UKSPA Breakthrough Issue 24

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A message from the UK Science Park Association (UKSPA) Board

New CEO recruitment underway The UK Science Park Association (UKSPA) represents, promotes and supports a diverse network of members that includes science parks, research campuses, city-based innovation districts, technology incubators and innovation centres.

The UKSPA Board is seeking a new CEO to continue the growth and development of the Association.

The CEO will shape and deliver an effective long-term strategy, growing the organisation by enhancing UKSPA’s membership offer and advocating for its members to external stakeholders, including government agencies. They will be the ambassador for the UK science park movement on the national stage.

We encourage you to arrange a discussion with our search partner, Perrett Laver, to find out more about the opportunity. Perrett Laver is the leading executive search firm committed to organisations seeking positive outcomes in education, research, society and the environment.

Initial expressions of interest can be directed to Lucy Roper at lucy.roper@perrettlaver.com.

For more information, please visit: https://candidates.perrettlaver.com/vacancies/ or scan the code quoting reference number 7784.

Rent lab and office space at Rothamsted and be part of a vibrant and innovative community in the heart of our Harpenden campus

01582 938500 info@rothamstedenterprises.com www.rothamstedenterprises.com

2 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

issue 24

Contents

38 Equipping the next generation The Thames Freeport, a designated economic zone in southeast England, has awarded a significant grant to CEME (Centre for Engineering, Manufacturing & Electronics) to boost green skills education.

22 Advocacy 07 Collaboration key to future laboratories A new report, The Future Lab, identifies the need to build-in opportunities for collaboration in new research facilities. We speak to Darius Umrigar and Brooke Grindlinger to find out more.

10 2025 Time to grow-up at Chesterford Research Park Find out how the new Sidney Sussex Building is designed to support ventures poised between start-up and scale-up.

12 Challenges of inclusivity How can science parks and innovation districts be made more inclusive? Jasmine Ceccarelli-Drewry from Montagu Evans talks through an increasingly topical subject.

20 New I2SL chapter fosters lab sustainability in the UK Phil Macdonald discusses the launch of the new UK chapter.

innovation 22 Innovative toymaker keeps delivering the WOW! factor Founder Richard North tells the story of WOW! Stuff, UKSPA’s innovative company of the year 2024, to Breakthrough.

28 Innovation holds key to future of Liverpool City Region University of Liverpool's Prof.

Anthony Hollander and John Whaling from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority emphasise the importance of innovation in shaping the city region’s future.

growth

impact 42 Groundbreaking net zero hotel at Exeter Science Park The newly opened voco Zeal Exeter Science Park is the culmination of a decade-long sustainability odyssey for Zeal Hotels' MD Tim Wheeldon, but it’s also just the beginning.

46 How to decarbonise a campus Switching from gas to electricity means striking a balance between cost, carbon, legislative compliance and technical complexities. Neither landlord nor tenant can do it alone, says Ridge's Phil Kelly.

trends 48 Talking about change in the move to low carbon What would a net zero future mean for the UK’s science laboratories? GXN's Kåre Stokholm Poulsgaard and James Buckley-Walker from 3PM talk about the findings of their joint research.

16 Making the CaSE for UK R&D Dr Alicia Greated's experience in her first year as executive director of the Campaign for Science & Engineering (CaSE).

32 Team building Bristol's deep tech sector Groundbreaking work by Science Creates is about to see Bristol’s third deep tech incubator built in less than a decade. Simon Penfold hears the story so far.

52 Getting AI right in the world of infrastructure There is significant opportunity for, and increasing use of, AI in the world of construction and design, but Arup's Caro Ames says caution and expertise are vital in its application.

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welcome Dr sally basker

UKSPA Chair CEO, Exeter Science Park Breakthrough is an Open Box Media and Communications publication produced in association with UKSPA.

UNITED KINGDOM SCIENCE PARK ASSOCIATION (UKSPA) Chesterford Research Park, Garden Cottage, Saffron Walden CB10 1XL

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Chair Dr Sally Basker

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Exciting opportunities await t is a real privilege to have been recently appointed Chair of the Association, I look forward to continuing the work of the previous Chair, John Leake, and I thank him for his leadership over the last two years.

