The magazine for The european regional developmenT fund in england’s norThwesT

Issue Two January 2011 erdfnw.co.uk

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Sharp Project is One-of-a-Kind Digital Media Hubas the sharp project moves into its third and final phase, manchester’s digital and creative sector thrives.

A Review in Pictures: Liverpool Biennial 2010This year’s liverpool Biennial proved once again to be one the uK’s leading public art exhibitions.

B oSt

Key projects approved include:

• Chester Innovation Economy Centre (£2.9m ERDF)

• Higher Education Enterprise Champions (£585,000 ERDF)

• Media Enterprise Centre @ MediaCityUK (£4.2m ERDF)

• Social Enterprise Networking & Collaboration (£323,000)

• Unite with Business (£3.9m ERDF)

• Waterfront Business Park Barrow Access Road (£4.9m ERDF)

• Women's International Centre for Economic Development (£2.4m ERDF)

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EU funding is helping to unlockthe Northwest’s potential

202–03 Foreworddavid malpass, director of the erdf programme in the northwest reflects on £400 million of erdf investments.

08–09 A Review in Pictures: Liverpool Biennial 2010This year’s liverpool Biennial proved once again to be one of the uK’s leading public art exhibitions.

04–05 Newslatest news on the progress and successes of erdf projects.

10–13 Shining Starsa look at some of the companies who have benefited from erdf funded projects.

Get in touch To find out more about the erdf in the northwest visit:

erdfnw.co.uk european programme executive, northwest regional development agency, renaissance house, Centre park, warrington, wa1 1Qn Tel: +44 (0) 1925 400 100 email: erdf@nwda.co.uk

06–07 The Sharp Projectas the sharp project moves into its third and final phase, manchester’s digital and creative sector thrives.

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January 2011

Issue

W e recently held our European Showcase event, which provided a great opportunity to demonstrate how European funding continues

to be a vital source of investment, boosting economic development across the region. Through a combination of presentations and site visits, the event showcased a selection of the varied and valuable projects, which would not have happened without European funding.

In September, we celebrated two years of ERDF funding since the first ERDF-funded project, improvements around Lime Street Gateway, was announced. Since then, almost £400 million of ERDF funding has been provided to 130 projects or programmes across the Northwest.

Our venture capital and loan fund – The North West Fund – is now also open for business. The £185 million fund is the largest public fund of its kind in the UK and will support small and medium-sized enterprises to start-up and grow. Find out more at thenorthwestfund.co.uk

It has recently been confirmed that from 1 July 2011 ERDF Programmes will be managed by CLG (The Department for Communities and Local Government). My team and I are working tirelessly to ensure a smooth transition from our current home at the NWDA and I will keep you updated on developments with this going forward.

This issue of Boost truly demonstrates the hugely positive impact ERDF is having in the Northwest. I hope you enjoy reading about some of our great projects and the companies they have supported.

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issue Two January 2011

David Malpass director of european programme, northwest regional development agency

£4 0 millionERDF funding invested in 130 programmes and projects across the Northwest.

Welcome to Boost

Photography: Tony West

Since our last edition of Boost the ERDF team has been taking the opportunity to promote the difference European funding is making to the Northwest.

News

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Crown Business Park to generate hundreds of jobs for Rochdale

£10 million for families to go green and save money: Low carbon facelift for 3,000 homes

Awards success for Lime Street

S cientists, Builders and Architects gathered at Jodrell Bank in September 2010 to celebrate the beginning of construction

of a new ‘Live Science’ Discovery Centre at the site.

The new Centre, set to attract thousands of extra visitors to the Observatory every year, includes a new entrance building – the Planet Pavilion – and a new Space Pavilion for exhibitions and events. The project also includes a stylish glass-walled café with spectacular views of the iconic Lovell telescope, an education space and landscaping of the Arboretum to create a new Galaxy Maze.

The project’s main aim is to inspire young scientists and connect them to cutting-edge research ‘as it happens’.

The new Centre, which is set to launch in summer 2011, has received a £1 million investment from the ERDF.

A 50:50 Joint Venture between Centric Property Group and Barnfield Construction has acquired 18 acres of land in Rochdale,

Greater Manchester to develop a 260,000 sq ft business park.

The development, which received £3.2 million in ERDF, is expected to bring in excess of 350 jobs to the area.

