§ Mrs. RocheTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what research his Department is carrying out into the relationship between business links and business incubators; and when he plans to publish the findings. [27006]
§ Mr. PageBusiness incubators can be a valuable method of providing intensive support to small companies with growth potential, perhaps most obviously for high-technology companies working in related product areas. My Department is aware of a number of different business incubator projects and is also represented on the enterprise panel set up to determine whether practical steps can be taken to encourage further development of the incubator movement in the UK. We understand that the panel is due to launch its report in July.
We would fully expect business incubator projects to have close relationships with their local business links. There is, however, no specific research being undertaken on the relationship between business links and business incubators.