The Vision

Bearing in mind the opportunities, we would like to see Cambridge as the catalyst to enable the East of England to become one of the top 5 regions in Europe within the next 20 years in terms of GDP, with a quality of life to match. If we are not aspirational ourselves, our competitors most certainly will be and Cambridge and the UK will be the poorer as a consequence.

To achieve our objectives we must develop, retain and attract world class businesses where we have a comparative advantage. The focus should, therefore, be on scientific and knowledge based businesses but we must ensure that the wealth created is spread to all parts of the community and where possible all parts of the region.

In this context St John's Innovation Centre's role as an incubator is in assisting the formation and growth of early stage knowledge based businesses by providing physical space and in-house management support for such companies. The Centre also, however, works in partnership with Business Link and the University in assisting embryonic businesses not resident on site. In 2002 we housed 50 businesses in the Centre and worked with around 600 earlier stage or embryonic businesses.

The Cambridge support infrastructure is sophisticated in a UK and European context with the existence of Seed Capital Funds and professional firms (Accountants, Solicitors, Patent Agents), with specific experience in assisting embryonic and early stage knowledge based businesses.

We believe, however, that it is important to build on success and that further support and encouragement is necessary if the area is to achieve its potential in a local, regional, and international context.