M-SParc is coming to London - Mae M-SParc yn dod i Lundain

London Welsh Centre

Author London Welsh Centre Licence CC BY-SA 3.0 Source Wikimedia Commons

 

Jane Lambert

I discovered M-SParc ("the Menai Science Park") while on holiday in Beaumaris just a few months after it opened (see M-SParc - Anglesey's Science Park 28 Aug 2018 NIPC News).  As I was born not far from the Anglo-Welsh border I have been coming to Northwest Wales since I was a babe in arms.  I acknowledge that is not the same as coming from there but it is enough to form a deep attachment for the region and its people.  For most of the time that I have visited the region, I have seen its industries decline and population diminish. I understood the science park's significance as soon as I saw it.   This was an initiative to arrest and reverse that decline.

Having set up clinics and inventors' clubs throughout the North of England, I have developed skills, knowledge and connections to assist start-ups and other small businesses.  I called the science park immediately after the bank holiday and offered my services as an intellectual property lawyer.  I was invited to attend the forthcoming Anglesey Business Show which I did.  I described the event in Anglesey and the Fourth Industrial Revolution on 12 Oct 2018 (NIPC Northwest).  Since then I have enjoyed participating in many events at M-SParc and have even contributed to a few.  Those events continued online right through the pandemic and they greatly strengthened my attachment to the science park and its hinterland  (see Delivering on my Promises to Wales  26 March 2020).

M-SParc does not confine its activities to its site at Gaerwen.  It holds regular events throughout North Wales and beyond (see the On Tour page of the M-SParc website).  It targets not just entrepreneurs and business owners but also students at the excellent secondary and primary schools and colleges of the region (see STEM and Skills).  One of its most commendable initiatives is Clwb Sparci which the website describes as "a unique Welsh language STEM club that offers a range of exciting activities each month, to inspire children of all ages."  Its activities range "from coding workshops and robotics classes to science experiments and maker sessions".  For younger students, there is the Miwtini Bach while older ones can train at the Skills Academy.

Between 9 and 14 Sept 2023 M-SParc will be in London (see M-SPar #ArYLonDon).  Appropriately it will start with a coding workshop for 6 to 11-year-olds delivered by Clwb Sparci at the London Welsh Centre between 10:00 and 12:00 on 9 Sep.  Sadly, my little grandson manqué, Vlad, who codes and is looking forward to his first trip to Nant Gwrtheyrn and accompanying me up Yr Wyddfa on foot is just a little bit too old for the class.   Apparently, the class will focus on Welsh idioms.   If the weather is anything like today's a useful start might be "Mae'n bwrw hen wragedd a ffyn" which is more or less as ridiculous as "raining cats and dogs". The class will be repeated online to kids from around the world in the afternoon.

Clwb Sparci will also deliver a class on energy on Monday, 11 Sep to the London Welsh School. The school serves the children of the substantial Welsh community in London many of whose members speak Cymraeg as a first language or fluently as an acquired language.  The London Welsh Centre teaches the language at its premises and online and holds regular conversation classes. I attended one of the Centre's online courses during the lockdown and found it much more rigorous than those provided by Nant Gwrtheyrn, Popeth Cymraeg or Say Something in Welsh.  It is also possible to learn Cymraeg to an advanced level at the City Lit in Covent Garden.  The main event for the Welsh community in London is Wales Week which takes place every year around St David's Day.

Turning back to M-SParc's visit, the high point of the week is likely to be the "Wales Igniting Innovation" exhibition and seminar at the House of Lords which also takes place on 11 Sept.  Speakers will include Lord Wigley, David Davies MP, Secretary of State for Wales, Prof Jas Pal Badyal, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Welsh Government and Dame Ottoline Leyser of the UKRI.  Exhibitors will include AberInnovation, Cardiff Univeristy's Sbarc/Spark and Tramshed Tech as well as M-SParc.  This event is by invitation only and is fully subscribed.  However, there may be a waiting list as there is also an invitation to contact lois@m-sparc.com to declare an interest in participating in the event.