The land, positioned next to the M62, was acquired from Fortis Bank and already has planning permission for 90,000 sq ft of offices and 170,000 sq ft of industrial space.

The acquisition was completed at the end of August 2010 and construction has already commenced on the first phase of the speculative development, which will see 20,000 sq ft offices and 30,000 sq ft of industrial space completed by summer 2011.

F amilies in Greater Manchester have won a £10 million boost to help homes go green and save money.

The multi-million pound investment will provide low carbon improvements, including solar energy, wood chip fuel and thermal cladding to almost 3,000 homes in five social housing projects.

The insulation and biomass heating will slash householders’ bills by over £20 million, according to energy saving experts. It will support more than 122 jobs in the low carbon industry, and will cut carbon emissions by 100,000 tonnes over the lifetime of the project.

£5 million in ERDF is being matched by investment from utility companies and other private sector investors.

t he ERDF-funded upgrade to Liverpool Lime Street Station has been rewarded at the National Rail Awards 2010 with the station

being named Overall Station of the Year. The station also won the Large Station of the Year award.

Merseytravel worked with partners Virgin, Northern Rail and Network Rail on the upgrade which has seen the construction of a new, first class lounge and the refurbishment of the travel centre. The station’s entrance and exterior has also been improved.

issue Two January 2011

Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre — Ground Breaking

t he European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) provided almost £3 million

(Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) also provided £3.3 million) in funding to overhaul and equip the building, which was carried out by New East Manchester, with total costs at £10.6 million.

The Sharp Project now provides a smart, sustainable environment that allows the creative community to flourish, make business choices and take risks that traditional environments would prevent. It is designed for content creators and distributors who want to experiment with models, markets and technologies.

The infrastructure is based on three things: space; power; and connectivity.

Katie Gallagher, of the Sharp Project, commented: “Companies in this sector tend to work on a contractual basis

so being able to flex up and down without incurring penalties is vital. They send data files across the globe so they need big pipes and affordable connectivity to do this.

“All our businesses are heavy users of technology and need access to servers and power. The space in Sharp is designed to be flexible, from how you use it and what you use it for, through to the lease terms and the way you decorate it.”

The development of the Sharp Project has provided:

converted shipping containers that companies can rent on a month-by-month basis;

contemporary office space that allows companies more privacy but access to the data backbone, which means they can move in more hardware and connect up easily and quickly if needed;

a further 27 spaces ranging from 500 sq ft to 1,300 sq ft (currently in development);

four stages for hire, suitable for the production of dramas, table top animations, commercials and films;

two floors of production offices with green rooms, make-up rooms, wardrobes, free wi-fi and parking; and

an onsite mini-data centre offering rack space to tenants at a discounted rate.

Katie continued: “We currently have

a gigabit of connectivity and can connect tenants to the Internet via our transit provider. We manage the operation of the bandwidth onsite so tenants do not have to go through a traditional ISP.

“The bandwidth available through Sharp is based on a different type of delivery through our own fibre connection. This is important for companies that upload large files via FTP to servers.

“We are next to a brand new sub-station and we have secured six megawatts of power to our site – there is enough to power Disneyland Paris, so plenty to support our businesses.”

ERDF funding has enabled this digital and creative hub, which now contributes towards national and regional policy objectives, and complements developments at MediaCityUK.

Projected GVA, when the project is complete and taking into account the impact on the supply chain, is estimated at £56 million. Once the project is completed, it is estimated to create 550 jobs within the sector, while providing a low-risk environment for companies wishing to develop innovative, new products and services and create new IP and patents. It will provide high levels of peer-to-peer mentoring allowing companies to develop organically.

Although the build is not yet fully complete, approximately 30 businesses are already onsite. Demand for business space has also been high.

Katie added: “We have infrastructure companies, VFX, TV production companies, post production, CGI, a full service music studio, set designers, IPTV businesses and a motion capture studio in place. The aspiration is for the Sharp Project to become the UK centre for the digital animation and visualisation industry, placed at the heart of a global network of digital media production centres.”

The Sharp edge of Business

Project: Simply Project: Simply is a full service digital marketing group with expertise in search engine optimisation (SEO), design and social media.

Project: Simply was the first business to move into the Sharp building in May 2010. Christian, SEO Consultant, commented: “We chose the Sharp building because it offered excellent value for money and, unlike other locations, we were told that there wouldn’t be any direct competitors within the building, so we’re the only company doing what we do here.

