A new business centre on the edge of the University of Bradford campus is going from strength to strength with a variety of innovative new ventures operating under its roof. T&A Reporter MARK CASCI went to take a closer look at Velocity in Listerhills.

Listening to the managers at Velocity you could be forgiven for thinking they were talking about Bradford's mighty industrial past.

Both managing director Danny Meaney and project manager Amanda Lennon enthuse about the entrepreneurial spirit and how Bradford-made goods are being sold in all four corners of the globe.

However, their enthusiasm is not for Bradford's past industrial might but for the city's growing technological sector of the present.

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

Companies based there include an electrical surveying firm with a Royal appointment, a lighting design company which has worked at the Glastonbury festival and a business that is involved in making communications equipment for the Galileo satellite navigation system.

But Velocity does more than just provide a roof. A on-site support team is always on hand to help with development and progress. Advice is given on company structure and day-to-day running to help bolster profitability.

Mr Meaney said: "It is about the timing, location and opportunity. The profile of Bradford really fits what we hope to achieve with the Velocity brand. The city already supported an established cluster in the satellite, digital and technology industries and we wanted to build on that.

"Now that physical regeneration is taking place, the ripple effect dictates an inevitable change in the city. Currently Bradford is a really exciting place to be. The city has a great history of innovation and is undergoing massive urban renewal and economic revival, which is exactly why we chose it as the UK launch site for Velocity."

The site is owned by Yorkshire Forward and was formerly the home of the Business Innovation Centre before it was bought by the regional development agency which carried out the £1.3 million refurbishment and rebranding. It acts as landlord to a management company, New Media Partners, which runs the site.

Bradford Velocity opened in May and has already proved so much of a success that New Media Partners plans to roll out more Velocity centres across the country.

Mrs Lennon is proud of many aspects of the business centre she looks after - not least its name, which she sees as totally appropriate for the centre's function.

"The dictionary definition of velocity is speed plus direction," she says.

"This really sums up what we try to do here and where we want businesses based here to go. We like to think of businesses as babies which need regular care and us as the incubator.

"As well as providing office and lab space, we offer comprehensive support and guidance too.

"Often those involved in the technology industry are geniuses when it comes to working on their products but are less interested in marketing and selling.

"One firm here, Strata, developed electronic surveying equipment for the work being done on Windsor Castle but had not used by royal appointment' on its literature.

"Another is designing and developing satellite communications equipment and is the UK's leading distribution partner for Eutelsat, the third largest satellite operator in the world."

Mrs Lennon's verve for the companies which are based there is bolstered by the fact that many are doing so well.

Based at the centre is Space Connections, the UK Space Education Office which provides links between formal and informal education providers and the space industry to get young people interested in the mathematics and physics involved in the study of astronomy.

And recently telecommunications company Red Embedded Design worked on and developed new technology for BT.

Its new Videophone 1000 will be sold all over the world as the telephone industry moves increasingly into video. People will be able to see the person they are talking to on the phone. The person they are chatting with could be on the other side of the world but the technology will have been developed in Bradford.

Red Embedded director Rahul Mehra said: "The traditional telephone has remained largely the same for the last 100 years. We have modernised it, exploiting broadband technology to bring it in line with the functionality we now expect from our mobile phones."

The businesses range from one-man shows to firms employing more than 20 people and bosses at Velocity are hopeful all will go from strength to strength.

It is hoped at least one of the companies will be classed as a high-growth firm (predicted to turn over £1million within three years) within a year.

e-mail: mark.casci@bradford.newsquest.co.uk