All the events of the last are days are open to the public.  "Digital Wales" which takes place at the Welsh Government's London office at 25 Victoria Street, on  Tuesday 12 Sept 2023 will showcase "companies, projects and innovation with digital at their heart and Wales at the forefront."  Topics under discussion include agri-tech, creative tech, decarbonization tech, fintech, government tech, language tech and tourism tech.  An audience of alumni, civil servants, investors, politicians and potential returners to Wales is expected,

"Wales: Trade and Invest" which takes place on 13 Sept will showcase Wales as a location for international trade and inward investment.   There will be discussions on the Welsh Government's Freeport Programme which will include a discussion of the Anglesey Freeport to which M-SParc is contributing (see Emily Roberts Wales Freeport Status secured for Anglesey 23 March 2023 M-SParc website).  Other forms of business support will also be discussed by the Invest in Wales panel.

Between 10:00 and 14:00 on Thursday 14 Sept 2023, EGNI will host an exhibition and seminar on renewable energy resources in North Wales.  These will include solar, tidal, wind and nuclear power generation as well as hydrogen for transportation and heating. I attended the EGNI 2023 conference at M-SParc in May and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The last event will be "Connect to London" to be presented by Global Welsh. It will take place at the offices of the Four Agency on the Whitechapel Road between 18:00 and 21:00 on 14 Sept 2023. The advertised programme includes an introduction from Nan Williams, Global Welsh's Chair, speeches by Jamie O'Hara who is described as the "Hub Lead" and a keynote speaker who is yet to be announced in conversation with Warren East of Rolls Royce and ARM Holdings. There will also be pitches from Welsh entrepreneurs, networking and food, Unlike most of the events which require registration on the Google form attached to the Welsh Innovation #OnTour page, the Global Welsh event requires registration on its "Connect to London" form,

On the "Welsh Innovation #OnTour" page there are four coloured hexagons each of which contains a different slogan. The slogan in the orange hexagon is "Showcase the best of Welsh Innovation in London!" The slogan in the light blue hexagon is "Creating valuable connections!"  The one in the green is "Raising investment!"  The last one is "Attract Inward Investment into Wales".  I have registered for the "Digital Wales" event and I will support the initiative in any way I can.

Anyone wishing to discuss this article can call me on +44 (0)20 7404 5252 or send me a message through my contact page.

The IPO's Welsh Language Policy

Author Diomedea Exulnns  Licence CC BY=SA 3.0  Soutce Wikimedia Nant Gwrtheyrn

 

Jane Lambert

Occasionally I am asked why I spend time and money on learning Welsh. After all, so the argument runs, only a few hundred thousand speak it and nearly all of them speak also English. The answer is the same as the reason for learning any language.  A language is the key to a treasure house of ideas and information not all of which are translated or translated well.

Ideas and information are intellectual assets  They take several forms: a line of verse, a catchy song,  an elegant solution to a technical problem or an unforgettable slogan.   They are the product of skill and labour and sometimes genius.   To incentivize their generation the law protects them.  It is that legal protection that we call intellectual property.

Ideas that are generated in Welsh can be protected in Welsh.  The Intellectual Property Office which is headquartered in Newport has operated a Welsh language scheme since 3 Oct 2007.  It was prepared in accordance with the guidelines of the Welsh Language Service pursuant to s.21 (3) of the Welsh Language Act 1993.

Paragraph 1 of that scheme promises "that, in the conduct of public business, it will treat the English and Welsh languages on a basis of equality so far as is both appropriate to the circumstances and reasonably practicable."  The document continues that, where possible, the IPO will explain and offer the IP system in Welsh to those customers wishing to register their IP rights in the United Kingdom through the medium of Welsh.  

Rule 14 (1) of the Patents Rules 2007 which came into effect on 17 Dec 2007, requires the contents of all documents contained in a patent application to be either Welsh or English.  However, while the English language patent forms are available online, Welsh speaking applicants or their agents must call 01633 814936 or email information@ipo.gov.uk if they require a Welsh version of any of the IPO's forms/booklets.  According to David Pearce, no patent applications in Welsh had been received by the Office by 28 Jan 2008 (see Welsh patent applications: the results are in! 28 Jan 2008 IPKat).

