Local entrepreneurs and small business owners will soon be able to make use of a new Business and IP (Intellectual Property) Centre at Goole Library.
The centre is one of three to open in libraries across the East Riding of Yorkshire after £13 million in Government funding was pledged to increase The British Library’s highly successful nationwide network of library-based BIPCs from 14 to more than 100. The other two BIPCs in East Yorkshire are at Beverley Library and Bridlington Central Library.
For the past nine months, the East Riding Libraries team has been busy preparing the centres, which offer free access to millions of pounds’ worth of business and intellectual property information, as well as providing business events, workshops, one-to-one expertise and the space to research, develop and grow in a trusted and accepting space.
The new centres in libraries offer support for the very first steps in business planning and research, and will work hand-in-hand with the long-established East Riding Business Support Team, who offer expert business advice for more established ideas.
Business and IP Centres can open up the path to entrepreneurship for anyone with a business idea, regardless of their background. More than half of those who use a BIPC to set up a business are women and a third are from under-represented ethnic backgrounds. The BIPC network has a strong track record of supporting local economies and, in 2019, an independent economic evaluation showed that it was creating £6.95 of public value for every £1 invested.
A free launch event will take place at Beverley Library from 3pm to 5pm on Thursday, 2 December and everyone is welcome to drop, even if they have children with them. The team will be on hand to give quick and informal demonstrations of the databases, and there’ll be refreshments, nibbles and goody bags.
Councillor Mike Medini, East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s portfolio holder for cultural and leisure assets, said : “The launch of these Business and IP Centres in East Riding Libraries is a huge step forward, and could open the door to all kinds of new businesses and new ideas in the East Riding. I hope that lots of people will come along to the launch event and make the most of this new facility.”
Councillor Jane Evison, the council’s portfolio holder for economic growth and tourism, added: “These new Business and IP Centres in our libraries will make a real difference to entrepreneurs and small businesses in the East Riding, and could be a real game-changer. I wish the new centres every success, and look forward to hearing about some very positive outcomes very soon.”
To register to attend the free launch event in Beverley, visit www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bipc-humber-partnership-east-riding-libraries-launch-event-tickets-211599117657