Talent and innovation in Ceredigion will soon be being generated and fostered under a new Welsh Development Agency programme in Aberystwyth thanks to Objective 1 support.

High-tech innovative business growth may not be an obvious attribute of the beaches of Aberystwyth – until now. A project by the Welsh Development Agency will soon see a prodigious building on the Marina become a world-class facility to cultivate and encourage new business in technical fields.

This centre will be the latest in the Welsh Development Agency’s emerging ‘Technium’ network throughout the Wales Objective 1 area. The centres are intended as ‘incubators’ to support the growth of newborn businesses. They provide the optimum environment for new businesses to thrive, providing support in everything from market research to business planning. The new development in Aberystwyth is aimed at assisting high-tech industries, such as biotechnology, advanced software and new media, until they reach a stage where they can compete on a global scale.

Ceredigion County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development Tourism and Training, Cllr Ray Quant, expressed his support for the project. “It is wonderful to see Objective 1 being used to promote Welsh talent and innovation in this way. This facility will give a leading edge to local business, encouraging an entrepreneurial culture here in rural Wales.”

Dr Sue Wolfe, spokesperson for the Welsh Development Agency, described the underlying principle of the project. “Starting a new business is always a daunting prospect. The Technium programme has been thoughtfully designed to help remove the barriers between ideas and realisation. The centres provide wide-ranging support for an emerging business during the first few years of its life. We are thrilled to be able to move forward with ‘AberTechnium’ now that our European funding is in place.”

The WDA have received an Objective 1 grant of £882,000 for AberTechnium towards a total project cost of £1.7million.

“AberTechnium is a partnership project involving the University of Wales Aberystwyth and Lampeter, and the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research,” explained Cecilia Barton, Chairperson of the Objective 1 Partnership Management Board for Ceredigion.” This link-up makes it a very important project for fostering economic growth in Ceredigion. We encourage the pooling of expertise between the Higher Education sector, the WDA, and other agencies, which has the potential to radically advance the progress of knowledge-based industries in this part of Wales.”



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