Incubator Facilities
Business Incubation is a unique and highly flexible combination of business development processes, infrastructure and people, designed to nurture and grow new and small businesses by supporting them through the early stages of development and change.
Companies accepted into the High Tech incubator programmes will benefit from: –
Comprehensive and intensive package of business support and training and development in enterprise programmes.
On-site services and business support from University of Manchester Incubator Company.
Subsidised modern serviced offices, parking and excellent transport links.
Use of breakout rooms, administration support, and state of the art IT and telephony services and catering.
High Tech incubator programme aims
The High Technology Incubator Programmes plan to do three main things:
1) Establish and efficiently manage a high-quality business incubation facility. This will initially be providing all the usual benefits of a business incubator, as well as telephone and broadband access. UMIC will also provide the high quality facilities management.
2) Establish and facilitate a highly supportive environment, enabling companies to quickly develop from a fragile start-up to a resilient and commercially successful business.
These specialist support elements will include:
Comprehensive and intensive package of business support.
Onsite services and support from qualified business support practitioners including access to educational resources and programmes.
Use of UMIC computing services, conferencing and catering facilities.
Assistance with marketing and business development.
Facilitating contact networks and providing networking opportunities.
Client introductions/referral opportunities.
We recognise the importance of working in close partnership with a whole host of other agencies involved in business incubation and business support in the region. Appropriate sign-posting and introductions to these other agencies will therefore be another key element of the incubator programmes support structure.
3) Establish a fair and transparent selection process, involving an Advisory Panel made up of members of UMIC Ltd and local entrepreneurs. The Panel will also provide ongoing support aimed at ensuring an appropriate exit in terms of accessing finance, facilities and providing grow on space from other partners such as Manchester Science Park.
UMIC High Tech programme company selection criteria
As to what sorts of companies we are looking for to become clients of the incubator, this can be summed up as follows:
– Is it a viable business, with the potential for success?
– Does it fit, in terms of its sector focus and stage of development, and taking into account existing clients in the incubator?
– Is it an innovative / future-facing business proposal?
The viability and potential success of the business will be judged on all the usual criteria growth in turnover, numbers of job created, and the strength of the management team but also on the long-term sustainability of the company. We are not only interested in high growth companies we also want to nurture modest growth companies that may be more likely to survive into the long term.
UMIC High Tech programme expectations
As to what we expect of companies looking to become clients in the incubator;-
-To take it seriously we will agree a Service and Action Plan with all new clients entering the incubator an objective-based plan setting out the support and services we will provide to them and the business objectives they are planning to achieve, which will be reviewed regularly.
-To seek to grow, and so out-grow the incubator, by embracing commercial realities from the start.
– Recognise that their time in the incubator is a protective and supportive but temporary period.
-To pay the highly competitive license and management charges to cover running costs.
-The project will support the UMIC mission by enhancing the creation of jobs and wealth in the area.
The High Tech incubator programmes are now accepting pre-qualification materials or business plans from companies with: An innovative, technology or service-based product idea or business concept. Especially project opportunities for improved job creation or that adds value to the Manchester; Knowledge Capital regional economy.
For further details see www.www.umic.co.uk or call 0161 918 6791
For details of UMIC High Tech Incubators visit www.www.umic.co.uk
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