“This location was also recommended by a friend, and after visiting and seeing it for myself, I thought this would be a great location.”

To date, operating out of the Sharp building has had significant benefits for the company. The business community aspect has helped Project: Simply to form some really useful relationships. This year they were encouraged to enter the EnterPrize Awards 2010 where they were shortlisted to the final five for the East Manchester Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, something they wouldn’t have been aware of.

While there are other locations that the company could have chosen, the Sharp Building had more desirable benefits for Project: Simply.

Christian added: “The people running Sharp have been really helpful and I’m not sure that we would have received the same level of support anywhere else. This is also a really great building to bring clients to. We provide potential clients with a tour of the building and they’re wowed by every aspect.

“The final phase of the build is almost complete now and it’s been exciting for us to see businesses, within our sector, moving in. I look forward to forming new relationships with our neighbours in the future.”

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issue Two January 2011

Businesses already on site

355Estimated number of jobs created within the sector

The former Sharp European Distribution Centre on Thorp Road in East Manchester is in the final stages of a major refurbishment programme to create a digital content production complex, providing a range of sound stages, office and production space, combined with a world-class infrastructure for digital companies.

Clock-wise from top-left

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issue Two January 2011

01 For the first time, Liverpool Biennial commissioned an artist, Carlos Amorales, for the visual concept for marketing Touched.

02 Brazilian artist Laura Belém’s ‘The Temple of a Thousand Bells’, an installation of 1,000 hand-blown glass bells suspended from the ceiling of the Grade I listed Oratory.

03 Héctor Zamora’s installation ‘Synclastic / Anticlastic’, a shoal of concrete manta rays suspended from the ceiling of the Mann Island plaza.

04 Do Ho Suh’s ‘Bridging Home’, a scale model of the artist’s own Korean house from his childhood wedged between two buildings on Duke Street.

05 Part of ‘Re:Thinking Trade’, Lee Mingwei’s ‘The Mending Project’ invited visitors to have items repaired with brightly coloured threads.

06 A game of hide-and-seek at the Bluecoat with Nicholas Hlobo’s ‘Ndize’.

07 The Biennial animated Britain’s longest shopfront – the former Rapid Hardware – with projects including Meschac Gaba’s ‘Souvenir Palace’.

08 A special project within Touched, Magdalena Abakanowicz presented ‘Embryology’, an installation from 1978/80, previously unseen in the UK.

Photography: 01–07 Tony West, 08 Thierry Bal

A Review in Pictures: Liverpool Biennial 2010

“Liverpool Biennial is one of the most important fixtures for both the contemporary visual arts, and for the visitor economy, in Britain. The investment of partners such as ERDF has helped Liverpool Biennial achieve its position as an outstanding global arts event, which produces significant economic impact for the Northwest.” Paul Smith executive director of liverpool Biennial

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This year’s Liverpool Biennial proved once again to be one of the UK’s leading public art exhibitions, consisting of six core programme strands. The focus of the festival, the International exhibition, which took ‘Touched’ as its theme, enabled selected international artists to showcase their work across the city centre.

ERDF specifically supported the delivery of the artworks within the International exhibition, enabling more artists than ever before to present.

manchester Central redevelopmentCompany: Manchester Central greater manchester

Case study land and property

As a significant element of the Oxford Road Corridor infrastructure, responsible for sustaining and growing opportunities to attract business tourism and support high growth sectors, Manchester Central Convention Complex’s redevelopment was essential to ensure the area could attract key conferences, raising the profile of the city and securing significant delegate spend and economic benefits.

The ERDF contributed almost £3.8 million to the third phase of Manchester Central’s redevelopment programme in November 2009, with total planned costs of the third phase totalling £9 million.

The third phase of Manchester Central’s redevelopment included improvements to the conference and seminar facilities. An under-utilised part of the venue

was demolished, creating 1,200 sq m of additional space and redeveloping 1,500 sq m of existing space.

The project had two main aims:

to create and improve new conference and seminar facilities to be used more flexibly to accommodate a wider variety of events and conferences; and

to provide ancillary catering facilities to service the wider variety of large-scale events hosted.

Since the development works were completed, ahead of schedule in September 2010, Manchester Central has seen a significant increase in its order book, in visitor numbers and is on track to generate project outputs in terms of economic impact.

What’s more, the Labour Party was the first user of the new and improved facilities, where their Annual Party Conference was held.

