24/02/03

Incubator to help hatch business innovation

A new centre set up to nurture small business opened in Kingston earlier this month. The Kingston Innovation Centre (KIC) will help local entrepreneurs get their fledgling companies off the ground. The brainchild of Kingston University graduate Christopher Fogg, it will put firms needing support in contact with specialist experts.

Christopher believes KIC will play a vital role in making sure business talent in the region is given the chance to thrive. "It will act as an incubator, supporting inventors and businesspeople who will be selected for entrepreneurial flair rather than immediate profit potential," he said.

The project is being backed by Business Link and the Workspace Group, which has provided a unit in the Kingsmill Business Park to serve as KIC's base. Christopher decided to set up the centre in the heart of Kingston so it could be close to the University. "While I was studying for my MBA I realised how beneficial it would be to develop closer links between the University and the commercial world," he said. "We hope our clients will tap into some of the resources available at Kingston's Business School."

Deputy Director of the University's Small Business Research Centre Dr David Stokes believes the scheme has the potential to make a real difference in the local economy. "It will be a big boost to Kingston's business community and the University," he said. "Our links with KIC will help give students and academic staff another important insight into the commercial world."

Bridge - The Kingston University magazine
February 2003