UKSPA’s 40th anniversary conference at Warwick last October, recognised UKSPA’s modest beginnings as our forefathers (and they were all men) were starting to develop science parks and needed to come together to learn from each other, to find out what worked… and what didn’t! It also recognised the many challenges that we all face: sustainability, inclusivity, energy and funding to name just a few.

Our sector continues to develop with science parks joined by innovation centres and districts, incubators, clusters, hot spots and other knowledge-based centres. There are many ownership models - local authorities, universities, private sector and more - as national and regional politicians and policy makers recognise and want to exploit the economic development opportunities to create high-value jobs as well as to drive productivity and growth.

Economic growth is the driving ambition of every government. Science parks are innovation crucibles that bring together researchers, inventors, entrepreneurs, funding, laboratory and other facilities as well as the wider ecosystem of professional service firms to deliver that growth. The facilities and operational capabilities we develop are a means to this end and we need to monitor their use and configure them to reflect ongoing changes to the working environment in order to attract businesses and their employees to our parks.

We perhaps don’t always consider ourselves to be in the ‘people’ business, but UKSPA’s members support over 6,500 businesses, employing approximately 140,000 people in high-value jobs with a gross value-add to the national economy

of many billions of pounds each year.

The challenge is to create communities and cultures that lead on and welcome equality, diversity and inclusivity in its broadest sense as well as to communicate the exciting STEMM developments to the next generation.

As I reflect on the last eight years that I have been attending UKSPA meetings, I am conscious how the presentations and side discussions at UKSPA meetings have so often provided insight that has helped me to respond to challenges in my ‘day job’ at Exeter Science Park. That this is possible is entirely due to UKSPA’s open, welcoming and collaborative culture which is led by the Board alongside the Executive Team.

I very much look forward to welcoming members old and new, as well as key stakeholders to our Spring Conference at Exeter Science Park on 13th and 14th March. Across the two days will be discussing key topics such as funding beyond the Golden Triangle; effective and sustainable incubation ecosystems; the journey to net zero carbon science; sustainable facilities and infrastructure; and much more.

This will be an opportunity to stay in a new net-zero hotel and to drink carbon-negative rum!

My recent appointment comes at an exciting time for the Association.

With more members than ever before, the Board and I are totally committed to ensuring UKSPA continues have a strong voice across the UK, as our community goes from strength to strength. n

recruitment for new UKSPA CEO

The UKSPA Board is seeking a new CEO to continue the growth and development of the Association. Initial expressions of interest can be directed to Lucy Roper at our search partner Perrett Laver: lucy.roper@perrettlaver.com.

For more information, please use the code and quote reference number 7784.

Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 5

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SECONDS WITH JOE BURNHAM

With life sciences driving innovation at an unprecedented rate, the spaces we create must evolve to support not just science, but the collaboration and creativity behind it. Joining Habit Action has given me a unique vantage point to explore this challenge—and a fresh perspective on designing for the future of science.

Challenges like these underscore the importance of partnering with experienced design-and-build teams that understand the intricacies of life science spaces.

Beyond purpose-built parks, the pandemic also spurred demand for repurposed spaces.

Converting older offices or mid-tech buildings into laboratory spaces offered a quicker, more adaptable solution for bespoke scientific needs.

As the market adapts to these challenges, futureproofing has emerged as a critical priority for businesses navigating an evolving landscape. With Cambridge alone boasting a pipeline in excess of 500,000 square feet of proposed lab space, from Merlin Place to Discovery Drive and beyond - the UK is firmly positioned as a leader in life science infrastructure.

These projects, however, are not without challenges. Retrofitting existing buildings involves significant costs and risks for clients, especially when adapting spaces not originally designed for laboratory use. Power upgrades, ventilation systems, and waste management infrastructure can add substantial layers of complexity.

Yet, as exciting as this is, the road ahead is not without uncertainties. On more occasions than I’d like to admit, I’ve walked through pristine, untouched spaces designed for specific occupiers but never used. Projects can be paused or scrapped altogether due to shifting funding or evolving business needs.

