Introduction

East Midlands Business Innovation Centre (EM-BIC) is a collaboration of specialist business centres throughout Nottinghamshire and North East Derbyshire.

The purpose of the EM-BIC network is to attract new innovative talent to the region as well as retaining our own.

EM-BIC centres provide a recognised quality standard of facilities and services to their innovative users, that is underpinned by the European B.I.C. accreditation.

What are B.I.C.s
The European Community Business and Innovation Centres (EC. B.I.C.s) – as they are officially known – are support organisations for entrepreneurs and innovative S.M.E.s. They are recognised by the European Commission through a quality certification scheme, which enables centres to obtain the European “EC BIC” label.

Who Are We
A network of specialist business centres in the East Midlands that were awarded the Business Innovation Centre (BIC) accreditation by the European Business and Innovation Network (E.B.N.).

Six centres were nominated for BIC accreditation as part of a project funded by the Alliance SSP, the Greater Nottingham Partnership and Nottinghamshire County Council.

A team of inspectors from Italy, Belgium and the U.K. visited the centres in September 07 and completed an evaluation report for consideration by the European Business Innovation Network (EBN).

Each centre was assessed against a raft of quality criteria set down by the European Commission.  The EBN membership assessment covers everything from staffing levels, expertise and management processes to support for businesses, training and funding links.

The result was confirmed by EBN and along with two fully accredited BICs at Tapton Park in Chesterfield and Nottinghamshire Enterprises in Edwinstowe, the East Midlands now has the largest concentration of BIC accredited centres in the country.