Barclays is set to open one of its Eagle Labs at De Montfort University’s Innovation Centre in Leicester.
The co-working and incubator hub aims to help entrepreneurs and businesses collaborate, innovate and grow, and the DMU site will be the first Eagle Lab in the East Midlands.
The Barclays Eagle Lab network is said to be one of the largest co-working and incubator networks for start-ups and scale-ups in the UK.
Vice-Chancellor Katie Normington said:
“We are proud to have the region’s first Eagle Lab here at De Montfort University. We know there is so much entrepreneurial talent in Leicester who will benefit from the expertise of the Barclays team as they scale up their businesses.
“At DMU we are committed to driving forward a culture of collaborative innovation and we are excited to see this addition to Leicester’s thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
John Corbett, Head of SME for Central England at Barclays, said:
“We are excited to be partnering with De Montfort University to extend the support offered by Barclays Eagle Labs to entrepreneurs in Leicester and the surrounding East Midlands area. Barclays Eagle Labs is committed to supporting entrepreneurs and has a mission to inspire and educate ambitious founders and start-ups across the UK to help them succeed. “
Businesses will be able to access banking experts, a network of co-working spaces, mentors and learning tools, as well as events and growth programmes for ambitious entrepreneurs and businesses.
Barclays is advertising for an Eagle Lab ecosystem manager who will support those using the space and work alongside Leicester’s existing network of entrepreneurial organisations.
It will operate alongside DMU’s existing Innovation Centre, which is home to tenants, a co-working space and The Crucible, the university’s business incubation programme for final-year students, alumni and SMEs which offers masterclasses and training.