Robin Jackson and Professor Sir William Wakeham at Exeter Science Park.
Image courtesy of Theo Moye.

Exeter Science Park secures further links with the University of Exeter

The Exeter Science Park Company has strengthened its links with the University of Exeter through an agreement which will see the University’s innovation arm manage the new Science Park Centre which is due to open in April 2015.

The University’s wholly-owned subsidiary Peninsula Innovations Limited (PIL) has taken a lease for the Centre to offer flexible office and laboratory space for science & technology companies on the Park. PIL already manages the successful Innovation Centre, based on the University’s Streatham campus.

Professor Sir William Wakeham, Chairman of Exeter Science Park commented: "We are delighted that the University is on board. The Park’s key function is to bring together the research & business communities and to enable growth in the region. The University with its £80m pa research budget and wealth of expertise in knowledge transfer will provide an excellent direct link between the two."

Robin Jackson, Director of the Innovation Centre added: "The Innovation Centre has been highly successful; supporting a range of innovative companies which continue to grow. We are in no doubt that we will be able to build on this at the Science Park & we look forward to developing a fantastic environment with everything that high growth businesses need to succeed. There is already interest from a number of companies and we look forward to announcing tenancies in the coming months."

The Centre will be the second building to open on the Science Park, joining Eagle House which was completed at the end of 2013.

Phil Letts CEO of blur Group, which has been based at Eagle House since October 2013 commented: "The Park has been a perfect location for the HQ of blur Group, offering excellent connectivity & an inspiring working environment. We are very much looking forward to the opening of the Centre which will provide a social hub for the park and another platform for enabling further collaborations."

The Science Park Centre is being backed by funds from the Heart of the South West LEP’s Growing Places Fund and BIS’s Regional Growth Fund together with equity from the company’s shareholders - Devon County Council, East Devon District Council, Exeter City Council and the University of Exeter.

This news follows the recent announcement that Exeter Science Park is in line to receive money from the Government’s Local Growth Fund to support an ‘environmental futures campus’. Recent reports have also suggested that the Park has been identified as a possible location for part of the Met Office’s new high performance computer.

If you are interested in finding out more about the space and services available within the Science Park Centre or on the wider park then please contact the team on 01392 72 2226, or visit the website.

Date: 15 July 2014