Patricia Hewitt, MP, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, will visit Bristol University's Incubator Centre today [Tuesday, November 4].

The University Incubator Centre is based in University Gate, Park Row, and is made up of two elements, a conventional incubator and the SETsquared Centre.

Patricia Hewitt will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from the University who are involved with enterprise and technology as well as small businesses that have benefited from the services available.

The Incubator offers high quality business accommodation to early stage growth companies, which benefit from a close association with the University.  While some of these companies are University spinout companies, most have been attracted to the Incubator by the close association with the University knowledge base.  These include everything from informal links and conversations with appropriate academics, through student projects, to participation in large-scale collaborative programmes such as 3C Research (the University Innovation Centre in communications, computing and content).

SETsquared provides support for knowledge-based entrepreneurs in Southern England - helping turn their innovative ideas into viable commercial business propositions.  It is aimed at people with high-tech, high-growth ideas in life science, engineering, ICT and similar sectors.

SETsquared is a joint initiative between the Universities of Bristol, Bath, Southampton and Surrey that aims to create a knowledge-based community in Southern England.