BIPC Devon joins forces with British Library to roll-out small business support to Paignton and turbocharge the local economy
BIPC Devon, part of Libraries Unlimited, has launched a brand new Business & IP Centre for Torbay (BIPC) at Paignton Library, to offer free and accessible advice to support local business owners, entrepreneurs and inventors. This launch comes as the British Library has announced a major expansion of its highly successful network of library-based Business & IP Centres (BIPCs) to over 100 regional and local libraries across England.
Following last year’s pledge of £13million in Treasury funding towards the national expansion, BIPC Devon has been allocated funding to equip Paignton with a Business & IP Centre space, resources and services, building on the proven support already available at Exeter and Barnstaple libraries.
The BIPC network has a notably strong track record of supporting people from all walks of life to start, protect and grow a successful business. In just three years it has:
- Supported the creation of over 12,000 new businesses
- Led to the creation of over 7,800 new jobs
- Generated an extra £78million GVA to the UK economy
- Created businesses twice as likely to succeed beyond three years
Business & IP Centres can open up the path to entrepreneurship for anyone with a business idea, regardless of their background. Consistently, over two thirds of those who use BIPC Devon to set up or grow a business are women and, nationally, a third are from under-represented ethnic backgrounds. More than triple the national averages for business ownership in the UK, this diverse user base speaks to the accessibility and community-based ethos of this library-based support.
The new centre at Paignton Library is equipped with a core set of resources, such as up-to-date market research and business databases, provided by the British Library, and will be brought to life by a tailored and highly individual programme of events, workshops and one-to-ones, delivered in collaboration with local business leaders, role model entrepreneurs and community partners, such as Local Spark Torbay, Collaborate South West, and the regional NatWest Business Builder scheme.
This accessible support has been invaluable for small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. In a recent survey, 23% of all BIPC users said that the service had helped them gain confidence and resilience to steer their business through the challenges of the pandemic. Over 170 business owners have attended BIPC Devon events as part of Reset. Restart, an emergency online programme launched by the British Library and run locally by BIPC Devon and Libraries Unlimited last year to provide new skills and resilience to all SMEs during the Covid-19 pandemic.
BIPC Devon Manager, Richard Love, says: The investment by British Library through Libraries Unlimited in the opening of a new Business & Intellectual Property spoke in Torbay, adds a new dimension of business support to start-ups and pre Start-ups within the Bay. The new BIPC centre, based in Paignton Library, brings regular sessions with our IP Specialists, access to the largest collection of Business and Research Databases in the South West and great advice through workshops and 121s with various experts, all for free to the budding entrepreneurs of South Devon. To find out more or book a free session with our experts, please visit Paignton Library or go to our website, www.bipc.librariesunlimited.org.uk
To find out more about how BIPC Devon could help you build your business, contact us at:
Web: https://bipc.librariesunlimited.org.uk/
Facebook: @bipcdevon1
Twitter: @bipcdevon
Instagram: @bipcdevon
LinkedIn: @bipcdevon
Email: [email protected]
