|2nd Round Approved DPs|

ICONS DP

Objectives
In 5 projects the ICONS DP will undertake research and review to establish benchmarks at a national and international level and then pilot a range of interventions to help remove the barriers to business creation for target groups of  Black and Ethnic Minority ( BME), Refugee and excluded individuals in different sectors. These activities will incorporate the main national agency ( Scottish Enterprise) and a range of local and community partnersin order to empower and progress Equal Opportunities. A sectoral focus on the Creative Industies will be a significant part of this Partnership together with the development of creative techniques to enhance business creation in Rural areas and across second generation BMEs.

Target Groups
Balck and Ethnic Minority (BME), refugees and excluded individuals

Pilot Projects and Mainstreaming Outcomes 

Business Gateway Glasgow - Integration Through Enterprise Project
Integration Through Enterprise (ITE) is a pilot project assisting refugee and migrant entrepreneurs in Greater Glasgow to develop and launch new businesses.  ITE is a two-year pilot project run as a partnership between Napier University and Business Gateway Glasgow. The project is supported by the ESF Equal Community initiative. The project has worked with over 120 beneficiaries and generated 12 new businesses.

The ITE project interventions:

• Face to face interview with 83 refugee entrepreneurs
• Survey questionnaire completed / Sirius tool
• Training course
• Tool kit refugee entrepreneurs
• Extensive Business support and after care services
• Access to resources including to start up finance

The Intergration through Enterprise pilot has now achieved sustainability by becoming a part of teh mainstream service provision of the Business Gateway. The project has also inspired a new initiative, knows as the 'Migrant Entrepreneurship Programme', the feasibility of which is currently being examinde. The project is also mentioned in the Scottish Governemnt Annual Equal Opportunities Report 2006 and 2007, as a good practice example.

The Moffat Centre’ - Glasgow Caledonian University - Icons Branding Project
The ‘Icons Branding’ project brings together a partnership representing ‘The Moffat Centre’ – Lead Partner (Glasgow Caledonian University), South Lanarkshire Council, East Lothian Council and Napier University. The project will target new businesses within rural South Lanarkshire and East Lothian and develop cultural tourism to enhance regional GDP and new business activity. The project will assess whether and how local and national iconic features can be identified, valued and adapted effectively to support new business development.

Outcomes

• Development of a methodology for the potential use of  regional icons in the business development process
• A successful pilot study of this methodology in business development amongst 8 individual beneficiaries.
• Some 80 small businesses partnered alongside local iconic heritage attractions on www.visitclydevalley.com
• ICT and World Wide Web training/orientation for 8 businesses.
• A sustainable business network
• A transferable learning journey model that unites small local tourism businesses in their marketing objectives and resource sharing (such as customer data)  
• A workshop undertaken in East Lothian to raise awareness of Icons Branding amongst local small tourism businesses. 

Strategic significance
This research based project has potential significance for Scotland and the wider European Community in working to develop a technique to stimulate business creation in areas of disadvantage.
Icons Branding has been adopted in 2 Spanish regions; Valladolid and Asturias. Of particular benefit to these areas has been the Learning Journey model and the methodology for identifying regional icons.
Icons Branding has lead to the commissioning (by South Lanarkshire Council) of a spin off project that looked at visitor dispersal strategies in South Lanarkshire.
The web page created from Icons Branding (www.visitclydevalley.com) is a market focussed innovative media for South Lanarkshire’s small tourism businesses to use in promoting this region over the next 24 months.  

• To identify the barriers to take up of business support by the target groups
• To identify the gaps in existing business support provision for those wishing to start up in screen business
• To construct a package of business support which bridges the gaps in existing support provision and supports screen business entrepreneurs to develop business skills, market awareness and ultimately themselves and their business idea.

Screen Futures/Screen Academy Scotland Alumni project – It is proposed that an adaptation of the Screen Futures mentoring and support programme be developed to support alumni of the Screen Academy Scotland on an ongoing basis. As part of Screen Futures mainstreaming we are currently planning networking activities, newsletters and web updates to support this. Knowledge Transfer in Creative Industries - As part of Napier University’s strategy to develop Research and Knowledge Transfer activities discussions have taken place exploring the possibility of supporting graduates from Napier University’s School of Creative Industries in commercialising Intellectual Property generated during the duration of their courses. The model that has been discussed is similar to the Screen Futures programme - ie a year-long programme of mentoring, networking and support devised to assist graduates in developing a business plan and commercial model through which they can sustain themselves and maximise a return on their IP.

This support could be extended to 2 – 3 particularly promising students taken from across the Napier University’s School of Creative Industries and the Screen Academy. There is a possibility that funding might be available through Scottish Enterprise though an assessment of student/institutional/market desire for the project is yet to be undertaken.  Further discussions are planned.

Heer Production - Creative Interactions Project
The Creative Interactions project aims to assist people from minority ethnic communities to start-up and enterprise in the creative industries in Glasgow. The project has used the Pakistani Film & Media Festival as a mechanism to attract and engage with potential creative entrepreneurs. Beneficiaries have received business counselling and advice sessions, sign-posting as well as workshops and master classes.

Adam Smith College - Creative Business Project
The Creative Business project supports the creation and development of businesses in the creative industries sector and the creation / development of businesses in all sectors using a bespoke “creativity toolkit”, business and creative industries personnel as support.

The “Creative Business Centre” has been such a success that is will now be mainstreamed regionally. This will be done via an ERDF project “Fife Innovation in Regional Entrepreneurship”, a partnership containing Elmwood and Lauder College’s Fife Regional Council and Business Gateway. The project will be supported by the newly formed “Creative Fife” organisation (www.creativefife.co.uk), which adds over 140 regional SMEs.

The target groups will be expanded to include all students leaving full time education in the creative industries across the region.

The contact details of the Lead Partner are listed below:

Lead Partner:              Napier University
Person to Contact:       Pete Evans
Telephone:                  0131 455 6342
Email:                         p.evans@napier.ac.uk
Website:                     www.iconsdp.org