One particularly vivid example comes to mind: a promising office-to-lab conversion in Cambridge that ran into hurdles midway when it became clear the building’s structural integrity couldn’t accommodate the heavy equipment required for a CL2 laboratory.

This raises an important question: have we reached the point where supply meets or exceeds demand?

While commercial agents are still tracking substantial lab requirements, the appearance of "grey stock" and slowing uptake suggest we may be approaching a turning point.

JOE BURNHAM Insights written by Joe, Project Director at Habit Action Science.

Reach out to him to find out more about our services.

T: +44 7385 494973 E: j.burnham@ihguk.com

SCAN THE CODE TO VIEW OUR PROJECTS View our recent projects in your area - we have experience across the UK, specialising in lab design and fit-out, as well as technology, controlled environments and asset repositioning.

We also offer workplace strategy and sustainable design solutions.

LEIGHTON BUZZARD

LONDON science.habitaction.com

CAMBRIDGE

Advocacy survey jointly conducted by NBBJ, a global firm of architects, and The New York Academy of Sciences has asked scientists what they want from the next generation of laboratory buildings.

The responses, from more than 1,000 scientists across the world, will feed into current and future projects from US-based architecture firm NBBJ and a host of other firms as they develop more user-friendly buildings purposedesigned to encourage research and innovation.

The Future Lab report included pleas for “A lab designed for collaboration”, “A healthy, sustainable research building that simplifies scientists' lives”, and “Flexibility to effortlessly adapt to any research need”.

It is remarkable, when understanding the needs of scientists would seem critical to ensuring the success of any research building, that no comprehensive survey had previously been conducted to understand what they wanted.

That is despite, in US terms, $4.5 billion being spent on laboratory construction in 2020-2021 alone, and a further $90 billion expenditure estimated over the next decade.

w w w.breakthroughdigital.co.uk

The world according to UKSPA and its members

Collaboration key to future laboratories A new report, The Future Lab, identifies the need to build-in opportunities for collaboration in new research facilities.

Simon Penfold talks to Darius Umrigar for architects NBBJ and Brooke Grindlinger from The New York Academy of Sciences to find out more.

brooke grindlinger

Chief Scientific Officer, The New York Academy of Sciences

darius umrigar Science practice leader, NBBJ London

NBBJ is the architect of Oxford University's biggest-ever construction project, the £200m Life and Mind Building

The survey, of 1,059 scientists from The New York Academy of Sciences’ global community over the summer of 2024, used a simple 20-questions format. One finding was that more than 65% said the design of their primary research building would have a positive impact on any decision to work for an employer.

Physical comfort, and views of the outdoors and nature, were high on most scientists wish lists, while close access to food and drink options and transit links topped the charts of nearby amenities, along with green spaces, gyms and convenience stores.

Sustainable design is another area of focus, with more than eight out of ten of scientists rating as important or very important.

Keen to collaborate

But by far the biggest priority, on top of their desire for the most modern, best equipped laboratories possible, was the ability to collaborate. 82% said proximity to colleagues was important, while 66% said proximity to outside scientists was also important.

The report itself says: “Scientists want effective, flexible space to collaborate, share knowledge and conduct interdisciplinary research, supported by mentorship, networking and other programmes.”

Darius Umrigar is NBBJ’s science practice leader at the firm’s London office. As well as a host of projects in the US and around the world over the past 80 years, NBBJ is the architect of Oxford University’s biggest-ever construction project, the £200m Life and Mind Building which will combine the departments of experimental psychology, plant sciences and zoology into one 270,000 sq ft building providing research facilities to 800 students and 1,200 researchers.

He said: “Often research teams work in small groups. Sometimes one or two people, maybe bigger groups of four or eight. But what they don't always do - and it’s often been as a byproduct of the space they're in - is talk to each other.

Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 7

ADVOCACY “There are often issues of confidentiality or around the operational aspects of how they carry out their research, in the commercial sector, within R&D teams at universities and also government institutions, “But when they come out of their laboratory they start to talk and they start to share information and they realise there are significant overlaps in what they're trying to do, or new opportunities, new ways of working.

