Project manager: Tim Ward
Tel ext: 3464
e-mail address: accomplice@bolton.ac.uk|
ACCOMPLICE is about helping small businesses in the North West to grow, finding innovative solutions to challenges by tapping into the creativity of the region’s young minds.
So far it has assisted over 100 businesses to:
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Solve genuine challenges and exploit opportunities
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Add value and create jobs
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Enhance commercial security.
ACCOMPLICE enables businesses to think about tomorrow, providing a free additional resource for innovation and creativity. It is ideal for SMEs who are too preoccupied with today to think about tomorrow.
ACCOMPLICE generates many ideas for new or improved products, processes or services that can be progressed to commercial reality. We use the ‘outside the box’ thinking and creative problem-solving talents of students from the region’s schools, colleges and the University.
Creative problem-solving sessions are supported by business consultants, postgraduates and academic staff to evolve ideas to fruition.
Partnerships are often forged between the businesses and the educational establishments, with mutual benefits in terms of future challenges and student experiences.
The cost to businesses is zero - funding comes from ERDF, schools’ DfES sources and University sources.
Intellectual Property agreements between SMEs and the ACCOMPLICE partnership allow all to benefit financially while developing tomorrow’s ideas, people and entrepreneurs.
Participants learn through experience how to:
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Understand a problem
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Identify and prioritise tasks and allocate resources
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Work as a team
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Conduct research
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Be creative
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Solve problems using systematic methods
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Identify a Unique Selling Point
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Communicate features and benefits
Partners: Alliance Learning Ltd., Horwich
Bolton-Bury Education-Business Partnership
The Brook Learning Partnership
Broughton Business & Enterprise College, Preston
Kirkbie Kendal Business & Enterprise College, Cumbria
Funder(s): European Regional Development Fund
Department for Education and Skills
Alliance Learning Ltd., Horwich
Learning & Skills Council
Link to project’s own webpage:
www.bolton.ac.uk/accomplice|