All RDAs across England are closing by March 2012
(see transition and closure section).
With our resources reducing steadily, this page has not been recently updated and the information below may not be current.
If in doubt, please contact us directly.
Incubation
Innovation, science and technology are
critical to South West England’s prosperity. Businesses that
are competitive and highly productive are vital to the region’s
success in exploiting opportunities in the global knowledge
economy. Innovation - better ways of doing things as
well as new products and services - is the key.
Underpinning this success is the region’s
network of science parks and incubation centres, providing the
environment to support the growth of innovative and enterprising
individuals and companies. Businesses supported by incubation
environments grow more quickly, are more attractive to investors
and survive better than those that are not (Survival rates 85%-95%
three years after start-up in an incubator; 35%-50% outside
incubators). Our incubation environments are hubs where
businesses can access knowledge from centres of research
excellence, other business people, business support and
investors - in a joined-up and intensive way.
The £300m Science Park for Bristol and Bath
is an example of the ‘cluster’ effect of industry and
academia. The SPark will occupy 40 hectares and provide
employment for over 6,000 highly skilled people. One of the
first developments will be the Innovation Centre, uniting the 3
world class Universities of Bristol, Bath and the University of the
West of England. It will also foster a close working relationship
with leading South West industry. This builds on the RDA’s
earlier investments in incubation in the two cities - for
example the highly successful SETsquared incubators.