A new innovation centre that helps ambitious entrepreneurs grow their businesses has opened in the Crawley Business Quarter in Manor Royal and is now inviting Sussex businesses to view it’s unique offering.
Crawley Innovation Centre helps small businesses at start-up stage, scale-ups or long-established innovative companies thrive and excel by providing a flexible and community environment that has modern offices, workshop areas and a provision of vital one-to-one business mentoring support.
Keen to especially help businesses working in cleantech, emerging digital tech or advanced engineering, the Crawley Innovation Centre is five minutes from London Gatwick Airport, providing unrivalled access for international business.
Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the centre features 24 high-quality offices, seven light industrial workshops for prototyping, product testing and demonstrations, as well as co-working and hot desking spaces, meeting rooms, event hire space and access to regular on-site networking events.
More than just a workspace, Crawley Innovation Centre also provides a unique package of business guidance via one-to-one expert mentoring from the Centre’s Innovation Director. At no additional cost to businesses, tailored specialist innovation strategy support can range from how to attract investors to navigating the funding landscape, to business growth strategies and marketing.
The Centre is led by Shelley Furey, Centre Manager, who oversees day-to-day operations and is the first point of contact for any business interested in joining the community. Shelley brings extensive experience in supporting local businesses and is passionate about creating an environment where entrepreneurs feel supported, inspired and equipped to grow.
Shelley Furey comments: "Crawley has an incredible concentration of innovative companies, and we’re excited to welcome businesses into the centre. As we start this journey, my team and I are focused on creating a supportive, collaborative environment where entrepreneurs can access the right connections, expertise and facilities from day one. I’m looking forward to meeting new members of our community and helping them make the most of what we offer."
Crawley Innovation Centre is owned by Crawley Borough Council but managed by Oxford Innovation Space, the UK’s largest operator of innovation centres, supporting more than 1,000 early-stage and scale-up businesses across a network of 30+ centres in the UK and Ireland.
Jo Stevens, Managing Director of Oxford Innovation Space comments: “Our new site in Crawley is a brilliant opportunity for us to build on what is already a fantastic melting pot of entrepreneurship in the area. We believe by creating flexible, inspiring environments that feature sound business support and opportunities to network and collaborate with peers, a business has a greater chance of succeeding. We can’t wait to see all the business success stories that Crawley Innovation Centre will have.”
Councillor Michael Jones, Leader of Crawley Borough Council said: “I am delighted that Oxford Innovation Space is managing the Crawley Innovation Centre. They are a nationally recognised leader in managing innovation centres and will bring deep expertise in business incubation and operational excellence. We warmly welcome them to Crawley.”
To book a tour or for further information, visit https://crawley-ic.co.uk/ or email info@crawley-ic.co.uk
