Here we provide answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about our organisation, membership, joining process, events - and much more.
About the organisation
Q. What exactly is the Cambridge Network?
We are a membership organisation with the mission to link like–minded people from business, finance and academia to each other and to global partners for the benefit of the Cambridge region.
We achieve this by using a variety of technology, knowledge and people–based tools to enhance business processes both locally and globally. We facilitate member communication through this website and we also organise about 40 member events each year.
More about our mission
About membership, fees and benefits
Q. Who are your members?
As well as a select group of Founder members (who support the Network in a variety of ways), we have over 1300 corporate members (companies), from start–ups and SMEs to large, established international players. They cover a diverse range of industry sectors, including high technology – IT, biotechnology, materials, telecommunications, healthcare and environmental (cleantech), among others – as well as the full spectrum of professional services.
Although our emphasis is on corporate membership, we also have individual members who are able to promote themselves via our website and attend some of our events.
Visit our member directory
Q. Do I have to live in Cambridge to join the Cambridge Network?
No - there are no geographical limits to our membership and we welcome any company or organisation that is involved or interested in doing business in the Cambridge region.
Q. How much does it cost to join?
Annual membership represents remarkable value for money! In fact, our fees have remained constant since the Network's inception nearly 10 years ago.
Membership fees vary according to the size of your company, based on the number of employees of the parent organisation in the UK, as reported in your organisation's accounts at Companies House.
Fees are on a sliding scale, ranging from £100+VAT (1–5 staff) to £1000+VAT (>100 staff). We have special rates for academic organisations (with free membership available to academics and students of member universities such as University of Cambridge; Anglia Ruskin and University of East Anglia) and registered charities.
Individuals are also able to join on their own behalf and represent their own interests (not those of their organisation) for £50 +VAT.
More about fee structure
Q. What are the benefits of joining?
Corporate members have the right to publish company profile, news, jobs and event notices on the Cambridge Network website. They also have the opportunity to attend network events (up to six members of staff per corporate member company can attend Open Meetings and Café Networking events).
Individual members can post personal profiles and/or CVs and attend open events.
More about benefits
About joining and using the member login
Q. How do I join?
Joining is a simple three–step process. We ask you to pay online by credit card if you are applying as an individual or for an organisation with less than 50 staff – invoices are issued for larger organisations.
Once payment is received, you will have access via a secure login to our website user interface. If you are the administrator for your company, you can add and edit staff and corporate information, and add news, events and job notices. If you are an individual member or a member of staff of a company member, you can add personal details and/or a CV.
Follow the joining process
Q. I think I have a password but I've forgotten it. How can I find out what it is?
Go to the login page and simply enter your email address. Click Send email reminder and your password will be sent within a few seconds.
Q: My company’s membership has lapsed, and its profile has been deleted. What can I do?
If your membership has lapsed recently (usually within the past year), your details are probably still held in our database, so it’s possible they can be restored. To rejoin, please follow the online ‘Joining’ process as above, and then contact us so we can help restore your content.
About accounts
Q. I think my annual membership subscription is due for payment. How can I renew?
You can find out your account status by logging in to the user interface and clicking on 'Your account [view]' in the lower right hand box: this will show your recent transactions. Usually we will send you a renewal invoice about a month before renewal is due – with options about how to pay.
Contact us if you do not receive this.
Email: admin@cambridgenetwork.co.uk
About events and member services
Q. Can anyone come to Cambridge Network events?
Up to six members of staff of corporate member companies, staff and students of member universities, and individual members of Cambridge Network are entitled to attend Open Meetings and Café Networking events, for which you are asked to register on the website.
Guests and non–members are welcome providing we have spaces available, but are usually asked to pay a nominal attendance fee on the door.
All members can express their interest in Special Interest Groups (SIGs), though not all will be invited to attend specific meetings. Because of the specialist nature of these events – and limited numbers – invitations are at the discretion of Cambridge Network, typically in association with the SIG champion or sponsoring organisation.
More about Cambridge Network activities
Q: Can I start my own Cambridge Network Special Interest Group (SIG)?
All members are welcome to suggest themes for SIGs and we take all suggestions seriously. However, SIGs are championed and/or sponsored by Founder member organisations, so you would need to have their support.
If you have a valid suggestion for a new SIG, please contact Peter Hewkin, Cambridge Network’s CEO, in the first instance: ceo@cambridgenetwork.co.uk or call him on 01223 422362.
Q: My company is a member; does that mean that I am entitled to member rights?
Yes! You can set up your own profile on the cambridgenetwork.co.uk site and can come to our events for free.
If you are a member of staff and are not sure if your company is already a corporate member, there is a facility – which you'll see during the joining process – which enables you to check whether your organisation is a paid–up member (so you will not need to pay and can have your details included as a staff member of that company). You need to submit your name into our system and your company administrator will be able to approve it in the user interface.
Q: I am a member but do not receive the newsletter or jobsletter. Why?
