A company in London has began work on what promises to be the largest business support project ever seen in the UK.
The business incubation project has been launched by Simon Read Associations who have opened two National Business Innovation Centres, designed to provide services for start up and early stage businesses.
The project has been designed as a one stop shop environment where firms can access a complete range of business support resources including advice, university resources, access to grants and funding and a forum for entrepreneurs to share their experiences.
Simon Read said, “Many people have been dissatisfied with the level of start-up business support available to them in the UK.
“ I want this project to serve as a focal point for new businesses, and also as an environment to bring them together with more experienced business people who can contribute their expertise.”
The sites currently open are located in Putney and the West End of London. A further 10 centres are expected by 2006 in North London, Surrey, Berkshire and Manchester within the next 4 months.
With many of the UK’s business incubation centres primarily forming part of local universities, Simon Read is confident that the new service will create a larger pool of business knowledge.
“Substantial evidence exists to show that new businesses located within an incubation environment have a greater chance of success. The bottom line is that 5 year survival rates are increased by 100%”, said Reed.