Manchester Central’s Chief Executive, Lesley Tomlinson, said: “ERDF investment was significant to ensuring the redevelopment of Manchester Central could be completed. We now offer exceptional facilities that will ensure we can attract bigger events to Manchester. Without the support we received from ERDF, these results would have been very difficult to achieve.”

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Shining Stars

£3.8million

issue Two January 2011

A look at some of the companies who have benefited from ERDF funded projects.

£2 million

infolab21 strategic innovation support programme (isis)Company: 2BZ Media Developers Ltd lancashire

Case study Business support

2BZ Media Developers Ltd deals with 3D virtual environments using avatar browser technology to create virtual user representation online. Surfing the Internet in 3D technology, this strives to close the gap between the physical and virtual space. The company has over 20 years worth of experience in virtual community software development, web, graphic design and marketing, and has recently developed a 3D urban magazine called Feed Your Head 3D, with two other virtual magazines covering education and sports using their technology in development.

In July 2010, 2BZ wanted to develop a system to allow the products on sale by shop owners to be viewed in true 3D 360° view rotation. Their existing system was limited, and despite appearing in a 3D virtual environment, images of products appeared on the walls in 2D.

The company was referred to InfoLab21 by Business Link as they did not possess the technical capability they needed in-house and could not find an appropriate technology provider. Dion Croom, Managing Director, said: “We chose support from the ISIS Project rather than going to the ICT sector because we had difficulties in finding an appropriate and competent provider. The wealth of talented academic programmers and developers available via ISIS seemed a logical fit for this exciting product development.”

Through ISIS, the appropriate transformational technology was researched thoroughly, reviewing heavyweight industry solutions such as Maya and 3D Studio Max before settling on a lighter Adobe Flash solution. InfoLab21 developed a tool which allowed the company to produce Flash-based virtual 3D models easily for inclusion into the online shop. In undertaking this work it is anticipated that there will be an improvement in company performance leading to a 25% GVA improvement over two years and six new jobs could potentially be created, as well as 10 jobs safeguarded over the next year.

Since the programme, 2BZ has maintained an excellent relationship with InfoLab21 and has also benefited from an Innovation Voucher and two student placements. Dion added: “We were surprised and delighted by the speed at which the graduate completed the first profile. We were very pleased with the final product and have started the process of implementation into our core product range.”

ISIS is the first project of its kind in the UK and is delivered under the ‘Transformational ICT’ product, part of the Solutions for Business portfolio, part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.

For more information: manchestercentral.co.uk

For more information: infolab21.lancs.ac.uk/company/isis; 2bzmedia.co.uk

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issue Two January 2011

Formed in 2000, Park Signalling designs and manufactures railway signalling equipment and provides consulting services to the rail industry. The company is introducing modern, digital communication technology into the rail industry, using commercial, off-the-shelf ICT products to provide lower cost and improved functionality for railway signalling systems.

In December 2009, Park Signalling applied for an Innovation Voucher to provide technical support to undertake research into the feasibility of a new product, Virtual Lineside Signalling, which would enable train drivers to dependably view synthetic railway signals via a commercial off-the-shelf-based (COTS) train cab display unit.

Ben Clements, Research Director of Park Signalling, received expressions of interest from two universities wishing to work on the ERDF and NWDA funded Innovation Voucher project and decided to accept the offer from Dr Jason Ralph – a Reader in Electrical Engineering from the University of Liverpool.

The Innovation Voucher proved extremely useful for Park Signalling. The company obtained a positive outcome technology audit of the new product, providing increased independent assurance that the proposed Virtual Lineside Signalling system is feasible and safe. This has enabled the company to invest further time and money into product development as part of their long-term business strategy.

Without the Innovation Voucher, Park Signalling would have had to find suitable experts to fund their work, which would have delayed the VLS project.

innovation vouchersCompany: Park Signalling Ltd Cheshire

Case study Business support

£2 million

Garage Door Restore manufactures glass reinforced polyester (GRP) veneer to be fixed to worn or damaged garage doors at a fraction of the price of replacing with a new GRP door. The company has recently developed a new range of garage doors, including a door that pre-heats water, which can be used for bathing, washing machines and dishwashers, using solar energy to increase the temperature of the water.

Working under the ERDF-funded Eco-Innovation Programme, Garage Door Restore is currently working with Lancaster University to develop a new product range. Damian Webb, of Garage Door Restore, said: “The Eco-Innovation Programme appealed to us because of the environmental benefits and the quality of partners involved.