“That shared intel is a rich resource for everybody.

“So the facilities that we look to design for collaboration are really to enhance that opportunity.

Increasingly what we're finding - and this survey supports it - is that more time out of the lab is a good thing.”

It is also something that is already happening and needs to be catered for.

“With increased technology, a lot of the operations within the lab often don’t take up a full day,” Darius continued. “What’s increasingly important is that communication and collaboration.

So where can you do that? Is there a break-out area beyond the lab?

“More importantly, is it in space that's more comfortable, that you can share over a screen and some good coffee or even a meal.

“Human aspects to the spaces that support the research are increasingly important to the performance, not only of scientists but the performance of the building they are in.

“Our experience over the last 10 years, and the results of some of the buildings we’ve designed and had constructed, provides some of that evidence.”

With the idea of enhancing personal connections while protecting confidentiality, NBBJ’s work on the Translational Research Building at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Mental Health Institute used larger floor plates and an expansive atrium - instead of the isolated, vertically-stacked layout typical in lab buildings – to allow colleagues to connect up, down and across the building.

“The longer quest for us is to keep making sure that the buildings we're designing are adaptable enough in the long term to keep the collaboration going, 8 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

but also enable technical change within those spaces.”

“In both the public and private sectors there is a constant demand for the best talent, begging the question of how you recruit people and then keep them and nurture them. Increasingly the facilities that are offered, the working conditions and the good stuff that wraps around that for modern day living - whether it is creche facilities, parking or proximity to transport hubs - all these things make a big difference.

“Perhaps 20 years ago these factors were really not on the agenda but they are front and centre of that agenda now.”

Effective research

To make life more complicated, The Future Lab’s research found scientists in different fields had differing wish-lists. Life scientists, likely due to the interdisciplinary nature of life science research, put a premium on collaborative space.

Scientists say building design impacts where they want to work

Above The Quadram Institute's five storey building on the Norwich Research Park sits at the forefront of research into food, the gut microbiome, and human health

Below Those who took part in the survey said the ability to collaborate was their top priority

Percent who say proximity to colleagues is important

Academic scientists, working long hours writing grants, preparing lectures and grading papers, valued physical comfort more. Industry professionals put more emphasis on social interaction, possibly due to the numerous departments they need to collaborate with to do their work.

The job of the designers and architects is now to put the research into effect. Darius said: “It is a lot more now than merely designing a highly functional and sustainable research facility.

“Location is important. When, for instance, pharmaceutical companies make major decisions like moving their headquarters, one of the key issues is where do you house people? Where are they going to live? As designers it goes beyond the science.

“For instance, one pharma company I spoke to has been monitoring their lab space for the last year and found it is occupied less than a third of the time. But they offer lots of free-flowing areas between offices and labs which are populated all the time. Quite often that's where work is done, information exchanged, research carried out.

“Looking further ahead we only see that kind of approach

Percent who say proximity to outside scientists is important

Left The Future Lab report gained insight into a number of key focus areas for scientists

ADVOCACY increasing where there are key activities in the wet lab, but a lot more time spent outside of the lab.”

Brooke Grindlinger, chief scientific officer at report collaborators The New York Academy of Sciences, agreed.

“I think we've seen this really transformative shift in research from the lone scientist, the lone genius, to science very much being conducted in a team way.

“That's emphasised the importance of collaboration across labs, across departments, across disciplines, across institutions and geographies. It’s also created demand for reimagining lab design to foster that interaction, communication and collaboration.

“We're also seeing academic research thriving in very close collaboration with partners from industry, from government, and even the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors.

“So having lab spaces that facilitate interactions across those stakeholders in those different sectors is really important. Those lines between academia, industry, and government are continuing to blur. So the physical environment has to adapt to foster those kinds of crucial partnerships.”

Diverse direction

The report’s findings pose potentially huge challenges for designers and architects now and in the future, producing facilities that meet the needs of an increasingly diverse scientific community.

