Companies in the South West benefit from an
established and highly effective network of business support
services which help you every step of the way.
Each core business sector has its own dedicated
support organisations which offer contacts, advice, information,
events and networking opportunities.
For inward investors, these support networks can
be invaluable sources of information and contacts, making it easier
to forge relationships and integrate effectively into a successful
business cluster. The primary support organisations listed here
will be able to put you in contact with other, more specialised
networks appropriate to your business sector.
ICT
Silicon South West – the
network that provides a busy programme of networking events, as
well as national and international promotion, for the region’s vast
microelectronics sector.
Aerospace
West of England Aerospace Forum – a
membership trade organisation with around 700 registered companies,
including the major players, SMEs, employee organisations,
universities and colleges in the region.
Creative Industries
There are eight specialist media networks across
the South West, one of which alone has more than 3,000 members. The
region also has more than 100 specialist programmes to support
growth and prosperity in the media industry. The support networks
include:
Biotech and Medtech
BioApproaches SW - the
biotechnology and life sciences organisation that provides direct
sector-specific support across industrial biotechnology (including
marine and agricultural), pharmaceuticals, food technology and
healthcare.
Environmental Technologies
RegenSW – the first regional
Renewable Energy support organisation and still acknowledged as the
best. RegenSW was named Best Public Sector Organisation 2008 by the
UK micropower council. It organised the UK’s first conference on
marine energy and was awarded npower funding for a wave monitoring
buoy off the coast of Cornwall.
The Environmental
Technologies iNet is a £2.4 million initiative supporting
Environmental Goods and Services companies in the South West
(excluding Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly). As a 'one-stop-shop'
for the sector, it helps businesses access specialist knowledge,
develop products and services, improve competitiveness and engage
with new routes to market.