Newcastle Business & IP Centre is launched

29/05/13

The Newcastle Centre is the first of a nationwide network developed with the British Library to extend the service delivered by our Business & IP Centre.

The Business & IP Centre Newcastle, based at the City Library, will offer local entrepreneurs and small businesses free access to business and intellectual property databases and publications, advice on funding and start-up, market research, company data and information on patents, trade marks, design and copyright.

Newcastle created the first Business & IP Centre outside London as a pilot in 2011 and has now secured over £1.3m to provide a full-scale operational service to businesses, with grants from the European Regional Development Fund and the Department of Communities and Local Government with Arts Council England.

Isabel Oswell, Head of Business & Research Audiences at the British Library, says: “Our vision is to create an established network of Business & IP Centres across the UK by 2020, with the first wave of Centres in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield complete by 2014 and working together to share services and spearhead business growth in their local areas.

We’re thrilled to celebrate the Business & IP Centre Newcastle’s transformation into a fully fledged Centre as the first major step towards achieving this goal and unlocking the potential of British entrepreneurs.”