Life has certainly got busier for Strathclyde Software Innovation Centre's Kevin Lonergan. Kevin was recently seconded from East Kilbride Business Centre to take over the reins as software business development executive at the centre and has been working hard to ensure the centre's new and established companies blossom.

Kevin said: "The centre's been very successful. To date, 21 software companies have come through our doors. At the moment, we have ten businesses located in our incubation units and things are going well.

"The centre was set up to provide IT innovators with the environment and support they need to get started. Situated at the Scottish Enterprise Technology Park in East Kilbride, the centre is run in parallel with the Entrepreneurship Programme, a course designed for innovative business people who want to start up their own company.

Kevin, who has a BSc in Technology & Business Studies and a Masters of Business Administration from Strathclyde University, has a lot of experience helping new businesses get started. He worked in the financial services sector for five years before six years working in the business development field.

He said: "I want to use my experience to help new and existing software companies prosper. I can give software entrepreneurs the help and advice they need to get started in the highly competitive IT industry.

"Software is the largest knowledge-based industry in the world and the phenomenal growth of this sector looks set to continue for the foreseeable future. The global market for software services was valued at £2 billion in 1996 and this presents a significant development opportunity for local companies. I want to see more local companies 'jump on the bandwagon' and succeed."

He continued: "The opportunities for developing a strong software industry in South Lanarkshire are endless. We've already got a skilled workforce on our doorstep, good transport links and an enterprise culture geared up to helping new business.

"The centre has already helped a number of highly successful IT companies get off the ground. Gael Quality recently moved from their offices at the centre to larger premises with Strathclyde Technology Park and Lexware International are also graduates of the centre.

Donald Maciver, managing director of Gael Quality, said: "Setting up in the Software Centre is a fairly low cost way of starting up your company. It allowed us to start up with a handful of people and then move into a larger workspace before we outgrew the centre.

"It's also good that the East Kilbride Business Centre is located in the same building, so there are plenty of people on hand to ask advice from. Another advantage of the centre is that there are other like-minded people just along the corridor from you. It means you have people on hand to talk to about any problems you are experiencing. That helps.

"Burt Miller, managing director of On-line Learning Ltd, said what attracted him to SSIC was its location. His company is currently housed in one of the centre's units and he's delighted with it.

He said: "East Kilbride has really good transport links, which is one of the things that attracted us to the centre. It's a smashing facility."

So, what can the Strathclyde Software Innovation Centre (SSIC) offer you? A prestigious business address, good quality accommodation and fully serviced, self-contained office suites are only some of the attractions. As are incubation units for start-up companies, a highly competitive rental charge, starting at around £60 per week and membership of the SOFTNET network of Software Centres. The centre also gives its users access to established businesses, fully staffed reception facilities and on-the-spot management support, and access to a number of facilities on site.

Managed by a partnership of South Lanarkshire Council, Lanarkshire Development Agency and Scottish Enterprise, the centre also gives valuable backup to the growing business. This includes continuing advice on the development and management of your business, advice on sources of public and private sector funding for software companies and automatic membership of SOFTNET among many.

Information:
Kevin Lonergan
Strathclyde Software Innovation Centre
Scottish Enterprise Technology Park
James Watt Building
East Kilbride G75 0QD.
Telephone: 01355 238456
Fax: 01355 260300
e-mail: ssic@sled.org.uk
website: www.ssic.org.uk

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