“Since working through the Programme, we have developed our veneers and changed the specification to significantly reduce the environmental impact. We now produce the only high security, fully insulated and maintenance free GRP panel garage door.

“This has environmentally-friendly insulation 100% safe for consumer and environment. This would have been very difficult to achieve without the guidance we received through the Eco-Innovation Programme and we are now working on a new product ‘Heat Exchange’ and a ‘Heated Garage Door’ with Lancaster University.”

Under the High Growth Support Programme, the company has had assistance recruiting licensed agents across the UK in order to fulfil the nationwide demand for their products. Working with an adviser from the Programme, Garage Door Restore was able to put in place systems and was able to produce projections that have enabled the company to grow rapidly to 49 branches Nationwide in a short space of time. Damian added: “The support that we’ve received through the High Growth Programme was excellent. We’ve had helpful guidance throughout and have now developed and evolved into a business that can fully commercialise innovative products.”

high growth support and eco-innovation programmesCompany: Garage Door Restore lancashire

Case study Business support

£4million

international Capabilities Transfer programmeCompany: Hi-Tech Steel Services regional

Case study Business support

The International Capabilities Transfer Programme was designed to build upon current programmes (funded by UKTI and ERDF) to provide international trade support to Northwest companies.

The primary purpose of the Programme is to generate more GVA within the region through the provision of intermediate or intensive assistance to SMEs. A number of these businesses are expected to enter overseas markets with the objective to directly improve their performance.

The specific objectives of the Programme inlcude:

raising awareness of international opportunities;

encouraging SMEs to start exporting;

helping existing exporters to move ino new markets; and

enhancing the capabilities of individuals within SMEs to enable them to improve their international trade performance.

The Programme consists of:

international open day events;

specialist advisory services; and

an international capability building programme, which consists of 360 networking events, CPD programmes and international market/sector awareness seminars.

To date, the Programme has provided 250 intermediate assists and 85 intensive assists. From this number, the Programme will lead to around 255 SMEs entering new overseas markets, which is predicted to help 235 businesses improve their performance and safeguard 210 jobs. Turnover for these 235 SMEs is expected to increase by around £40 million.

One company to benefit from the Programme was Hi-Tech Steel Services, one the UK’s largest independent steel stockholders and processors of mild strip mill steel. Operating from three service centres across the UK, Hi-Tech Steels employs 100 people nationwide.

With a customer base that extends across the UK and into Europe, the company is successfully operating across a diverse marketplace, from private industry and independent enterprise through to original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and multinational companies.

However, the UK is a shrinking market and becoming more and more competitive. Hi-Tech Steel Services realised that in order to sustain the company’s current position and achieve further growth, they needed to explore exporting.

After careful research, Hi-Tech Steel Services identified a European destination that was aligned to their internal capabilities and contacted UKTI for trade support. UKTI offered Hi-Tech Steel

Services support from the International Capabilities Transfer Programme, which provided necessary funding to enable the company to conduct overseas market research into their chosen destination. This allowed the company to explore the market’s potential, visit potential customers and assess the competitive market. The programme also helped them to strengthen their relationship with one existing overseas customer, as well as assisting them to contact new prospective customers.

To date, Hi-Tech Steels has been able to strengthen relationships with potential overseas clients, providing quotations for future work.

David Kennedy of Hi-Tech Steel Services commented: “Without the support we received from UKTI, I don’t think we would have been able to get the help we needed to target new customers overseas. We chose this Programme because we heard of the benefits it could bring to us, and we are impressed with the results so far.”

£1.6 million

For more information: hitechsteels.com

For more information: garagedoorrestore.co.uk; highgrowthprogramme.co.uk; ctechinnovation.com/innovation-management/eco-innovation

For more information: nwdabusinessfinance.co.uk/innovation-vouchers

Key projects approved include:

• Carlisle Roman Gateway (£1m ERDF)

• Cleveleys Promenade (£450,000 ERDF)

• Jodrell Bank Science Tourism Destination (£1m ERDF)

• Major Exhibitions Programme Tate Liverpool (£880,000 ERDF)

• Museum of Liverpool (£3.5m ERDF)

• Museum of Science & Industry (£2m ERDF)

• Regional Marketing Culture & Heritage (£2.4m ERDF)

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EU funding is helpingEngland’s Northwest to shine