Darius said: “The drive is to create great quality facilities that are able to adapt to suit an ever-changing research landscape.

That is a good way to design for the long term, for sustainability, and to enable tenants and owners to spend wisely while keeping their day-to-day business running.”

Brooke added: “We want scientists to be creative, and what spurs creativity in one scientist may not be what spurs creativity in another scientist.

“As a society we’ve become more aware and more accepting of the needs of a neurodivergent workforce. So it’s clear that lab design needs to be more human, more inclusive, more adaptable. w w w.breakthroughdigital.co.uk

Convenience topped the charts

Food & drink options

Convenient transport options

Wellness followed

Parks or green space

“Simple things like a quiet space to work alone, or adjustable lighting, access to nature, or maybe open spaces to meet with colleagues by the coffee machine to engage in those conversations in those curated moments of serendipity, can make a huge difference in helping people work at their best.

“If we think about designing labs that take these things into account, we can really create environments where everyone can thrive, no matter what their working style is.”

As well as catering the needs of the people, these research spaces have to adapt to the growing impact of artificial intelligence.

Brooke said: “I think data science itself, particularly through the integration of AI-powered tools, is rapidly becoming foundational across almost every single research discipline.

“This is something that used to be within the realms of just computer scientists or people working in certain technical disciplines. Now it really doesn't matter what realm of science or discipline you're working in, it's highly likely that you're going to be using data science and AI-powered

Gyms or fitness centers

Above Scientists' wish lists saw food and drink options as one of the main preferred facilities

Below Designed

by NBBJ, the Fabrica laboratory and office building has been designed to provide full flexibility of wet labs and offices across five floors

Pharmacies & convenience stores

Entertainment & leisure options

Child & family care options

tools at some point to take your sophisticated data and conduct the analysis that you need that helps drive innovation and new insights.

“We saw in the survey that scientists felt that AI and other technologies are going to be more disruptive in future years than they are today. And so that's going to necessitate thinking about lab design that prioritises new data storage, data management and accessibility.

“The scientific community is keen to explore how they can adopt AI-powered technologies in their research. What are the limitations of those tools? How are they best deployed? And also what are the guardrails that need to be in place to make sure they're deployed ethically, accurately and in a way so that we truly understand what's going on in those AI algorithms.”

Work to exploit the findings of the report continues. A significant portion of respondents said their research buildings did not support their wellbeing. Given the higher levels of mental illness scientists face compared to the general population, even modest interventions such as introducing more natural elements can increase wellbeing and creativity by 15%.

NBBJ is now looking at how to apply a range of design strategies grounded in neuroscience research to improve physical and mental wellbeing in new buildings. n

the future lab

Use the code to read more detail about the report and download the full survey data

Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 9

ADVOCACY

2025

Time to grow-up at Chesterford Research Park

F

or those life science ventures outgrowing shared laboratories but not yet ready to command a standalone headquarters, the path towards finding the next ‘just right’ lab space can be unclear.

Chesterford Research Park’s latest development, the Sidney Sussex Building, seeks to bridge this gap: with its bespoke solution designed to support ventures poised between start-up and scale-up.

Filling the gap in life science real estate

Scheduled for completion later this year, the Sidney Sussex Building is a 55,764 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility located within the serene 250-acre Chesterford Research Park, just outside Cambridge. This development introduces ten fully fitted R&D suites tailored to meet the needs of ventures navigating the middle ground of business growth.

The life sciences industry is marked by rapid development cycles. Early-stage companies frequently leverage bench space in shared labs, benefiting from collaboration and flexibility.

However, as ventures progress, their requirements shift. More space is needed for tailored experiments, expanded teams, and proprietary equipment. Yet committing to an entire building can be a daunting leap for those still solidifying their footing in the market.

The addition of this level of wet laboratory accommodation enables Chesterford Research Park to truly offer both flexibility and scalability across the board – 10 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

from those just starting out, to those branching out, and on to established ventures requiring their own HQ buildings, the Park can accommodate ventures throughout the life science R&D life cycle.

bespoke Solution

Below Upon completion, the Sidney Sussex Building will introduce ten new fully fitted R&D suites

Use the code to delve into the features of the new Sidney Sussex Building

A catalyst for scaling up

The ten R&D suites within the Sidney Sussex Building represent more than just physical spaces they are catalysts for scaling up.

