Manchester’s tech businesses now have the support necessary to “innovate and succeed”.
That is the view of Ian MacArthur, head of Business Growth Hub’s ‘sectors programme’.
Business Growth Hub has announced partnerships with Creative England and The Landing to offer more support for SMEs in the Greater Manchester region.
It will help businesses develop products and gain access to new supply chains and markets, backed by the European Regional Development Fund.
“With the rapid acceleration of the digital, creative and technology industries in today’s marketplace and the abundance of creative talent in Greater Manchester, the need for a comprehensive support structure to drive innovation is more important than ever,” said MacArthur.
“These partnerships offer an extraordinary wealth of knowledge and experience, giving businesses the platform to innovate and succeed in this vibrant sector.
“It is an exciting time to be a part of the digital, creative, and tech space and I look forward to seeing what businesses in Greater Manchester can achieve with the extensive support they now have available to them.”
MediaCityUK hub The Landing, run by Jon Corner, will hold a series of one- and two-day workshops for firms.
Kaye Elliott, Creative England’s deputy director of regional partnerships, said of its ProConnect scheme: “The region is a major creative hub, with these industries generating £3billion for the economy every year.
“With so much activity it’s vital we support the next generation of digital and creative companies to grow.”
However a BusinessCloud roundtable found Manchester faces a great challenge to convince wealthy investors to fund local tech businesses and not those overseas.