W h at is a
S ca l e U p b usi n e ss ?
S c i e n c e P a r ks p l ay a h u g e ly
i m po r ta n t r o l e . T h e y a r e a v i ta l
s e e d b e d f o r n e w i d e as , n e w
t e c h n o l o g y a n d n e w co m pa n i e s
The OECD defines a
scaleup business as an
enterprise with average
annualised growth greater
than 20% per year taken
over a three-year period
THE BARRIERS TO
SCALING UP
What is the ScaleUp Institute?
We are undertaking research, thought
leadership and targeted projects with
partners, and we are sharing our
methodology and ideas to create
resources that will help aspiring
scaleup businesses. We are keeping
scaleups and their issues at the top
of the UK political and business
agenda. The single most important
opportunity we have as a nation is
to use our data sources more
effectively and efficiently to
identify these businesses at the
earliest opportunity so that we can
put them on the map, celebrate and
promote their successes, and lean in
to break down the barriers faced.
In the 2014 report we identified six
key challenges that scaling businesses
face. These remain as valid today as
they did then, and we need everyone
across our private and public sectors
to focus on what they can do to
address each of these barriers.
With the support of the Goldman
Sachs Foundation and 10,000 Small
Businesses UK and Innovate UK,
we have delivered an innovative
executive education programme
with Professor Daniel Isenberg
of Babson College, to help drive
local economic growth through
building supportive scaleup
ecosystems. The result has been
the creation of focussed local
programmes and peer-to-peer
networks specifically aimed at
scaleup businesses, which we
will be monitoring and working
with in coming years.
How can Science Parks help?
Science Parks play a hugely important
role. They are a vital seedbed for
new ideas, new technology and new
companies. More than that, they are
nurturers, connectors and convenors
for scaleups. We are already seeing
Manchester and other science parks
setting up space and programmes
where innovative businesses can
grow in confidence and capability,
scaling to sustainable business.
Building on some of the
developments since our 2016 Driving
Economic Growth course – hosted by
Manchester Science Park – we think it
cou ld be extremely beneficial to create
a network of scaleup navigators (as
per the Scottish account manager and
private sector models), embedded into
the LEP-Growth Hubs and product
specialisations (e.g. DIT, Innovate
UK). This would operate in the same
manner as private sector business
relationship models and would make
it easier for time-pressed leadership
teams from fast growing firms to
navigate their local ecosystem. ■
1
Allowing scaleups to
access the talent and
skills needed to improve
internal resources at
the right time and as
efficiently as possible
2
Building leadership
capability – through
supportive peer-to-peer
mentoring networks
and access to effective
executive leadership
programmes
3
Further Reading is available via
scaleupinstitute.org.uk/research-policy
[1] The Scale-up Report on UK
Economic Growth, 2014, Sherry Coutu
CBE [2] Scale-Up Survey, 2015, YouGov
[3] Scaling Together, Overcoming
Barriers in Corporate-Startup
Collaboration, March 2016, ScaleUp
Institute and Nesta [4] SME Finance
Monitor: The Scaleup Perspective, July
2017, The ScaleUp Institute
Re a d o n l i n e at: u k s pa . o rg . u k / b r e a k t h r o ug h
Navigating flexible and
affordable infrastructure,
notably space, and
accessing customers in
new markets at home
and abroad
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