User:Doncrossfield/sandbox

Introduction
The Big Innovation Centre is a British not-for-profit open innovation hub. The centre convenes a network of representative global companies in every sector, plus national public agencies and some of the best universities. Their aim is to help re-balance and grow national and regional economies. The company is chaired by Will Hutton, prior chairman of The Work Foundation and current principal of Hertford College, Oxford. Professor Birgitte Andersen is the current CEO and co-director of the company.

History
Big Innovation Centre was developed as an initiative through The Work Foundation under Lancaster University in September 2011. In December 2011, Rt Hon David Willets, MP, launched the Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth at Big Innovation Centre. In September 2013, 'Collaborate to Innovate' was cited in the Witty Review

In August 2014, the Big Innovation Centre transferred their office from Lancaster University to settle in Westminster, London, the United Kingdom and officially became an independent company.

September 2011 – Official launch of Big Innovation Centre by Rt Hon Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. (The Big Innovation Centre was an initiative of The Work Foundation which is governed by Lancaster University. In August 2014 the Big Innovation Centre became a fully independent company, and in March 2015 celebrated its co-creation platforms at its Scale-Up Party.)

October 2011 – Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister of State for Innovation, launches the ‘Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth’.

October 2012 – International meeting of 100 world leaders in technology and innovation on ‘What does success look like for innovation and technology centres?’

December 2012 – Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, launches the Government’s IP strategy ‘Securing Growth through Intellectual Property.

October 2012 – Diagnostic Tools showcased with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to support the ‘Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth’.

January 2013 – Launch of the report ‘Catapult to Success: Be Ambitious, Bold and Enterprising; Learning from European technology and innovation centres’ in the House of Lords.

January 2013 – The Big Innovation Centre Director is appointed Rapporteur for the EU Expert group on Knowledge Transfer and Open Innovation, set up by DG Research and Innovation of the European Commission under the Capacities work programme 2012.

February 2013 – Featured on the Intellectual Property Office’s website for BIC’s input to the Government initiative on ‘Digital Copyright Exchange’

March 2013 – Launch of the Innovator’s Column in the Guardian.

March 2013 – Featured on HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council for England) website for BIC’s input to HEFCE consultation into open access requirements for the post-2014 REF (Research Excellence Framework).

Spring 2013 – The Government’s Data Strategy Board invites Big Innovation Centre to participate in Big Data round tables.

March 2013 – Big Innovation Centre researchers acknowledged in major government report ‘No stone unturned: in pursuit of growth’

April 2013 – Global Big Data Week across 16 countries – Big Innovation Centre organizes live streamed debate on ‘Big Data: A lot to explore but little to share’

May 2013 - Hackday with Camden Council organized by Big Innovation Centre with Google, EDF Energy, GSK, Barclays, and invited SMEs, academics and data analysts

June 2013 – Selected by 10 Downing Street and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to be among the organizations showcased for the G8 delegation. Our vision for 2025 is shown in a co-created film ‘Fastforward 2025’ alongside ted-style talks from our partners.

December 2013 – ‘Fastforward 2025’ film presented at the Commonwealth Nations (90 FCO people based in 28 countries and 47 cities around the world) alongside a panel debate with our partners.

June 2013 – Hosts EU conference on Future Emerging Technologies 2020: A cycle of three conferences to shape Europe’s pathway for radically new technologies

July 2013 – Co-hosts with UCL and Birkbeck College the XI Triple Helix International Conference 2013 London: ‘Bringing businesses, universities and governments together to co-innovate and solve economic, social and technological challenges: The Triple Helix in a context of global change: continuing, mutating or unravelling?’

September 2013 – Cited in the Witty Review ‘Universities and growth’

November 2013 – Launch of ‘Collaborate to Innovate: How business can work with universities to generate knowledge and drive innovation’

June 2014 – Andrew Griffiths, Managing Director of Samsung Electronics UK launches the report ‘Towards a Smart Society’ at the Shard.

May 2014 – Hosts showcase of public data sources at Global Big Data Week across more than 30 cities across the world

August 2014 – De-merges from The Work Foundation

August 2014 – Moves from the Asticus Building on Palmer Street to Ergon House to be located in temporary office space.

October 2014 – Big Innovation Centre hub space in Ergon House ready for use and fully completed in March 2015.

November 2014 – The Entrepreneurial Finance Hub of the Big Innovation Centre is cited in The Scale-Up Report on UK Economic Growth.

November 2014 – Cited in the Hauser ‘Review of the Catapult network: recommendations on the future shape, scope and ambition of the programme’

November 2014 – Joins the Ninth Japan UK Joint Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation.

December 2014 – Cited in the ‘Government’s plan for Growth: Science and Innovation’

December 2014 – Hosts the UK Digital Summit on Policy and Business for Smart Society with IP Minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe.

March 2015 – Publication of the report ‘Technology and Innovation Centres contributing to Europe 2020: How to generate value by strategically engaging in EU activities’

March 2015 – Scale-Up Party with innovative companies and organizations, thought leaders and 'what works' open innovators

March 2015 – Inaugural Thought Leadership meeting to discuss disruptive technologies transforming the future

Operations
The Big Innovation Centre focuses on the idea of an ‘innovation ecosystem’. This is the view that different actors and institutions, such as universities, financial systems and government, cannot be viewed in isolation, and that interactions between them are especially important and need to be improved.

The organisation themes its core research around different elements of this ‘ecosystem’. Its expertise themes are:


 * Markets, places and networks


 * Finance


 * Universities


 * Organisations and business models


 * Skills


 * The enterprising state

Another central concept to the Big Innovation Centre’s work is ‘open innovation’, the idea that sharing knowledge is a better way of creating value than protection.

Corporate Affairs
The Big Innovation Centre is composed of several boards including high profile members. The boards are as follows

Steering Group

Governing Board

Research Board

Partners
The Big Innovation Centre is sponsored by and works with a diverse range of companies, public bodies, private trusts, as well as a consortium of universities.

Allianz

Barclays

BT

Danish Business Authority

Design Council

EDF

Experian

Guardian Media Group

Google

GlaxoSmithKline

Imperial College London

Innovate UK

Intellectual Property Office

Juniper Networks

Lancaster University

Science and Technology Facilities Council

The Scottish Government

The Senator Group

Unilever

University of Bristol

University of Cambridge

University of Oxford