Birmingham City University's Technology Innovation Centre

Birmingham City University's Technology Innovation Centre (tic) is the UK West Midlands region’s leading technology organisation providing assistance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It was founded in 1999 on the knowledge, expertise and relationships developed over many years by the former Faculty of Engineering & Computer Technology at Birmingham City University.

The tic is a subsidiary company of Birmingham City University which is one of the UK's newest and, at the same time, one of its oldest educational institutions, as several constituent colleges are well over one hundred years old. New product development is core business for the tic which undertakes over £4.5M per annum of this type of activity through the provision of business solutions to companies around the West Midlands and beyond.

The tic is located within Birmingham’s prestigious Millennium Point building, a £114M development designed by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw providing some of the best resources and facilities in the country. It is unique in its balance of learning programmes and solutions for business and has some 320 staff.

The tic focuses on improving the competence of individuals through education and supporting businesses in areas of innovation, technology and advanced engineering.

The tic meets the needs of students, employees, businesses and industry sectors to develop the knowledge and capabilities necessary for tomorrow’s challenging technological society. Cutting-edge resources and specialised expertise support this capability.

The tic serves individuals and the community through:
* The development of vital knowledge and skills for lifelong learning
* An unrivalled range of technology-based courses - from one-day workshops through to undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications
* Enhanced graduate employability through industry-relevant vocational education
* Participation in schools’ projects and learning for young people
* Development of e-learning opportunities
* Research and new product development
* Stimulating interest in technology and innovation

The tic serves businesses through:
* The development of the technical and managerial skills required to create and sustain innovation in business
* Assisting companies of every size and type to prepare for the future by acquiring knowledge and skills needed to develop new technologies
* Facilitating business networks to encourage knowledge-sharing within industry sectors
* A wide range of valuable professional Business Support and Consultancy services
* Creation of competitive advantage for clients through applied research
* Advanced resources for design, research and development activities
* Programmes which help new technology businesses to take root and grow
* Leading Cisco and Microsoft vocational academies
* Partnership with major industrial development initiatives
* Management of government-sponsored technology-development programmes
* Provision of highly skilled students in companies of any size or type
* Developing graduates who can make an immediate contribution in the world of work

Specialist resources and expertise includes:
* Design studio
* Engineering product design team
* Automatic identification specialists
* Wide-ranging e-media technologies
* Postgraduate specialists for short-term projects
* Management of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs)
* Specialist facilities include:
**"State-of-the-art noise and vibration cell"
**"Sound and TV studios"
**"Advanced automotive, powertrain test cell'
* Advanced manufacturing facilities
* e-learning content creation and distribution
* Environmental technologies expertise covers:
** "Pollution Control/Risk Assessment"
** "Environmental Legislation"
** "Diversification into Environmental Products and Services"