A new innovation and enterprise space has opened on the University of Bath’s campus to provide a space for student entrepreneurs, researchers and graduate start-ups to develop and share ideas for products and services.
The E-Lab, pictured, which also offers access to support and mentoring, is a significant expansion of the university’s enterprise services, building on its development and collaboration opportunities, including support for start-ups, consultancy, securing investment and access to expert research networks.
The university has a strong track record for spin-out companies, including recent success stories manufacturing software company Gen3D and bioelectronics company Ceryx Medical, which is developing an enhanced pacemaker.
The E-Lab facilities can be used to support a range of activities, including one-to-one mentoring, specialist advice sessions, start-up workshops, guest speaker events, masterclasses, interviews with entrepreneurs and networking opportunities for students and academics.
The university’s growing enterprise campus community can use the hotdesking facility for quiet working and access an open collaborative working space, as well as book private meeting rooms.
E-Lab will also provide a physical location for related university programmes and initiatives, including the forthcoming ISTART partnership with Bath Spa University, Bath College and Bath & North East Somerset Council, which will help individuals gain new skills and re-train for roles in the creative and digital sectors.
At the same time it will complement the university’s SET Squared Innovation Centre incubator in the city centre, which continues to support start-up and scale-up businesses with a focus on hi-tech, high-growth SMEs.
University of Bath vice president, enterprise, Prof Jonathan Knight said: “I’m delighted to see our plan for this valuable new space on campus come to fruition.
“It will serve to strengthen the stream of fledgling businesses emerging from our enterprising community, developing the innovation ecosystem that we are building within the city and the region.
“It will also provide a natural landing space for business engagement with the university. Co-location with some of our strongest research institutes is an added benefit.”
