@Wales Digital Incubator Wins Major International Award

@Wales, a business innovation centre for digital companies has been awarded the “Best Science-Based Incubator 2009” award by international organisation Science Alliance at their annual conference in Stockholm, Sweden.

It is the first time a British innovation centre has won the award, with previous winners including First Flight Venture Center in North Carolina, USA, and the Incubator d’Impresa di Citta della Scienza in Italy.

Ieuan Wyn Jones, Minister for the Economy and Transport, said the award was an international recognition of the work being undertaken in Wales to support the growth of businesses in the digital sector.

“ @Wales is one of a number of highly specialist business incubation and innovation centres supported by the Welsh Assembly Government and it’s great news that it has not only been selected for such a prestigious award but that it is the first centre in Britain to gain this recognition.”

Peter Harman, Chief Executive of UK Business Incubation (UKBI), who accepted the award on behalf of @ Wales said: “It’s an honour to bring this award to Britain and Wales and shows that British business incubators rank with the best in the world”.

The award is not the first for @Wales which in 2005 and 2008 won an (American) National Business Incubation Association “Soft Landings” award for excellence in dealing with foreign companies opening offices in Wales.  In 2008, the then First Minister Rhodri Morgan presented @Wales with a plaque to mark the 500th job created by the @Wales team.

@Wales is also one of the 15 innovation centres who are involved in the Access Wales Programme.  Access Wales offers high-tech companies considering expansion the opportunity to test drive the Welsh market.  For more information on the Programme either click on the link above to visit our website or alternatively click here to read another article from the eNewsletter. 

For more information on @Wales visit http://www.atwales.com/