A Gentle Persuasion to Collaborate ” Organizing and Building the Cambridge NetworkThe Cambridge Network is a limited liability company that was jointly founded early in 1998 by 3i, Amadeus, Analysys, Arthur Andersen, N.W. Brown, and the University of Cambridge. All of them are shareholders and each takes a seat on the company's board. Professor Sir Alec Broers is its chairman. In March 2001, Dr. Peter Hewkin was appointed the Cambridge Network's CEO. The network's focus is to encourage the exploitation of ideas and the birth of new ventures . Among others, it was the driving factor in the establishment of the University of Cambridge Entrepreneurship Centre, and has actively promoted the "Technologies of Tomorrow" campaign, which is designed to promote technology teaching at an early stage in the educational system. The most important tool enabling the Cambridge Network to carry out this mission is its Web site at www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk, which gives general listings as well as detailed information about the activities of its members (company profile, products and services, news, job vacancies). In addition to this publicly available information, network members have access to special intranet pages, where they can exchange business advice on technology transfer. Network members are also encouraged to make suggestions to the management board in order to improve the effectiveness of the network. Via the Cambridge University Research Division, which acts as a transfer body within the Cambridge Network seeking to connect university research with outside businesses, a database covering collaborative research programs with industry and consultancies, the licensing of intellectual property, and the ongoing formation of start-up companies is provided. Dr. David Cleevely, the managing director and founder of the consultancy Analysys, [10] is a leading authority on the digital economy who has worked with governments at a national and supranational level to create policy frameworks encouraging innovation and growth. He has advised the U.K. government on its "ecommerce@its.best.uk" report, and, most recently, contributed to government thinking on convergence and the Internet. Dr. Cleevely was also a key figure behind the development of the Cambridge Network. His explanation of the beginnings of the Network once again portray the Cambridge culture: The initial motivation for the local hero entrepreneurs who conceived and initially set up the network, was to give something back to their community by building a platform for business based on open standards.
Adding new dimensions of entrepreneurship to Cambridge's existing innovation culture has necessitated an environment built around personal initiative and trust as opposed to third-party direction and bureaucracy. Structures that enable collaboration while respecting the individualistic character of Cambridge's scientists have been built. Once again, strong personal leadership, role models, and international success stories have proven fundamental to the successful development of entrepreneurship throughout the region. Whereas the Bavarian government plays an important role supporting entrepreneurship in Munich, the Cambridge environment rejects government intervention almost entirely. Next we explore why Cambridge entrepreneurs are so skeptical of government aid, and which role they believe the government should play. |