PRESS RELEASE
7 May 2005

Firms get head-start in hunt for new ideas

Workplaces across the East of England are to be sent advice from world-class thinkers and local entrepreneurs as part of The Creative Block campaign to pool the creativity of the ‘ideas region’.

The pack of cards includes fresh advice on problem-solving in business Edward de Bono, “troubleshooter” Sir John Harvey-Jones, and management guru Robert Heller, as well as different ideas and insights from local business people and entrepreneurs.

The Creative Block is part of the space for ideas initiative led by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA). The East of England is building on its heritage as the ideas region, through its universities and as one of the leading centres in Europe for technological innovation.

Charles Kitchin, space for ideas campaign manager at EEDA, said: “In a world where products can be copied overnight, new ideas are the only real competitive advantage left. With the range and quality of hi-tech and other new start-ups in the region, the East of England is well-placed to prosper in this kind of environment. For example, Cambridge alone attracts 25% of the UK's venture capital.

“The purpose of the pack is to provide somewhere to turn to when stocks of inspiration are running short. The Block will offer workplaces a practical, accessible resource that anyone can dip into for some fresh impetus from major thinkers and ideas people in the region.”

The space for ideas campaign has already involved thinkers such as Charles Handy, Baroness Susan Greenfield and Jonathon Porritt, pitching in with world-class thinking, ideas audits and director seminars. More than 40,000 essays offering practical inspiration on ideas in business were downloaded from the space for ideas web site (www.spaceforideas.uk.com), and hundreds of businesspeople have attended ideas-based events.

More information on The Creative Block is available from www.spaceforideas.uk.com.

Ends

1.
Some examples of advice from the Creative Block:

Sir John Harvey-Jones, former chair of ICI
Is there anything that is at all associated with your problem which you’ve been doing the same way for more than two years?
Change that.

Bill Parsons, ARM
Set an arbitrary deadline (say 6 minutes) to write down a solution. Split the deadline into 3 time chunks (2 minutes each). Plan the idea for 2 minutes, write it down in 2 minutes then review and refine it for 2 minutes.

Paul Wells, Charles Wells
Imagine you’re selling your idea to one of your customers, partners or your senior management team. Now stand in their shoes. What agenda might they have? What are the weaknesses they’ll try to exploit and strengths they’ll try to avoid?

Nigel Holder, Obsidan
Use one of the online language translators, e.g. babelfish.altavista.com and translate your problem into Russian, Japanese, Greek or Spanish, then translate it back into English.

Kate Atkin, Aspire 2
Massage your carotid artery and encourage blood flow to your frontal lobes. Place your fingers where your collarbone stops at ‘bumps’ in the middle, dropping them about an inch and slightly outwards into two small indents either side of your sternum. Apply firm pressure as you massage first one side then the other.

2. About EEDA:
The East of England Development Agency (EEDA) is the driving force behind sustainable economic regeneration in the East of England: Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. The vision for the East of England is to create a leading economy, founded on a world class knowledge base, creativity and enterprise to improve the quality of life for all who live and work here. For further information visit www.eeda.org.uk