University of Glamorgan GTi

Background & Context

GTi was established at a time a time when some of the creative activities and talent within Glamorgan and the Welsh Valleys was disappearing once graduates left so GTi started to help stem some of this flow and the service and operation evolved.

GTI's aim has always been to support student and graduate entrepreneurs to develop viable businesses in support of the Welsh (Valleys) economy.

What is it?

GTi is the University of Glamorgan's business incubation facility based off campus in the Valleys Innovation Centre. The building is on an expanding business park, Navigation Park in Abercynon, South Wales. The location provides a credible business address and facilities are designed to enable a new business to 'punch above its weight', concentrating on development and test trading, without the potential risks involved in making premature financial commitments for premises and equipment.

The space provides a professional working environment (on a hot desking basis) for early stage businesses, with a focus on timely and specialist support.

Over three hundred businesses have benefitted from this publicly-funded Project.

What happens in the space?

The University of Glamorgan's Business Incubator, GTi, provides a professional office environment and links to business support in Wales, as well as in-house seminars on business issues. GTi sees business incubation as a 'process', and 'not just premises'. The GTi community of businesses provides an encouraging and supportive environment. It also offers opportunities to find business services at reasonable cost.

GTi supports new businesses in all sectors, from digital media-based businesses to consultants, service providers and social enterprises. Pam Voisey, Business Incubation Manager, believes that this mix of experiences, skills and ideas helps to creatively stimulate the work within the environment.

GTi has recently (2010-11) moved across the Navigation Park at Abercynon and scaled down its physical space from larger premises (2000 sq ft) to smaller office space in Venture Wales. The new space consists of 3 offices.

The first office on the GTi corridor is ostensibly the Administration Office and contains the central services. Client businesses have the option of having either a post box or a pigeon hole for collection of post, messages, etc. Post boxes have a one off non-refundable deposit. There is no charge for pigeon holes. Photocopying, printing and faxing facilities are available. Printing and photocopying is charged for but individuals enter their use in a log book and invoices are circulated on a monthly basis.

All desks are available on a hot desking basis apart from one desk that has been assigned exclusively to Tim Long of TiGra Networks as he provides the (invaluable) IT support to GTi.

Grace Long offers some administrative support to GTi. She runs one of the client businesses - Live Assistant Business Solutions (LABS). Grace also coordinates the GTi Business Network a 'grass-roots initiative' aiming to create better networking opportunities within the Rhondda and across South Wales - it is free to join and meets on the third Thursday of each month.

Support available to client businesses

The link with Venture Wales means that clients sign up to participate in 6 modules including Marketing, Operations, Market Research and Financial Management.

Six hours of funded face to face support is also available in order to produce a business case - it is a structured process.

Alongside her other work at GTi, Pam offers 'attitudinal' support, this includes facilitating discussions, acting as a sounding board for ideas and issues, etc. Usually when someone has a business idea and wants to put into action it can mean that there is a lot of focus on themselves and what they're doing and how they're doing it. Pam supports individuals in switching the focus. She uses the expression 'Have you shopped at your own store' as a way of getting them to think things through and see things from a consumer/client perspective.

Pam also facilitates discussions on customer service, on recognising good and bad service and how to change things for the better with gentle and personal education. At GTi this is considered to be an essential component of the pre-incubation phase of a business.

Further details

GTI is part of Learning and Corporate Support Services - Information Systems (LCSS-IS).

Fax: 01443 482669

Post: GTi Centre, Valleys Innovation Centre, Navigation Park, Abercynon, CF45 4SN