Business & IP Centre (BIPC): business resources at Central Library
Business & IP Centre: business resources
How the Business & IP Centre (BIPC) Bristol can support you to start and develop your business.
What the Business & IP (Intellectual Property) Centre is
The Business & IP Centre (BIPC) Bristol can support you if you want to start or develop a small business. The BIPC is on the ground floor of Central Library.
The BIPC is part of the British Library's National Network of Business & IP Centres. The network is supported by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO).
The BIPC is for aspiring entrepreneurs, start ups and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across Bristol. It offers:
- free access to £5 million worth of business intelligence resources and databases including market research, grants, company data and reports
- business publications
- one to one sessions with advisors and experts, workshops and networking events
- intellectual property (IP) support to protect your ideas
- spaces to meet, study and research your business planning
Events at the BIPC
We hold free events, workshops and webinars to help you start and develop your business.
Follow us on Eventbrite to find out about and book places on our events.
We also offer free one to one sessions online or in person with BIPC advisors and industry experts. Email BIPC@bristol.gov.uk to find out more.
How to hold your own event or activity at one of our libraries.
Free business databases
We have a wide range of business databases you can use for free, including:
- British Standards Online, the British Institute’s standards database
- COBRA (Complete Business Reference Adviser), information about starting and running a business
- EMIS, emerging markets research, data and news
- GRANTFinder, funding database
- IBIS World, UK industry market research, reports and statistics
- Kompass EasyBusiness, business directory
- Local Data Company, UK localised retail information on high streets, cities and towns
- Mintel, UK market research and consumer trends information
- NewsBank, database of global news sources
- Statista, market research resources across 170 industries and more than 150 companies
Intellectual property (IP) information
Intellectual property (IP) ranges from logos and corporate identity to products, services and processes. IP rights can protect individuals and small businesses developing new products from imitators.
IP information sessions
We can offer free, confidential one to one sessions on a range of IP topics. We cannot give you legal advice.
To book a one to one IP session:
- email BIPC@bristol.gov.uk
- visit our Eventbrite page
Lewis Hands, principal attorney at Handsome IP, runs free IP clinics at the BIPC. To book a place, visit our Eventbrite page.
IP resources
- The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is the government body responsible for granting IP rights.
- IP for business has a range of online tools from the IPO, including IP Equip, which covers the IP basics.
- The British Library has IP articles, such as What can you trademark in the UK? and How to copyright a song.
- Espacenet has free access to over 120 million patent documents.
- The PATENTSCOPE database has international Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications in full text format on the day of publication.
Contact us
If you have questions or need more information:
- email BIPC@bristol.gov.uk
- call 0117 922 3999
- write to or visit Business & IP Centre Bristol, Bristol Central Library, Deanery Road, Bristol, BS1 5TL
Social media
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