Demand for space at the Liverpool city region science and innovation campus Sci-Tech Daresbury has come from at home and overseas in 2020. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool city region science and innovation campus Sci-Tech Daresbury has secured 28 new tenants in 2020 despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
And the strong demand for laboratory space means the 33,000 sq ft Techspace One, for more established businesses, and the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) affordable laboratories for SMEs and microbusinesses are close to full capacity.
Businesses are benefitting from the campus’s “home for life” ethos – offering ambitious entrepreneurs the opportunity to scale up on site as their needs change.
This has been evidenced by both Arcis Biotechnology and Quantum Science expanding from their initial laboratory space to Techspace One, while Perfectus Biomed increased its existing footprint within Techspace One.
Techspace One has also seen the arrival of companies new to campus, such as water filtration experts G2O Technologies – previously located in the North East.
Demand for campus space has also been driven by Sci-Tech Daresbury continuing to attract international companies, with several firms with a particular focus on digital technologies develop a base on site
Tangent Works (Belgium), Mish Mash (Bulgaria) and Factory Talk (Thailand) all arrived to further their work in areas such as AI, predictive analytics and Industry 4.0. And mAInd (Austrian) are working in digital health and join the growing community of health tech businesses – such as Sky Medical Technology, C-Major Medical, Orcha and Glow New Media.
The campus continues to support its other growing sector communities or “clusters” on site, with businesses also being represented in the materials, space and digital technology fields.
Notably, it was announced in November that the STFC’s world renowned Daresbury Laboratory is set to play a key role in developing a North West Space Hub. It is hoped that the scheme will enable the North West to be instrumental in the rapidly expanding, multi-billion pound UK space industry.
The ongoing demand for high quality office space is a key driver for the site’s newest development, Project Violet, with work starting on site in November at the £17.8m three-building development, which will offer a total of 42,000 sq ft for science and technology-focused businesses.
Investment of £8.4m from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority provides cornerstone funding for Project Violet, which is expected to create or support 332 full-time equivalent jobs.
John Downes, chief executive of Langtree and chairman of Sci-Tech Daresbury, said: “2020 has been a year like no other, with our businesses and the campus itself having to adapt to new ways of working and address a range of challenges that were impossible to predict.
“Given the way the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted so many elements of our life, it is a testament to the drive, creativity and continued commitment to innovation and collaboration that so many of our companies have continued to flourish in such exacting circumstances.”
Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, addes: “Our region is very lucky to have Sci-Tech Daresbury, home to some world-leading businesses and research organisations who are doing some incredible work in the fields of science, technology and industries of the future.”