Companies across the region were invited to get free advice and support to help them through the recession at the opening of the region’s new Butterfield Enterprise Hub recently.
The grand opening last month was entitled ‘Innovation Day 2009’. Special guest renowned inventor Trevor Bayliss OBE, who invented the wind-up radio, gave a presentation about motivating SME’s and helping entrepreneurs focus on converting invention into innovation to sustain their competiveness and grow their businesses.
Butterfield Enterprise Hub is an initiative of the University of Bedfordshire, Luton Borough Council and Basepoint Business Centre, with funding support from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA). It has been set up to help businesses from across the region to access guidance on a case-by-case basis, linking them to the support they need.
Innovation Day also witnessed the launch of the Butterfield Young Innovator Programme for regional schools. The programme is designed to encourage natural creativity and inquisitiveness in schoolchildren, through the application of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.