Business leaders gathered in Bradford to encourage the city's entrepreneurs at the launch of a new business centre.

Yorkshire Forward chief executive Tom Riordan launched Enterprise Week 2006 at the opening of the Velocity business workspace yesterday alongside former NASA astronaut Jean-Loup Chretien.

Mr Chretien, a veteran of three space flights, spoke to guests about space, space tourism and business opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Velocity, which has undergone a £1.3 million refurbishment funded by Yorkshire Forward, is a business incubator project which has the backing of Richard Branson whose Virgin Galactic hopes to begin passenger flights into space soon.

The workspace is home to more than ten start-up, spin-out and existing companies in the technological, telecommunications and media industry.

It offers an on-site support team to help with development and progress, and advice is given on company structure and day-to-day running to help bolster profitability.

Mr Riordan said: "Enterprise Week in its third year and is showing real success in terms of getting people involved. Last year across Yorkshire and Humber, 15,000 people got involved in the 250 events taking place and this year we expect even more. Yorkshire Forward wants to inspire and empower young people to turn talent and ideas into something real. Whether it's a business start-up, a social enterprise or making an idea happen, it's all about the spirit of the entrepreneur.

"The work we do on entrepreneurship boosts an already thriving region, with Yorkshire and Humber coming second only to London in terms of the number of business owners who are under the age of 35.

"But Enterprise Week is for everyone and the more people who get involved - either individually or as a business - the greater the rewards Team Yorkshire and Humber will reap as we develop an enterprise culture."

Danny Meaney, managing director of Velocity, said the innovation centre was up in Angel Way because it already housed Orbit Research, which is internationally regarded for its work in the space field.

He added: "I think Bradford can be important in all sorts of ways. It is a really interesting place that needs to lift its head and be more confident about itself. Bradford has got a great tradition of real creativity and its heritage is engineering and industrial backgrounds.

"It's half the cost of Leeds and in the middle of the country."

e-mail: saima.mir@bradford.newsquest.co.uk