Give your start-up or small business a competitive edge with the BIPC’s free access to premium business and intellectual property resources. Instead of guessing or paying for expensive reports, you can use the same industry-standard tools trusted by major companies.
Explore over £5 million worth of market research, company data, and business news to spot opportunities, understand your customers, and stay ahead of competitors. Test your ideas, build a stronger business plan, find new markets, check patents and trademarks, and make confident decisions—while saving both time and money when it matters most.
- Test and refine your business idea with reliable, up-to-date information
- Build a stronger, more credible business plan
- Identify new markets and growth opportunities
- Understand your competitors and position your business effectively
- Research customers and industry trends to make smarter decisions
- Check patents and trademarks to protect your ideas
- Save time and money by avoiding expensive reports and guesswork
- Make confident, informed decisions as you start and grow your business
Start Up & Funding
COBRA
An encyclopedia of practical information for starting, running and managing a small business in the UK. Includes over 4000 Fact sheets and Local Area profiles
Available at all BIPC GM locations.
Remote access available.
GRANTfinder
Searchable database of finance and funding resources. Resources are categorized into specific sectors, Industries, type of funding.
Specify exactly what you require: Amount, Industry, Provider, Annual turnover, Geographic scope and more.
Available at Altrincham Library, Bury Central Library, Bolton Central Library, Eccles Library, Manchester Central Library, Oldham Library, Stockport Central Library, Tameside Library at Ashton.
Market Research
Mintel
Full access to Mintel UK, covers a broad range of Consumer and Lifestyle markets.
Covers Beauty and personal care, Health and wellbeing, technology, travel. Ecommerce, leisure, home retailing, clothing and footwear markets.
Available at Manchester Central Library.
IBIS World
Provides independent, accurate, comprehensive and current research on hundreds of industries in the UK, including Statistics, analysis and forecasts.
Available at Altrincham Library, Eccles Library, Manchester Central Library, Tameside Library at Ashton.
Passport by Euromonitor
Provides comparable international market intelligence on countries, consumers and
industries. Contains over 4500 global, country, industry and company reports.
Available at Bury Central Library, Manchester Central Library, Stockport Central Library.
Statista
Database filled with Statistical data, Reports and Forecasts on Industries, Brands, Consumers and Countries.
Also hosts useful on-site tools including a Publication finder, Business Plan Exporter and Infographics section.
Available at Altrincham Library, Bury Central Library, Bolton Central Library, Eccles Library, Manchester Central Library, Oldham Library, Stockport Central Library, Tameside Library at Ashton.
EMIS Emerging Markets
A comprehensive information platform providing emerging markets intelligence for over 25 years. EMIS brings together hard-to-get information from the world’s leading global and local providers of company, industry and country intelligence.
Available at Altrincham Library, Bury Central Library, Bolton Central Library, Eccles Library, Manchester Central Library, Oldham Library, Stockport Central Library, Tameside Library at Ashton.
Company & Credit Information
Experian Market IQ
UK Company Information database. Includes Accounts and Director details. Search by:
Industry, Location or Company Size.
Available at Manchester Central Library.
Local Data Online
Online database for UK Storefront holdings. Search by Area, specific Retailer or category. Allows comparison of UK storefront Holdings, Openings, Closures and Vacancies. Provides a birds-eye view of the makeup and complexity of the retail and leisure offering in a chosen location.
Available at Altrincham Library, Bury Central Library, Bolton Central Library, Eccles Library, Manchester Central Library, Oldham Library, Stockport Central Library, Tameside Library at Ashton.
Creditsafe
Credit rating and limits, 3 year accounts, CCJ information and Director information for 4.4 Million UK Companies, sourced by Companies house, The Registry Trust, and the London and Edinburgh Gazette.
Available at Manchester Central Library.
Kompass Worldwide
Detailed product and service listings for over 2.8 million companies across 70 countries.
Key source for manufacturers and suppliers with over 300,000 topics covered.
Available at Manchester Central Library.
British Standards
Codes of best practice that improve safety, efficiency, interoperability and facilitate trade. Covers every area of life from technical guidelines for production processes in a diverse range of industries to specifications.
Available at Manchester Central Library.