Engineering the future
Southampton Science Park has unveiled a prestigious new Engineering Centre, an exciting multi-million-pound investment in the region’s burgeoning engineering expertise.
The highly anticipated Engineering Centre at Southampton Science Park formally opens this month, and it is already proving to be a welcome addition to the South’s commercial landscape.
This new facility was designed for engineering-led companies across a wide range of sectors – including eco-hydraulics, electronics, transport, aerospace, energy and autonomous systems.
It is unique in its ability to provide sector-focused, highly practical, tailored accommodation combinations of workshops, offices, meeting areas and creative space all under one roof, while roller shutter doors and a goods lift provide pain-free access for companies working on large-scale projects.
Reconfigurable collaboration zones, including breakout areas, one-to-one cubicles, ideas wall and coffee bar, are key to the Centre’s ethos of providing residents with an environment where they can build relationships with like-minded businesses and academic researchers from the University of Southampton.
It’s no wonder that demand for space there has been high, indicative of the need for such bespoke, high-quality facilities, which are already attracting inward investment to the region: Norwegian offshore energy company, Kontiki Winds will be moving in shortly.
Others have taken the opportunity to expand their operations, taking full advantage of the spacious new workshop facilities to expedite their research and development. Audioscenic is one example, the company needing a workshop capable of housing a car to develop new markets for its groundbreaking spatial audio technology. AI entrepreneurs Nquiringminds, solar energy experts Absolar, and logistics revolutionaries Windracers, similarly required facilities they could configure to suit specific needs and accommodate their growth plans.
Dr Robin Chave, CEO of the Science Park, is delighted with this addition to the already impressive and well-respected property portfolio at the Chilworth site. “One of the things that sets Southampton Science Park apart from other commercial premises is our ability to anticipate the needs of a broad range of science and technology businesses. Several years in development, our new Engineering Centre is the latest example of this. Our region’s engineering businesses have enormous potential for high-growth, and we’re pleased to help equip them to realise this. It’s no wonder many were unable to wait for our official opening to get in and get to work!
“I would like to extend our gratitude to the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership and Research England for their financial support to enable us to bring this project to fruition, and also to the University of Southampton for choosing this new centre of excellence to locate its Future Towns Innovation Hub.”
There are just two small offices remaining in the Engineering Centre, suitable for start-up companies that wish to place themselves in the region’s newest facility and benefit from its prestigious setting.
HOME OF THE FUTURE TOWNS INNOVATION HUB
The Engineering Centre is home to the Future Towns Innovation Hub, an initiative led by the University of Southampton.
The Hub will facilitate interactions between business and academia to identify and address impediments to improving quality of life and economic outcomes for the region. Ultimately, it hopes to make our towns happier, healthier, sustainable places to live and work, tackling challenges such as energy efficient housing, connectivity, water conservation, transport, waste management and recycling, as well as contributing to population health and wellbeing.
For more, visit: futuretowns.soton.ac.uk