There is no equivalent to rule 14 (1) of the Patents Rules 2007 in The Registered Designs Rules 2006 or The Trade Marks Rules 2008 but para 49 of the scheme offers to accept applications for registered designs and trade marks in Welsh and to make the relevant forms and guidance available in Welsh on the IPO's website.  As far as I can see, applicants or their agents would have to call the above number or send an email to request the relevant form or other document in Welsh.

It would appear from para 34 of the scheme that proceedings before IPO hearing officers can take place in Welsh.  The paragraph states that if the hearing takes place in Wales, it can be conducted in Welsh in the Newport Office where arranged in advance. If, however, no advance notice is given then due to limitations on the number of Welsh speaking staff and the lack of an in-house interpreter, there may be no legally and technically competent Welsh speaker immediately available. The applicant will then be given the choice, without prejudice, of continuing with the hearing in English or adjourning it until a Welsh speaker is available.

The rest of the document deals with such matters as signage, telephone calls, visits from members of the public, seminars and publications. I owe it to the IPO for my first lesson on soft mutations while driving around Newport searching for signs to Concept House when I noticed that "patent" had suddenly morphed into "batent".

I do not know whether any of the Appointed Persons speak Welsh but the Business and Property Courts in Wales ought to be able to hear appeals from Welsh speaking hearing officers in Welsh as well as infringement, invalidity, revocation and threats actions in all areas of IP law except patents, registered designs, chip topographies and plant varieties. The Court of Appeal and Supreme Court have been known to sit in Cardiff and there is at least one Welsh speaking Supreme Court justice.

My Welsh is not yet good enough to present a case in Welsh, but once it is ............ Anyone wishing to discuss this article may call me on +44 (0)7404 5252 during office hours or send me a message through my contact page.

Two Kinds of Accelerators - Colin Jackson in a Race and Accelerators for Startups

Colin Jackson

Author Ludovic Pern  Licence CC BY-SA 3,o

Jane Lambert

Last Tuesday, Emily Roberts of M-SParc interviewed the world champion athlete Colin Jackson over Zoom. I joined the Zoom call because it is not every day that one gets a chance to meet a great athlete.  I had also seen Colin Jackson's Welsh Language Journey of 11 June 2020 which was very impressive. As I have also just started to learn Welsh, I hoped to pick up some hints and tips from him.

Colin delivered an inspiring talk.  Emily gave me the best possible if not the most original advice, namely "ymarfer".  It was endorsed by Colin.  He also unexpectedly prompted another question when he mentioned that he had named his academy "Red Shoes."  I was immediately reminded of the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, the Powell and Pressburger film that launched the career of Moira Shearer and the dance drama by Sir Matthew Bourne. Prosaically, Colin said that he had chosen the name because he wore red shoes at his last event before retirement.  I would respectfully invite him to take advantage of the coincidence because dance and athletics have a lot in common.  I think he would find a receptive new market for his services.

Immediately after Colin's interview, we learned of an accelerator programme in North Wales to be delivered by the Excelerator Consortium, a joint venture between The Winning Pitch and Impact Innovation.  Accelerator programmes are officially described as fixed-term, cohort-based programmes, that include mentorship and educational components and culminate in a public pitch event or demo day.  Another way of describing an accelerator is as a cross between The Apprentice and Dragons' Den. Your idea is pinched, pulled and prodded tested to destruction but if it survives you will receive training, mentoring and ultimately funding.

The very first accelerator programme was offered by Y Combinator which, despite the apparently Cambrian definite article, began life, not in Wales but California. The basic idea is set out in About YC:

"In 2005, Y Combinator developed a new model of startup funding. Twice a year they invest a small amount of money in a large number of startups. The startups move to Silicon Valley for 3 months, and the YC partners work closely with each company to get them into the best possible shape and refine their pitch to investors. Each batch culminates in Demo Day, when the startups present their companies to a carefully selected audience of investors. Y Combinator has invested in over 2,000 companies including Airbnb, Dropbox, Stripe, Reddit, Instacart, Docker and Gusto. The combined valuation of YC companies is over $100B."

