Private sector interest in digital greenhouse
The States says there is interest in taking the incubator into the private sector.
Private sector interest in digital greenhouse
Marc Laine said the Committee for Economic Development wanted to "turbo-charge" support for the digital and creative sector
A centre for digital and creative start-ups could be preserved, with the private sector interested in taking it over, the States of Guernsey has said.
Earlier this year, the States announced that the Digital Greenhouse, which opened in 2016, would shut in its current form unless a private company or charity stepped forward to run it.
The Committee for Economic Development said it had been contacted by people interested in moving the incubator into the private sector with supporting grants.
Deputy Marc Laine, the committee's vice-president, said: "We want to turbo-charge the support that is in place and drive real innovation and growth in our economy."
Former Commerce and Employment Minister Kevin Stewart, who helped establish the centre, called the decision to close it "absolutely crazy".
However, the current committee said it had been hearing from interested parties with ideas for the greenhouse's future and was "confident the service will continue in some form".
It said it intended to keep up its "open engagement" through September, before issuing a formal bid in October, when parties could apply to take over the centre.
Laine said: "I don't want there to be any ambiguity about this: the committee is wholly dedicated to ensuring that Guernsey has world class support for entrepreneurs and real growth potential for innovation in every industry.
"It simply feels that there is only so much that a government-run incubator can do, and while the offering at the moment has value, it can be even more effective if led by the private sector: more dynamism, more agility and lived experience.
"This is the complete opposite to us turning our back on entrepreneurs. We want to turbo-charge the support that is in place for them and drive real innovation and growth in our economy."
Susan Watson, chair of the Innovate Guernsey Board, added: "It is encouraging to see such strong early interest in building on the Digital Greenhouse's legacy.
"The opportunity now is to create an independently run, commercially sustainable organisation."