Pictured above: Dr David Hardman

The Government's Localism agenda and the ideas tabled in the White Paper 'Local Growth: Realising Every Place's Potential' need to translate into initiatives that will avoid fragmentation, duplication and spatial inequalities across the UK's network of business start-up incubation centres, which are primarily focused in science parks. 

Dr David Hardman, chief executive officer of Birmingham Science Park Aston believes that the concept of creating a proposed national network of 'Growth Hubs' should be created by linking up the UK's key science parks. This would be an effective and efficient way of working to nurture new business start-ups and would work across Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) boundaries.

David Hardman comments: "The Localism agenda is not a positive step forward for science parks. There is an ever increasing need for science parks to operate on a truly global scale, while the transition in the UK from RDA 'ponds' to LEP 'puddles' actually works against this essential natural progression to global - rather than local - thinking. The digital economy is a vital tool to leverage growth across the globe by connecting geographic locations and needs to be more effectively harnessed. 

"In January 2011, Birmingham Science Park Aston will become the UK's first 'science park without walls'. State of the art Cisco video conferencing equipment, and broadband connectivity as powerful as anywhere in the UK, will enable start-up businesses to communicate with leading innovators, academics and investors from across the world as if they are sitting in the same room. 

"While this technology is popular in the boardrooms of some large international corporates, the prohibitively expensive cost puts it out of the reach of start-up entrepreneurs. We are working with partners such as Cisco and Tata Communications to overcome the cost barrier and make this technology accessible to start-ups, as we believe it is an essential tool for exploring funding streams and sharing best practice.

"While international cultures cannot easily be transplanted, ideas and strategies from one part of the world can stimulate - and even finance - innovations elsewhere. It is crucial to the next generation of successful new hi-tech businesses that science parks drive borderless rather than purely local innovation. Capitalising on the potential of our 'science park without walls' initiative, Birmingham Science Park Aston is perfectly placed to be at the forefront of the Government's network of 'Growth Hubs'.

David Hardman continued: "Science parks worldwide have proven to be a driving force for accelerating entry of products and services into the market. They are often at the heart of technopoles; structures founded on people in a social environment that promote enterprise. 

"RDAs compartmentalised the UK innovation 'lake' into 'ponds' and now the new boundaries of the Local Enterprise Partnerships will create 'puddles'. This will not assist the UK's science park movement to work together and drive the economy out of recession. While only 3.4 per cent of Whitehall's total budget is spent on business growth, even Cameron himself acknowledged in a recent speech that just six per cent of UK businesses are high-growth, but they generated over half of the net employment growth between 2005 and 2008. 

"Science parks already have the infrastructure, expertise and specialist support networks to nurture start-ups - particularly hi-tech start-ups - which have the potential to become high growth companies and diversify the economy. Rather than limiting access to resources, science parks need to be given special consideration outside of the small geographies of the proposed LEPs structure, where in the instance of the West Midlands, six LEPs are being proposed to replace Advantage West Midlands." 

The Technology Strategy Board's own strategy, defined in 2008, identified the need to 'simplify and streamline' innovation support mechanisms. Similarly, the previous Government's Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills - which was created in 2007 - presented a White Paper to Parliament in 2008 titled 'Innovation Nation'. The report suggested 'Innovation often does not obey artificial administrative boundaries' and proposed that the 'challenge is to create a framework at national and regional levels where activities to support innovation are focussed in co-operation between the different actors involved, who are responsive to different places and spatial levels and work across administrative boundaries.'

Lord Sainsbury's review of Government Science and Innovation policies, titled 'The Race to the Top', which was also published in 2008, then tasked the RDAs with leading economic development by promoting a regional dimension to the national economic performance. 

David Hardman concludes: "Science parks are much more than real estate developments. They create and harness innovation-based communities where proximity breeds success. By utilising modern communication technologies, these communities must extend beyond the walls of the parks and geographical boundaries. Science parks are already vital hubs promoting growth, but much more needs to be done to link the UK's network of science parks and incubation centres and prevent Localism from affecting the opportunities for interaction on a national and international stage."