I would urge everyone who is thinking of launching a new business no matter which part of the world in which he or she lives to browse the Y Accelerator website because it contains a wealth of free information.  In particular, I recommend the Startup School which describes itself as "a free online program and global community of founders."

According to The Guardian journalist, Tina Nielsen, Y Combinator's idea spread across the world quickly (see Nielsen Business accelerators: a financial shot in the arm for startups 24 Oct 2013 The Guardian). The first British accelerator was Seedcamp just 2 years later, NESTA (the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts) produced an authoritative report on incubators and accelerators for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and a directory in 2017 which I discussed in Business Incubators and Accelerators Directory 20 April 2020 NIPC News.  I also discussed some of the accelerators near my home in  Accelerators and Incubators in the Leeds City Region 22 April 2017 NIPC Yorkshire and Accelerators and Incubators in the Sheffield City Region 24 Aoruk 2017 NIPC Yorkshire,

In 2018 I got the chance to observe a new healthcare accelerator in Bradford which is 15 miles from my home (see Northern Max - a new Healthcare Accelerator in Bradford 12 Jan 2018 NIPC Yorkshire). At the end of the course, I attended its demo day where I met the course mentors (one of whom was a very old friend) and the cohort (see Bradford Healthcare Accelerator Programme comes to an End 26 March 2020 NIPC News).  You will see from NorthernMAX Demo Day 25 March 2028 NIPC Yorkshire that I was impressed.   Accelerator programmes really do seem to work.

There are now a lot of accelerator programmes in the UK and some are likely to be better than others.  I know very little about the Excelerator Consortium programme as I have only one contact in The Winning Pitch and it is a long time since I last heard from him. But the fact that the  Consortium has connections with the Welsh government, Business Wales, some reputable Cardiff professional services firms, financial institutions and universities are good signs.  The case histories on the Excelerator Consortium website look promising.   The programme is well worth checking out.

Anyone wishing to discuss this article or accelerators and incubators generally is welcome to call me on 020 7404 5252 during office hours or send me message through my contact form.   I wish anyone setting up a business pob lwc.

Ecosystem 2.0

Jane Lambert

I have already discussed How the Pontio Centre and M-SParc complement each other in the Social and Economic Development of Northwest Wales and the network of professional advisors (of whom I am one) to advise and assist the businesses in Northwest Wales in Understanding Intellectual Property   Over the weekend I learned more about how individuals in this area have responded to the pandemic in the photographs of Kristina Banholzer and the recollections of some of those persons in Covio.

Just over a month ago I received the following information:

"I’m putting together an event called ‘M-SParc’s Ecosystem’ – who are the people who work closely with us and our tenants, providing added value to them.
We would like to extend the invitation to yourself; it’s only a 3-4 minute slot, with around 20 others speaking.
The date in mind at the moment would be September 8th, 10am."

Naturally, I jumped at the invitation and rather rashly promised to give some of my 3 minutes in Welsh if I can find a Welsh speaker who lives near me to correct my grammar and pronunciation. 

The aim of the webinar is to show people that the region’s ecosystem is still going! Innovation is happening, new things are taking place, and everyone is still working together through it all!

"North West Wales is full of businesses and ventures that work together. That's how we get so much done! Come and hear who's part of the Ecosystem, and how they've been encouraging and supporting each other through this difficult time."

Anyone who wants to attend the event can register here.

I must now deliver on my promise. According to Wikipedia, there are 133,000 Welsh speakers in England which are over a quarter of the number who live in Wales.  At least one of them must live in our village for he or she has translated our tourist information website into Welsh. Had it not been for the pandemic I would have spent a week or so of my annual holiday in Wales. COVID 19 has got in the way of that but if I can't have an actual holiday in Wales I can still have a virtual one and learn a bit of Welsh.

When I started learning with SSI Welsh I found that I had already picked up a little like "Araf" and "Canolfan" from motoring, "cyhoeddus" in the context of "llwybr" and "toiledau" from just wandering around, "cariad" from listening to mums talking to their children and even "Swyddfa batent" and "Swyddfa Eiddo Deallusol" from attending the hearing office to Newport.  I think I should be able to manage more than "Bore da" on 8 Sept.