You need to set an alert to receive the newsletter or jobsletter – or to receive emails pertaining to specific events – in your profile preferences. You can choose to receive emails in HTML or plain text format, but please remember to check or change your settings so that email from Cambridgenetwork.co.uk is not blocked by your spam filter.
Set up email alerts
Q. My company is interested in sponsoring a Cambridge Network event. How can I find out more?
Please contact Vicky Faupel, Cambridge Network's membership services manager, to discuss sponsorship possibilities. Email: Vicky.Faupel@cambridgenetwork.co.uk or call 01223 422363.
Q. What is Cambridge Corporate Gateway?
Cambridge Corporate Gateway is a two-day programme of customised meetings for delegates from ‘the world’s best companies’, who meet with leading University researchers and new technology companies across the Cambridge region. It aims to provide delegates with an insight into the latest innovations and business opportunities. The event takes place in April and October of each year.
Typical delegates are senior 'technology spotters' for large international companies. For example, most recently (in October 2007), nine delegates attended and took approximately 86 meetings with 60 local organisations.
Recent successes for the cluster as a consequence of this event include:
* Introduction of BASF Ventures to Plastic Logic (they subsequently invested $24million)
* First round of partnering for Kodak and Philips (they subsequently opened offices in Cambridge)
*First round of partnering for Apple and Google
* Introduction of Takeda Pharmaceuticals to CellCentric (they subsequently invested in the company).
Q. How can my company get involved?
Corporate Gateway delegates decide who they will meet from lists we provide of companies that meet their criteria. As much of our research is based on what appears on the Cambridge Network website, to increase your company’s visibility, corporate members should ensure that your company directory entry is up to date – with information on your areas of activity, and correct contact details.
The Corporate Gateway event is launched with a Cambridge Network Open Meeting which showcases the latest research form the University. All Cambridge Network members can attend this meeting for free, but are required to register in advance (using a form on this site – you will find a link to it in the relevant event notice, so keep an eye on our events calendar). Non-members can attend the Open Meeting, subject to availability, for a nominal fee.
Q. Where can I find out more about Cambridge Corporate Gateway?
Further information can be found at; www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/corporategateway
If you have any further questions, please contact Clare Dennis: clare.dennis@cambridgenetwork.co.uk
About using the website
Q. How many people look at the CN site?
The site typically attracts around 2500-3000 individual visitors every working day, with the page ‘hit’ rate currently (January 2008) around 10,000 – 12,000 per day – a minimum average of 50,000 hits a week.
Q. I have spotted a mistake in the profile information about my company. What can I do?
Your company administrator will have a username/password which provides access to the ‘back office’ for your company’s profile so content can be changed. If you are not sure who your administrator is, or if the username/password has been lost, please contact the CN office.
Email: admin@cambridgenetwork.co.uk
Q. Who can change profile information for my organisation on www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk?
Your company will have one or more ‘administrators’ with the necessary username/password to do this. If you are unsure who this is, please contact the CN office.
Email: admin@cambridgenetwork.co.uk
Q. I have joined on behalf of my company. How do I add news, event or job notices to the website on its behalf?
Adding material to the website is a straightforward matter – please see the guide to posting material .
Please note that:
* all material is reviewed before it is published on the site – so it will not be 'live' immediately
* any material you edit or change (including your company profile) will temporarily disappear from the site until it is reviewed and republished
* while every effort is made to publish material in a timely manner (news and events within one working day of posting; jobs within 48 hours) this is not always possible.
If you have problems or queries, please contact the website editor, Judi Coe:
editor@cambridgenetwork.co.uk
Q. I have added lots of jobs to the Cambridge Network 'back office' but they don't all appear. Why?
A. Our policy is to restrict members to a maximum of 20 job notices at any one time, and to limit the amount of time each job stays in the 'latest jobs' section of the site. This is to ensure that the site does not become cluttered with hundreds of old vacancy advertisements, so job seekers have access only to relevant, current vacancy notices.
Q. Will my information be visible to anyone who searches the internet? Will people be able to find me on Google?
Any information you add to the Cambridge Network website will be visible on the internet and yes – provided you have posted your company or personal details – they are likely to be found by anyone searching for you using Google or another search engine. If you are not happy for your details to be available in the public domain, please DO NOT INCLUDE THEM.
Many Cambridge Network corporate members use service email addresses such as ‘office@company.co.uk’ or admin@company.co.uk’ to avoid revealing the personal email addresses of their staff.
Q. I see in the newsletter that you feature some job ads as 'Premium Jobs'. How can I add mine in this category?
We make a nominal charge for Premium Job status of £75 + VAT per ad per week. This entitles you to advertise in prime position on the website and to have your job ad feature in the Tuesday e–newsletter (circulation 2500, where we only include a maximum of three jobs) and at the top of the Thursday e–jobsletter.
Premium jobs feature alone on the Cambridge Network Jobs and CVs “landing page” as well as at the top of the “All jobs” page and RSS feeds.
Add your job advertisement in the usual way, click the button 'Make this Premium" and have your credit card ready. Your Premium Job will be published as soon as the credit card payment process is complete.
