This park's tailor-made for business

THE facilities at the new Glasgow Science Centre will be informative, exciting and fun - but they will also provide a huge number of opportunities for business.

Those planning the new project have come up with a number of highly imaginative ways in which corporate Scotland will be able to benefit from the new #75 million venture.

One way in which businesses will be able to use the centre is as a venue for a huge variety of corporate and promotional events, such as product launches, annual meetings, film shows, conference training and seminars.

The visually stunning, state-of-the-art buildings will provide an ideal backdrop for virtually every type of business function. Many areas of the Science Mall, for instance, will be available as tailor- made packages for corporate hire, with catering facilities providing an extra dimension.

Another way in which businesses can become involved with the centre is by taking out corporate membership. This will provide a range of benefits including access to special facilities, discounts on a range of areas, and a number of free tickets for clients and staff.

Arguably the most interesting and imaginative link between the new centre and the business community, however, will be achieved through its Business Motivation Programme, which is designed to help companies benefit from science and technology.

Alasdair McNicoll, the centre's Business Motivation Manager, said that the scheme was a unique one as far as science centres were concerned. "We obviously aren't involved in business development in the traditional sense, such as by providing financial grants or counselling services, but we are trying to complement agencies which do provide these services by getting businesses to embrace new technologies.

"This programme is about making science and technology more accessible to companies and raising their awareness of the commercial opportunities they present. We want to show how they can help to bring real competitive advantage."

The programme will be delivered though such mechanisms as training sessions and workshops. McNicoll is also keen to promote the centre for a range of other business-related events, such as awards ceremonies, and commercially based sessions allowing companies to see and discuss the application of new global technologies. There will also be an Innovation Showcase area in the complex, allowing inventors to display products.

"We really believe that the centre offers a mechanism for keeping Scotland at the leading edge of science and technology", he added. "We're not aware of any other science centre in the world which is trying to maximise its relationship with business as we are doing here."

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