"Technology scouts from the world's best companies continue to see Cambridge as a place at the forefront of UK technology innovation," says Louise Rushworth, Corporate Gateway Manager. "Many Corporate Gateway delegates come back more than once because they see the value of one-to-one 'speed dating' meetings with potential Cambridge technology partners."
The Corporate Gateway, which this year takes place on March 22-23 to coincide with Cambridge Awards Week, is a two-day event that offers delegates an individually crafted programme of meetings with leading University of Cambridge researchers and new technology companies. Incoming delegates outline their areas of interest and Cambridge Network sets up meetings with relevant people.
Recent Corporate Gateway introductions have resulted in a number of collaborations including:
- A small company working with a multinational on a FP7 research programme
- A Cambridge consultancy winning a technology development project for a major manufacturer
- A major healthcare organisation joining Cambridge Network in order to expand its opportunities for networking and innovation in the Cambridge cluster
- A large corporate referring a smaller Cambridge company to a client organisation for collaboration on product development.
"We have also seen licensing deals, research awards and research funding as a result of Corporate Gateway events, " adds Louise.
"Visitors use the Cambridge Network directory to investigate potential partner organisations, so members are urged to make sure their directory entries are up to date and showcase their latest developments."
The Corporate Gateway has been running successfully for more than eight years and has attracted a long list of world-class companies seeking innovation and competitive advantage. Past delegates have included representatives from Boots Centre for Innovation, Dow, ELK Corporation, Ericsson, Finmeccanica, Infosys, Itochu, Merck, Pepsico, Philips Research, Philips Corporate Technologies, Procter & Gamble, Reckitt Benckiser, Rusnano, Samsung, Shell, Solvay, SSL, Unilever and World Energy.
More information: www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/corporategateway
Cambridge Awards Week is a major initiative to raise the profile of Cambridgeshire businesses and promote the area as a great place to work and do business. A key part of Cambridge Awards Week, which takes place from 19th-23rd March 2012, are two major annual business awards evenings, the Cambridge News Business Excellence Awards and Business Weekly Business Awards.
More information: http://www.cambridgeawardsweek.co.uk/home.aspx