SMEs to access basic IT support to ensure they have a presence in the digital age.

“It is also an excellent way of providing real-world experience for graduates, which helps them to demonstrate their employability in a competitive jobs market, as well as boosting the region’s technical skills base.”

ISIS has run since the end of 2009; assisting 293 companies within the North West and helping generate 185 new jobs and safeguarding 900 existing positions.

More than 76 graduate interns have worked on the programme to date, with all of them finding employment following their time on ISIS. Several have gone on to form their own IT businesses.

ISIS is part-funded by the ERDF with matched funding from Lancaster University.

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