Colworth Science Park lays foundations for new enterprise hub

Construction work is underway on The Exchange - a new enterprise hub at Colworth Science Park, Bedfordshire, which is being developed by Unilever and leading research and business space provider Goodman.

Contractor Kier is carrying out the construction work and the development is expected to be completed in January 2011.

Designed by architects RMJM, The Exchange, is named to reflect its open innovation design that will help drive the exchange of knowledge and ideas. The complex will provide 21,000 sq ft of dining, conference and meeting space complemented by a 35,000 sq ft Innovation Centre, all located at the heart of Colworth Science Park.

The Exchange will enhance the Park’s open innovation environment where networking and collaboration are integral to the campus culture by providing modern flexible laboratory and office suites, a café-restaurant, and modern meeting plus conference facilities for up to 200 people. These facilities will be open to businesses off site to use in addition to those on the campus.

The development will support economic growth in Bedfordshire and the UK by bringing together academia, SMEs and other life science companies to drive technology transfer. This has been made possible following the investment of £13.7 million from the Goodman:Unilever joint venture and the East of England Development Agency (EEDA).

EEDA has supported the development of The Exchange, including the Innovation Centre, with £4.4m of funding. EEDA’s support will enable IFR Extra, Cranfield University and the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Manufacturing (IfM) to establish a presence at Colworth Science Park. The groups will be based alongside one of Unilever’s global research centres and over 17 small and medium size enterprises in a variety of fields which undertake cutting-edge research, prototyping and product development.

The Innovation Centre will offer flexible laboratory and office suites designed to accommodate growing businesses and academics in a collaborative environment. Goodman and Unilever, which formed a 50:50 joint venture to develop the 1,200 acre site, hope the Innovation Centre will help address a shortage of scientific lab space in the area with an ‘easy in/ easy out’ leasing policy.