Barclays establishes SME tech centre at MediaCityUK’s The Landing

Barclays is launching a new hub for SMEs at MediaCityUK in partnership with The Landing.

The bank’s Eagle Lab Salford will officially launch tonight (November 30) and give businesses access to mentoring, 3D printers, laser cutters, events space and other resources.

With its Eagle Lab concept, Barclays’ aim is to give enterprises the tools needed to rapidly create and test prototypes without having to import, potentially helping them slash the time and costs involved in bringing products from concept to market.

Barclays said its partnership with The Landing will help Greater Manchester entrepreneurs experience the potential of cutting-edge tech and encourage them to consider how it might be applied to the creation of innovative future solutions.

Barclays’ high growth and entrepreneurs MD, Michael Hartig, said: “The new Barclays Eagle Lab in Salford is our first one in the North and represents a significant step in our relationship with the startup community.

“We’ve created the Barclays Eagle Labs because technology is transforming the speed at which start-ups can grow and scale.”

He continued: “Simply having access to a 3D printer can now help people turn a clever idea into a business success overnight, and by providing practical resources along with our financial expertise we intend to help many businesses succeed.

“The new Barclays Eagle Lab in Salford is located in the heart of MediaCityUK, providing a vibrant creative and media sector with access to the tools and resources that will help them accelerate growth.”

The head of programmes and partnerships at The Landing, Maya Dibley, commented: “The Landing was established to give fledgling technology businesses a home to expand and achieve growth.

“The spirit of collaboration is part of the fabric of The Landing tech co-working experience and so this new relationship with Barclays Eagle Lab MakerSpaces fits perfectly with what we are all about.”

He added: “The new Barclays Eagle Lab will take The Landing into a new and exciting level, giving our members access to technology like 3D printers that will no doubt inspire new ways to achieve further growth.”

Barclays already operates Eagle Labs in Birmingham, Cambridge, Norwich, Notting Hill, Brighton and Bournemouth.

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