Project Overview
Starting in 2017, BDC was a £2.2M three-years project funded by partners and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). It was a partnership with Birmingham City Council (the overall project lead) and Aston University, You Smart Thing, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), Innovation Birmingham, and West Midlands Combined Authority.
It aimed to support local businesses in developing new data driven products and services, creating new jobs and promoting economic growth. The project was successful at providing assistance to 125 SMEs, offering a total of 1500 hours of business support. In addition, the BDC completed 38 collaborative projects, resulting in the delivery of 23 new products to market, 37 new products to firms, and the creation of 56 new jobs.
Project Aims
The project provided support to SMEs (Small and Medium sized Enterprises) through initial diagnostic and assessments to improve business operations. It also helped collaboration with businesses, research institutions and other stakeholders, enabling the transfer of knowledge and expertise to develop innovative products and services. The BDC project provided support to new businesses, including mentoring, training, and financial assistance, with a focus on creating new job opportunities in the local economy.
Project Impacts
The project was successful at providing assistance to 125 SMEs, offering a total of 1500 hours of business support. In addition, the BDC completed 38 collaborative projects, resulting in the delivery of 23 new products to market, 37 new products to firms, and the creation of 56 new jobs.
Project Team
Professor Abdel-Rahman Tawil led the project for BCU. The team included Prof Hanifa Shah (Pro Vice-Chancellor & Executive Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment) and Dr Umar Daraz (Research, Innovation, Enterprise, Employability).
To find out more about the project, contact Prof. Abdel-Rahman Tawil Abdel-Rahman.Tawil@bcu.ac.uk