The Economic Development Committee announced today that it no longer believed that a States-run facility was the best way to foster innovation and digital development.
The Greenhouse receives a £450,000 annual States grant and has operated from rented space in Market Street since it was established in 2016.
Economic Development is inviting people to come forward to deliver commercial innovation incubator initiatives, which could include some or all of the Greenhouse’s current services. And it may support some of those with a grant.
‘We strongly believe the private and voluntary sectors are now better placed than the States to lead and facilitate innovation development initiatives, and we want to find the right guardians to push this forward,’ said Deputy Marc Laine, vice-president of Economic Development.
‘We believe innovation development is now best served by an operator or operators that can act with the agility and commercial insight that a private or community-led body brings.
‘Supporting innovation, technology adoption and upskilling remains a key priority for the committee, and it is essential to Guernsey’s economic and sustainable growth, especially in this fast-moving digital age.
‘The Digital Greenhouse provides an excellent mix of services from supporting start-ups and entrepreneurs, and linking mentors and investors with new businesses, to providing a working space for those wanting to get their new initiatives off the ground.
‘Our view is that the States has a role in supporting some of these through the island’s policies and through targeted grant-funding, but in other areas we should get out of the way and let the private sector do what it does best.
‘We are going into the expressions of interest process with an open mind because we want to allow innovative proposals to come forward. The committee and the Innovate Guernsey Board have been engaging with industry and innovation leaders throughout this term and that gives us confidence that there will be interest from the community in taking this forward.’
Last month, the Guernsey Press reported that the States had been looking to pay a near-six-figure salary for a new director at the Digital Greenhouse while at the same time reviewing whether it would even keep the entrepreneurship hub open.
The Digital Greenhouse claims to bring together individuals, communities, and industry to drive innovation and entrepreneurship, supporting the growth of Guernsey’s economy with a focus on the digital and creative sectors and running several enterprise programmes.
It describes itself on its website as ‘a thriving ecosystem – a home for entrepreneurship and innovation on island’ and it has been known to have spawned some start-up successes.
It said it hosted more than a thousand people a year at events and worked with more than 250 entrepreneurs every year, though some of them were just renting a desk to work remotely.
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