Empowering innovation: extending services regionally

An outline is provided of the practical assistance and support being given to innovators and entrepreneurs in the North-West of England by Technet North-West, a project funded by North-West Development Agency and the European Regional Development Fund. The article shows the benefits and service improvements achieved through partnership and collaboration. Identifying successful models, such as the Manchester patent clinic, and rolling them out into the region, ensures the sharing of best practice. Establishing inventors' information points as satellites to Manchester PATLIB provides a local base for inventors, gives a higher profile for IP services and also enables the growth of a network of business support agencies. Technet-NW thus helps inventors and innovative businesses to get their idea from concept to marketplace by putting them in touch with the relevant support agency at the right time in the innovation cycle.