The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Library to offer support to power business growth in city
A wealth of new support is to officially go on offer to entrepreneurs looking to create or grow a business in Peterborough and the surrounding areas.
The new look Peterborough Business & IP Centre Local is to be unveiled at a ceremony tomorrow (April 1) at Peterborough Central Library on Broadway.
The service first opened in 2019 but has since had a rebrand and increased presence in the library as part of a national £13 million investment in business support services.
It will offer free one-to-one business support, more than £5 million worth of resources, and a programme of events.
The launch will coincide with an open day where aspiring or existing business owners can hear more about the support available.
A spokesperson for the service said: “We know that Peterborough is an incredibly vibrant community, so we very much welcome the support being offered.”
The BIPC National Network, which began in 2012, is a collaboration of libraries across the country and builds on existing library infrastructure and resources.
It supports people from all walks of life to start up, protect and grow their businesses by giving them access to vital market intelligence and intellectual property resources, training, one to one advice and mentoring in a safe and accessible space.
Research shows the BIPC Network creating £6.95 of public value for every £1 invested. Of the 12,000-plus businesses helped, 55 per cent were owned by women and 31 per cent by people from a black and Asian ethnic minority background.