SYLVIA BROADLEY INNOVATION MANAGER

1
SYLVIA BROADLEY INNOVATION MANAGER

• BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL
• ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
• CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

2
GOVERNMENT POLICIES FOR SME DEVELOPMENTINTRODUCTI
ON

• ? UK Government recognise SMEs as major growth
  area for employment
•  
• ? Accepted that SMEs are major supply chains to
  Multi-National Companies
• ? Increasingly Creative Industries will provide
  significant sector growth and opportunities for
  networking, SME collaboration and joint product
  development.
• ? A more recent development has been flurry of EU
  initiatives to support SME development and /or
  training of SME staff.
• ? The challenge for BCC is to respond to this
  agenda

3
NATIONAL, REGIONAL LOCAL CONTEXT

• ? The regional and local context is influenced
  by the tension
• over historic position of ownership of
  SME support agenda
• at national level.
• ? Department for Trade Industry versus
  Department
• for Education and Science clash over
  competitiveness
• agenda and promotion of education and
  training.
•  
• ? This picture is further complicated
  because a number
• of agencies/bodies have responsibility
  for different
• aspects of SME support in UK.
• ? Regional picture Priorities tensions
  around
• regeneration, education training.

4
TRANSLATING THE DIRECTIVE TO SUPPORT SMES

• ? BCC building up collective experience of
  managing
• tensions and supporting SME development
  by
• Creative Development and
  Innovation
• ? Re-interpret and alignment of opportunities
  offered
• through European projects to reinforce one
  another.
•  
• ? Key examples of coherence from disparate
  initiatives-
• Knowledge Support for Business, ARICON,
• Creative Knowledge Creative Companies,
  EQUAL.

5
ConclusionsBCC affirms

• ? Right intentions at National level,
  focused on
• developing coherence at Regional and
  Local level.
• ? The challenge for the region through SME
  support
• actions
• Deliver what Policy Makers need/want.
• Translate to add meaning.