To open Innovation Centres. Innovation Centres will act as "bases" for inventors and innovators and they will CREATE many new ideas, focussing on known problems. The innovation centres will commercialise the best ideas and will also invite the local public to bring in their ideas and we will help them commercialise their ideas. The innovation centres will be free at the point of delivery but will negotiate an equity stake in each new business or IP it helps to launch. The return on the equity will fund the centres in future and fund growth- opening in areas where innovation is strong and entrepreneurialism is week. Current schemes require the inventor to find some of the finance to develop their ideas, this inhibits innovation!

The current situation regarding grants is good for those with money, but it excludes those who have good ideas but no money. I personally know of over 100 good commercial concepts that are not being developed because the inventor does not have access to funding. Especially in times of recession, inventors should NOT be asked to put their house up for financial security on a loan, this policy seriously inhibits innovation. It takes too long for the lone inventor or SME to develop their ideas, this is partly due to the search for basic initial funding. The innovation centre will provide the basic hands on help that inventors need to design their idea, make a proto type, learn business skills, market research, find their market etc. to become "investment ready".

Without even advertising we currently have approx' 80 new products and 25 new e commerce services ready to be processed and launched. We fully expect to create and launch 20 to 30 new businesses per centre per year. While some of these concepts would be created without the assistance of the innovation centre many would not be created in Europe- therefore losing the financial benefit to other areas of the world. Scotland is a very good exemple- with 9% of the UK population we generate 15% of the UK's intellectual property and Scotland is bottom of the business start-up league. This represents a huge loss of oportunity to Scotland. While this trend is seriously bad in Scotland it is also true throughout EU.

Scottish Enterprise have suggested that they may help us by providing some of the finance we require over our first three years- until we become self supporting. RBS may also help with some finance.

Many banks and VCs in Scotland and UK