TMCnet News
Grant gives the green light to innovative testing laboratory [Derby Evening Telegraph (England)](Derby Evening Telegraph (England) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) A LABORATORY for testing software on mobile devices will be the first operation at the Pounds 4.4 million Sadler Bridge Studios building in Bold Lane, Derby. Design and digital solutions agency BinaryFold4 has secured a Pounds 29,544 grant from the Derby Enterprise Growth Fund that has allowed the business to take a three-year lease on 837 sq ft of space. It will become the home to sister company BinaryFold4 Labs, creating two new jobs at Sadler Gate Studios, built on the site of the former Princes supermarket and due to open in early June. The device laboratory is thought to be the first of its kind in the Midlands and is a new venture for the Derby business that originally started life at Friar Gate Studios in Ford Street. It will feature a range of mobile phones, tablets, games consoles upon which software applications and websites will be tested. The hope is that it will be used by IT and design companies who need to test applications but cannot justify the expense of buying the full range of up-to-date devices for testing. "Opening the device lab at Sadler Bridge Studios would not have been possible without the support of the Derby Enterprise Growth Fund team at Derby City Council and we look forward to providing a unique service to creative businesses when the lab opens in a couple of months' time." BinaryFold4 was formerly part of Derby firm Silktide, a company that tests websites and advises how to improve the way they work. Richard Williams, director of regeneration at Derby City Council, said: "Derby is fast building a reputation as a hotbed for innovative and entrepreneurial creative-industry businesses and these plans are an exciting development which will again put us at the forefront of high-tech development. "We are delighted that the Derby Enterprise Growth Fund has been the catalyst for this company's expansion - particularly into the new Sadler Bridge Studios which is an exciting development in the heart of the city centre." The grant the firm is receiving comes from the Pounds 20 million Derby Enterprise Growth Fund, supported by the Government's Regional Growth Fund. Run by the city council, its aim is to support growth and job creation in businesses in the city and surrounding area through a mix of loans and grants. Ann Bhatti, centre manager at Friar Gate Studios, said: "Over the past five years, we have witnessed the company's growth from virtual office to tenant of one of the prime office units at Sadler Bridge Studios, which is a tremendous achievement." [email protected] (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |