New offices at Warwick Science Park hope to spark businesses into life

Entrepreneurs in Coventry and Warwickshire are being given the opportunity to light the blue touch paper on a new business park.

The University of Warwick Science Park is creating 11 micro offices at its Innovation Centres in Warwick and Binley in Coventry through Ignite with much of the programme being free thanks to long-term funding from Advantage West Midlands and the Science Park.

Ignite is aimed at giving start-up firms an opportunity to grow quickly and the new offices will provide a heavily subsidised rate to businesses wanting to base themselves there.

Five of the offices, which are furnished, are situated at the Binley site with six in Warwick and follow on from a successful scheme at the Science Park’s main site on the University’s Cannon Park campus where already more than 100 companies have been given in-depth support.

Businesses that take up the offices will also be able to tap into a range of support services – such as business planning, finance, marketing and product development – through experts at the Science Park.

Karen Aston, manager of the Business Innovation Centre in Binley, said: “Our Centre is a hive for small businesses – many of which are knowledge-based or innovation led – and we have seen so many success stories over the years.

“The new Ignite offices will allow businesses that are just starting out, with between one and four people, to come and take advantage of all we have to offer. The offices are quite heavily subsidised to give firms the best chance for a positive start.”

Enquiries for the offices are already high and five of the 11 units across the two sites have been snapped up.

John Barnes, manager of the Warwick Innovation Centre, said: “The Ignite programme has helped hundreds of companies over the years and we are delighted to be able to create these new micro offices across the two centres. In this current climate it is crucial to ensure that new companies are given the best possible chance to survive and grow through those difficult early phases and I am sure this initiative will do that.”