BUSINESS NEWS
New website to boost tourism in the city
BATH AT THE FOREFRONT OF CLEAN GROWTH TECHNOLOGIES
The University of Bath ’ s Centre for Sustainable and Circular Technologies ( CSCT ) is leading the launch of a major new innovation hub , bringing together core partners in academia and industry to accelerate the UK ’ s transition to net-zero carbon emissions .
Visit West has launched a new Visit Bath website designed by Simpleview – the travel and tourism industry ’ s leading global provider of digital marketing systems and technologies for Destination Management Organisations .
With input from Bath businesses to ensure functionality and content considerations were included , visitbath . co . uk now capitalises on ‘ long-read ’ content and themes , allowing easier segmentation of information that showcases the city ’ s all-year-round unique attributes to visitors .
The improved functionality and magazine-style , image-led design allows for more detailed business listings , availability searches and related searches , video content , special offers , an itinerary planning option , Google Map plotting and multiple foreign language options via Google Translate . Improving functionality for mobile users was particularly key with around 64 % of views to visitbath . co . uk coming from mobiles along with the efficiency of sharing regional databases avoiding duplication of data .
Kathryn Davis , Visit West ’ s Director of Tourism said , “ We are thrilled to launch the new Visit Bath site , with increased functionality and a new look and feel . We are fortunate to be able to call on worldwide expertise from Simpleview , along with input from Bath businesses and our own team who have significant experience in developing and delivering strong digital destinations and campaigns . The site will continue to evolve and grow with regular additions to content , particularly the blog posts , which have been so successful .”
Viewers will be able to plan itineraries to directly match their needs with trip search options including dog-friendly , family-friendly , and accessible , as well as quickly and easily explore event listings within the What ’ s On section , maximising on Bath ’ s exciting and dynamic calendar of events and festivals .
For more info : www . visitbath . co . uk
In 2020 , the UK Government set an ambitious target to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and create up to 250,000 green jobs in the process . However , there is an innovation gap that needs to be filled for these green goals to be met .
The new Innovation Centre for Applied Sustainable Technologies ( iCAST ) is offering a solution as a research and development and collaboration hub for companies working on clean growth technologies . It will focus on translating sustainable chemical technology research into commercial products to tackle the global challenges of climate emergency , sustainable development and plastic pollution .
The £ 17 million facility with a hub in Swindon is backed by the Research England Development Fund , an initiative from UKRI that drives innovation in research and knowledge exchange in higher education . iCAST brings together industry with expertise at the Universities of Bath and Oxford , the High-Value Manufacturing Catapult ' s Sustainability Partnership ( National Composites Centre and Centre for Process Innovation ), innovation experts at SETsquared , and the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership ( SWLEP ) and investors .
The Centre ' s core job is to provide agile and flexible support for businesses to scale up new sustainable technologies and bring them to market . Critically , it will deliver proof-of-principle , scaleup and feasibility studies to accelerate how soon cutting-edge sustainable concepts will mature so that focus can be placed on those with the largest potential impacts .
Professor Matthew Davidson , Director of iCAST and CSCT and Whorrod Professor of Sustainable Circular Technologies at the University of Bath , explained , “ There is currently a translation gap between publicly funded investment into fundamental research and its deployment by UK companies . iCAST will address this gap by enabling companies to easily invest in R & D in a collaborative and agile environment and by providing specialist business support for innovations to be deployed commercially .
“ By partnering companies with the critical mass of research expertise at Bath and at Oxford , iCAST will accelerate scale-up of new technologies , deliver economic impact , and build supply chains , jobs and growth in the UK .”
The partnership already has more than 45 member companies ranging from spinouts , high growth SMEs and multinational corporates including Unilever , Wessex Water , Total Corbion PLA , Naturbeads and Recycling Technologies .
For more info : www . icast . org . uk
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2021 5