Investigating in Englands northwest

2011 will hopefully be a time of moving forward, and maintaining the focus on low-carbon activities. Although times have not been easy for many companies across a range of sectors, it is vital that we don’t ease up on the drive to reduce emissions. It is a marathon, rather than a sprint, certainly, but if we slow down on the first lap we will never win.

Certainly – if we keep at it. There are short-term wins as well as the longer –term activities, and we need to maintain the momentum on all fronts. Growth may not be spectacular for the next year or two, but the trend can certainly remain in the right direction.

I believe they will, as it look increasingly like a win/win approach to be low-carbon. The current Electricity Market Review is consulting on a range of proposals designed to incentivise the generation of low-carbon as opposed to high-carbon energy, and that will help to ensure that clean solutions do not carry a cost penalty.

Also – don’t forget that the cleanest unit of energy of all is the one you don’t need to use. So there will always be a strong incentive to invest in energy saving measures and more energy-efficient plants and processes.

The clean energy market is certainly not just a place for the “big players”. Whether it be renewable technologies, micro-generation, energy efficiency or large scale projects such as new nuclear power stations, there are long supply chains in all sectors and a huge amount of scope for the North West to capitalise on its strong manufacturing and technology base in the energy sector.

It will be a year of change, some good some bad. On the one hand the effects in reductions in public spending will have a negative impact on some creative businesses, particularly the agencies. Also the continuing pace of change in the market will mean businesses will need to respond and adapt and there will be casualties. On the other hand, more positively, the BBC’s final arrival at MediaCity will mark the beginning of real opportunities for growth in the sector.

Yes and yes. Growth will come from two areas: Obviously the BBC will have a significant direct impact in terms of employment and I believe that other large players will follow suit over the next five years and invest in the region. Secondly, I think there will be increasing opportunities for entrepreneurial creative businesses to take advantage of this investment.

Yes, investment in innovation and development is critical to the success of businesses in this sector, although obviously this is difficult for smaller companies. This is why many of our initiatives are focused on connecting creativity with the cash needed to develop and grow.

This is often a difficult and dangerous portion of the market – lacking the financial resilience of the larger players but not as agile as the smaller ones… They need to beware and make smart decisions.

Every industry would like special tax measures to stimulate their markets, and it was indeed disappointing that the government decided not to extend the film tax break to games. We are arguing that government investment should be targeted at supporting small growing businesses in three key areas:

• Stimulating innovation and supporting them getting their product/services to market
• Getting the necessary cash needed for growth
• Helping businesses get access to the best skills and talent

Universities and other FSE’s are increasingly understanding the need to get closer to industry and vice versa – We see this as important area for organisations like ours to play a useful role.