Innovation strategy and delivery in Salford
Client:
Based in the heart of the city, the Salford Innovation Forum offers flexible workspace and business support for growing businesses, and is the first step in the Crescent Innovation development.
The purpose:
We are working in partnership with Salford City Council, English Cities Fund and the University of Salford to develop a strategy for the innovation-led economic development of the city.
The strategy for the Salford Innovation District centres on engaging local innovation assets and their leading-edge capabilities in acoustics, orthotics, robotics and energy efficiency. The strategy describes the pathway to development of a vibrant and innovation rich local economy which builds on the area’s industrial history, draws together the key local players, including those from other parts of Greater Manchester, and will encourage the attraction, start up and growth of businesses in Salford, significantly benefitting the local community.
The impact:
We have now embarked on Phase 1 of that strategy by taking on the operation and repositioning of Salford Innovation Forum, a flexible working space which is the first piece in the physical jigsaw of making the Salford Innovation District an attractive and engaging place for innovative businesses.
Salford Innovation Forum has now established a sector focus, building a cluster of tech and digital businesses, specifically those with linkages to the research strengths of the University of Salford. Planning is well advanced for the next phase of the strategy’s delivery, involving development of a pedestrian crossing linking both sides of Frederick Road, completing the Robotics Innovation Centres and embarking on development of the Collision Building, a state-of-the-art centre for catalysing innovation and collaboration between business, innovation and research communities.