With suites ranging from approximately 2,210 sq. ft. to 8,308 sq. ft., they offer an ideal environment for organisations ready to expand their operations without overcommitting. These labs come fully equipped with

ADVOCACY advanced mechanical and electrical systems, fitted fume hoods, lab benches with integrated shelving and sinks, and adjacent write-up areas. This ensures businesses can hit the ground running.

Moreover, Chesterford Research Park is no ordinary location. Situated within the South Cambridge Biocluster, the Park combines accessibility with tranquillity. Just 30 minutes from Cambridge city centre and well-connected to major transport routes, it allows innovators to focus on their groundbreaking work free from urban congestion.

On-site facilities, including the Nucleus building, encourage collaboration within the Park’s vibrant scientific community.

role of these new transitional lab spaces. Like a bridge, these labs help companies cross the chasm between early-stage innovation and largescale impact, fostering growth without the growing pains of misfit infrastructure.

A sustainable future for science

What’s in a name?

What do we call the businesses that find themselves in this transitional phase? The term “scale-up” often conjures images of ventures rapidly advancing toward IPOs or global market domination. Yet many of these life science organisations aren’t aiming to scale at breakneck speed - they’re growing thoughtfully and strategically.

Terms like "grow-ups," "step-ups,"

or "ramp-ups" have been suggested, but none seem to encapsulate the unique challenges and ambitions of these ventures.

Chesterford Research Park offers a fresh perspective, coining the term bio-bridge labs to describe the critical

Beyond its tailored spaces, the Sidney Sussex Building embodies a commitment to sustainability.

Designed to achieve BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and targeting EPC ‘A,’ the building will be carbon-neutral upon completion. Biodiversity enhancements such as wildflower meadows, bird and bat boxes, and wildlife-sensitive lighting complement the Park’s natural setting.

With daily shuttle services to Cambridge, ample EV charging stations, and group fitness classes, Chesterford Research Park not only supports scientific progress but also prioritises the well-being of its community.

A flexible foundation for tomorrow’s innovations

For life science ventures at the tipping point between early exploration and larger-scale development, the Sidney Sussex Building offers a home like no other.

It’s not just about square footage or facilities - it’s about enabling companies to realise their potential in a space designed for evolution.

With the introduction of the bio-bridge lab concept in the Sidney Sussex Building, Chesterford Research Park is demonstrating its understanding of the life science growth journey – a concept which ensures companies can move forward confidently, supported by space that adapts to their changing needs.

As 2025 gets into full swing, the message from Chesterford Research Park is clear: it’s time to grow-up, but on your own terms.

The Sidney Sussex Building invites ventures to step into the next chapter of their journey, equipped with the space, resources, and community to thrive. n

discover more online

For more information, please visit chesterfordresearchpark.com Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 11

ADVOCACY perators and developers across the UK’s science park community are increasingly tackling the issue of inclusivity.

Increasing societal pressures alongside an importance of attracting the broadest range of talent is not just driving debate, but influencing how and where development is taking place.

Alongside this is a growing awareness that science and innovation cannot take place in a vacuum but thrives when part of a broader community. Building an innovation district or cluster must also take account of workforce availability, transport links, housing, open spaces and a broad range of infrastructure.

Jasmine Ceccarelli-Drewry is a member of the growing Strategic Advisory team at property consultancy Montagu Evans, working on development and property projects that have social and place-based challenges at their core.

Recruited from her previous role as part of the regeneration team at the London borough of Hackney, she is now driving Montagu Evans’ social impact consultancy offer, working with both public and private sector clients.

She was also a guest at UKSPA’s 40th anniversary conference at the University of Warwick, speaking on a panel focused on inclusivity in the science park sector.

“I grew up in Cambridge, so I have experience of what it’s like to grow up around science parks in the city,” Jasmine recalls. “I’m a keen rollerblader, and my friends and I would go out to the science parks at the weekend because they were just empty concrete spaces.

