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Investment

Centre for Social Innovation (C4Si)

Last updated 06 September 2019
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Centre for Social Innovation

Project description

Refurbishing South Efford House near Lymington and bringing it back into full economic use for employment purposes as a ‘business-led, open Innovation Centre’ in the New Forest. The centre is focused on developing entrepreneurs, growing new business and launching disruptive technology. It will be home for VCSE organisations to deliver their programmes and community outreach, whilst allowing them to benefit from the C4Si Programme Framework. It will also be the base for Skills and Training and will house the New Forest Group Training Association (GTA) led by C4Si, Brockenhurst and Totton Colleges and NFDC, as well as local businesses and associations such as the NFBP (New Forest Business Partnership) and others.

Project output

The re-fit project will provide:

  • Modernisation of a premium ‘for-hire’ 50-seater conference room, currently lacking in the New Forest
  • New purpose built co-working space comprising 36 pods (including 10 dedicated desks) and break-out areas
  • Digital Innovation Academy – workspaces for our employees, technology partners and invested businesses. It will also act as a technology R&D space within a dedicated and secure area Ultimately C4Si will be a transformational project for the New Forest with the refurbishment of South Efford House being the catalyst for further ambitious investment and development. We will attract existing and new businesses to stay in and relocate to the New Forest. We will create tech and non-tech clusters and this will allow us to create new high-paid and high-skilled jobs that will benefit the New Forest economy. Not only will this support the economy but it will help us to ‘unlock’ the potential within the New Forest Local Housing Plan through combining the potential for innovative and affordable live/work housing with the New Forest ‘offer’ resulting in a compelling proposition.

Key Outputs

Start date:

End date:

Amount financed: £220,000

Total cost: £370,000

Status: Completed

Project Lead: Jordan Tame

Partner: Centre for Social Innovation

Themes: Innovation

Geo-location:

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