They have hit the ground running at the new Barclays Eagle Lab.

It is being billed as ‘a space to create, innovate and grow’.

There is more than 5,000 square feet of working space in the ‘Lab’ located in the former Manx Telecom shop in QueenVictoria House, Victoria Street, Douglas.

The Eagle Lab last week hosted a series of open days for anyone interested to tour the new facility, meet the team and learn more about what the Lab has to offer.

Three offices have already been snapped up at the lab with seven resident memberships set up, explained Elissa Morris,ecosystem manager.

The Chamber of Commerce, which is a partner with the Eagle Lab, is also basing itself there, moving from Athol Street.

Elissa is brimming with enthusiasm for the project - it follows on from 15 otherEagle Labs operating in the UK.

She is one of two full-time Barclays employees at the Lab - the other is manager Carly Hinds.

Elissa, 29, who has been recruited by Barclays from the government, gave Business News a tour and said: ‘In my role at the Department for Enterprise there was actually a gap in the market for entrepreneurs, start up companies and relocating companies to have a landing space and a place for start-ups.

‘This is an ideal place that is flexible and a place where they can really work together in a co-working environment.

‘This is a co-working space of its own kind really that is new to the island.

‘There are fabulous other co-working spaces and serviced office spaces available across the island which we will collaborate and work with, but in terms of nurturing and helping start-ups and one-man bands, there has not really been a place for them to come and start up.

‘So here our role is to help create, innovate and grow these companies, to then grow, access and then jump into the other serviced office spaces, when they are big enough.’

The Lab has been in the planning for 18 months.

Simon Scott, country head for Barclays in the island, said: ‘As Elissa has said, there has been a gap in the market, a need for this and it is part of Barclays shared growth ambition to develop these Eagle Labs.’

He added there were three objectives: the first being to accelerate business growth so helping the Isle of Man economy to continue to grow and diversify, and create jobs as part of that.

The second objective being to enable ‘collaborative innovation which is getting people to work together in the co-workerspace, encourage people to share ideas and projects together.

The third is all around digital inclusion and digital empowerment. Helping people to get online, stay safe online, awareness.

Elissa said the Lab would provide an ‘ecosystem’ to help businesses grow.

Elissa explained that she had come across people working on start-ups on their own in places such as flats or coffee shops. The support network provided by the lab would be very important.

An accountant specialising in entrepreneurs has already taken up some space in the lab.

Mr Scott said: ‘One of our [Lab] members is an accountant for entrepreneurs, that’s her market.

‘So this is an ideal space for that person to be a member.

‘But also mentors, business advisers are interested in taking space here, because they play a role in helping those businesses to succeed as well.’

Mr Scott said the Chamber was an iseal partner because it shares the ideals.

Elissa told Business News she was excited at the challenges ahead.

As well as the partnership with the Chamber of Commerce the Lab is teaming up with the Department for Enterprise.

The Chamber of Commerce has organised a workshop called ‘Getting your employees to agree to mediation’ at the Eagle Lab on June 26.