Feasibility studies and business planning

• Pickering & Northallerton Incubation and Training facilities
  Feasibility and business planning for two key business support projects in North Yorkshire. Through a series of consultation meetings a core element of these projects was to establish the views and evidence of key stakeholders on the potential benefits of an incubation facility and the ‘gaps’ in the provision of existing facilities.

• Waverley IATC
  Detailed business plan for phases 1 and 2 of the Innovation and Technology Centre and Low Carbon Business Accelerator as a key catalyst project for Yorkshire Forward’s Advanced Manufacturing Park at Waverley near Rotherham. The AMP is planned as a high quality science park that will become the focus of innovation in the Advanced Engineering and Metals (AEM) cluster in Yorkshire aimed directly at promoting the growth of high technology manufacturing companies.




• Colne Valley 'Green Initiative'
  Research and feasibility studies of a Green Business Incubator (GBI) and a Sustainable Construction Skills Centre (SCSC). The project forms part of the Colne Valley Renaissance Market Towns ‘Strategic Development Framework’, aimed at promoting new economic and learning opportunities for Marsden and Slaithwaite linked to the regional sustainability agenda.

• Round Foundry Business Centre, Holbeck Urban Village, Leeds
  Business plan and project management support to assist Yorkshire Forward in delivering a second phase of this successful business centre targeting digital media sector growth in Leeds.

Strategic review, development, evaluation and appraisal

• Northwest Business Investment Fund programme

Evaluation for NWDA of a programme aiming to address market failures in regard to the supply of funding to support new or early start investment in technologies or sectors that are perceived to be ‘high risk’ by traditional sources of finance. In accordance with the RDA Impact Evaluation Framework (IEF) the evaluation involved evaluating the project’s impact and achievements, its contribution to regional objectives, identifying key lessons and an assessment of the need for further project investment.

• Northwest Science Fund

An evaluation of the Northwest Science Fund in accordance with the North West Development Agency’s evaluation framework and the RDA Impact Evaluation Framework (IEF).  This involved evaluating the projects impact and achievements, its contribution to regional objectives, identifying key lessons and making an assessment on the need for further project investment.

• Project Unity - (merger of Victoria Manchester University and UMIST) An interim evaluation for NWDA of the Project Unity project in accordance with the Agency’s evaluation framework and the RDA Impact Evaluation Framework (IEF). A key element of the study focused on evaluating the impact and wider benefits of the merger in terms of the new University’s research performance, technology transfer and business outreach activity and its links with key RES growth sectors.

• South East Innovation Advisory Service
  Appraisal of a major investment proposal to establish an Innovation Advisory Service for the South East. The project had been developed in line with recommendations of the Lambert report seeking to achieve greater business / HEI collaboration in the region and the delivery of an integrated programme of targeted innovation.

• South East Collaborative R&D Support (Nanotechnology) project           Full strategic review, appraisal and development of a major investment to deliver improved collaborative R&D support with a focus on nanotechnology. The project forms an integral component of SEEDA’s £20m Innovation Programme.

• Design Centre for the North                                                                        A full economic appraisal and strategic review of the Design Centre of the North as part of the Northern Way investment plan. A key focus of the project is to facilitate the development of highly innovative companies with clustering potential through a programme of targeted business support, including provision of specialist business incubation space and effective linkage to specialist business support, such as design and innovation.

• Liverpool Science Park – Grow-on space                                        Strategic review and appraisal for NWDA of a 40,000 sq ft specialist ‘Grow-on’ facility to accommodate research, development and knowledge based SMEs who will graduate from the existing LSP Innovation Centre or high growth science and technology based companies relocating to Merseyside.

• Biomedical Research Centre, Liverpool (infectious diseases)          Appraisal advisor to NWDA and is currently helping University of Liverpool on how to re-present the project.

•  E-Campus                                                                                            ‘Green Book’ appraisal of Yorkshire Forward’s investment through Sheffield One to establish E-Campus, a flagship city centre masterplan project, to create a regional centre for the growth of digital and creative industries.

• Nuclear Opportunities Group, Strategic Action Plan                                For West Lakes Renaissance reviewed economic development opportunities and local supply chain opportunities arising from the nuclear decommissioning process underway in West Cumbria. An assessment of the sector’s cluster development potential was also undertaken. GENECON also led the preparation of business plan for the incorporation of West Cumbria Business Cluster.

• Nuclear Skills Academy
  Advising the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency on a bottom up supply chain study informing the market case for the establishment of the Nuclear Skills Academy in West Cumbria.

• European Spallation Source (ESS) Selby
  Economic research to support the case for ESS in terms of the project’s potential impact on the local and regional economy. The ESS is a proposed centre of excellence for ‘matter’ studies, through development of the world’s largest neutron scattering facility on the former Burn Airfield near Selby.