Digital start-up centre to close

Guernsey's government-funded centre for digital and creative start-ups is to close, with the States looking for a private company to take it on.

The Committee for Economic Development (ED) launched a review of the Digital Greenhouse last year, which led to the innovation board taking over responsibility for the facility which opened in 2016.

The Digital Greenhouse is used by businesses as a co-working space and according to its website is "supporting the growth of Guernsey's economy with a focus on the digital and creative sectors".

Staff at the facility have been told they will be redeployed within the States.

Committees are working on how their budgets can be cut in the run up to the 2027 States budget.

Last year deputies voted to reduce the overall budget by 1% after they approved a proposal from Future Guernsey's Rhona Humphrey that it needed to make savings.

The Digital Greenhouse was launched by the former Commerce and Employment Minister Kevin Stewart in 2016, and has remained at the same location next to Guernsey's Market Square since.

Marc Lainé, vice-president of Economic Development, said the private and voluntary sector was in a better place than the States of Guernsey to drive forward initiatives on innovation.

"We believe innovation development is now best served by operators that can act with the agility and commercial insight that a private or community-led body brings.

"Supporting innovation, technology adoption and up-skilling remains a key priority for the committee and is essential to Guernsey's economic and sustainable growth, especially in this fast-moving digital age."

The committee said some core functions carried out by the Digital Greenhouse may warrant the provision of a government grant to support implementation or ongoing management.

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