West Midlands driving growth in local companies

Stoke-on-Trent City Council, working in partnership with Staffordshire University, the Business Innovation Centre and Keele University, has entered a project which has responsibility for growing businesses in the region - and one area which has recently drawn its attention is the low growth in local industry and the continuing mismatch between research and production activities in the region.

If the region is to successfully build a Knowledge Based Economy, it is essential that every piece of relevant information should be captured and its economic potential harnessed.  This is not only about attracting new investment - but identifying every possible resource and opportunity for local companies to grow. One way of assisting this process is by networking the knowledge base which exists, not only in the Universities and research organisations, but in all areas, such as company to company, client to company and public sector to company, in a two way flow environment.

The City Council, Staffordshire University, the Business Innovation Centre and Keele University, has recently launched a new initiative, funded under the European Interreg IIIB Programme, to build the Knowledge Based Economy, increase business contacts and interactions between companies; and between companies and researchers in North Staffordshire.

The project called DRIVE for Growth (Directing Research into Viable Enterprises for Growth), is being led by the South West Regional Authority in South West Ireland.  We also have partners in Germany and South East Ireland.

The DRIVE Project in the UK are to host a range of workshops for companies who wish to increase their levels of innovation; and customized supports will be provided to firms who can identify possible growth paths into export markets.

An important innovation of the project itself is a dynamic web based platform   www.driveproject.eu which, once a company is registered, will automatically track any developments of interest by way of availability of new research, sub supply opportunities or manufacturing processes. This platform will operate in the UK, Ireland and Germany and so has potential to link similar companies in joint ventures across the three EU Member States. A principal aim is to help channel research into production opportunities and to provide an interface between the research and productive sectors.

For further information please visit www.driveproject.eu ,  alternatively contact: Janet Daragheh Tel: 01785 353807 Email j.m.daragheh@staffs.ac.uk