5G Project

Project description

The 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC) at the University of Surrey in Guildford is the world’s first centre dedicated to the development of advanced technologies that could go on to underpin the 5G networks of the future and give Britain global leadership in mobile technologies. In total Enterprise M3 is investing £5 million into the Centre aimed at helping SMEs benefit from the opportunities for innovation created by this new technology. During 2015 we made an initial investment of £1.75 million to fund an 18 month Pilot Phase. This first phase of funding has:

• Created a unique world-class Test Bed facility at a crucial time in the development of 5G technology;
• Secured key staff with the skills and experience necessary to install, commission and progress the Test Bed project;
• Leveraged further investment into the 5GIC from partners in the mobile communications industry;
• Created a vehicle for SMEs to understand, explore and develop products and services that will use 5G technology;
• Created a vehicle for small businesses to engage with major mobile telecommunications companies and explore the joint opportunities presented by 5G technology.
• Launched the 5G Open Innovation Programme
• Launched a remote demonstrator site in Basingstoke. We have invested a further £1.7m to support phase 2 of this project which is paving the way for a Guildford and Aldershot 5G gaming demonstrator. This investment carries on the continuous support needed to maximise its commercial and competitive impact by connections with SMEs as well as large multi-nationals, with high growth digital sector areas including gaming and animal health, and to places of high growth, and as a pull for inward investment such as Basingstoke.

Project output

• Creation of 40 new tech companies locally
• 1010 new jobs created
• Supporting 120 businesses through ‘open innovation’
• Leverage £15 million of private sector investment