It was perfect for us.

“I use that as a hook when I’m speaking about the need for science parks to be integrated more naturally into life if we're going to normalise these kinds of worlds for people. It has helped shape my own thinking around how we encourage people to interact with science and innovation through different means.

“It doesn’t have to be through standard educational programmes; we can be creative and think about this in a different way.

12 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

Challenges of inclusivity in new developments How can science parks and innovation districts be made more inclusive? Jasmine Ceccarelli-Drewry, from property consultancy Montagu Evans, talks through an increasingly topical subject.

Cross-disciplinary

Montagu Evans recognises that clients increasingly need consultants with cross-disciplinary backgrounds to work as part of teams tackling these complex problems, something its Strategic Advisory offer helps to address.

“At Montagu Evans we are increasingly working on life sciences projects, with our Planning, Advisory and Agency teams all active in this area.

“A lot of my work is now focusing on life science developments and innovation districts trying to understand how to drive more inclusive developments.”

“The work I do, primarily with developers, is helping them to develop social impact strategies.

“For me, our role is all about creating better development and real estate solutions for society,” said Jasmine.

“Most recently I've been leading the development of the social impact strategy for the Whitechapel Life sciences cluster, in London’s Tower Hamlets, which involves Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust as well as developers Lateral, BentallGreenOak (BGO) and NHS Property Services.” Supporting Montagu Evans on the development of this strategy is consultancy, Akou, which specialises in impact measurement.

The Whitechapel proposals will regenerate a series of outdated buildings and empty sites around the Royal London Hospital and Queen Mary University, being the

Above Jasmine is leading the development of the social impact strategy for the Whitechapel Life Sciences cluster

catalyst in creating a thriving life science cluster. The masterplan features ground-floor public spaces, including community areas, retail, and outreach services. The success of the new plans is underpinned by an inclusive public realm, connecting with a complex mix of existing communities, businesses and institutions, while also providing an environment that is green, safe and climate resilient.

“We’ve also been working in Camden, having supported Ballymore and Lateral with the social value strategy as part of their recent successful bid to

ADVOCACY

partner with the council to deliver 350 homes and 200,000 sqf of commercial life science space at Camley Street in Kings Cross.

“Making innovation-focused development inclusive is very topical at the moment.

“I think it's driven by the fact that it's becoming closer to business critical; it's about tackling the skills gap, it's creating places which stand out. It's about the competitive edge, how do we make markets which compete on an international basis to attract and retain the best organisations, talent and investment. It is also about growing local talent pipelines and supply chains. So, we are increasingly exploring how to make sure that these places actually sit well in communities, don't have a negative impact and contribute positively to a city or a town.

“Those drivers are why we are having so many of these conversations – which is really exciting.”

Science on display

She continued: “It’s about creating somewhere that is going to be a welcoming environment, and creates economic, environmental and social opportunities for the broadest range of people. w w w.breakthroughdigital.co.uk

“What is so challenging is that achieving this is often a complex systemic issue.

It will require a number of different actors of change to tackle some of the challenges around inequality in education, economic opportunity and health and wellbeing.

“There are so many people who have switched off from science before 16, sometimes before the age of 10. We need to look at what is driving that.

“For our projects we’ve been doing a lot of work mapping out these broader sector challenges, looking at who is often excluded and how science parks and new life science development can help adjust that.

“These spaces have never been particularly welcoming and that’s part of the issue too. Science and innovation has never been particularly normalised in society.

It's not like we have these spaces and these people that we can see, like we do in other disciplines.

Most people are not surrounded by science and innovation.

“And they have traditionally been in parts of the city which have been separated from civic life.

There haven’t been the opportunities to integrate them.

“That, in itself, has actually shaped the sector and the type of innovation which has developed.

There are repercussions of that exclusivity in the technology and innovation that we live with, in terms of the gender divide and the racial divide.

Above The proposal for Cavell Street in Whitechapel developed by Lateral, with design by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM)

Below Montagu Evans helps clients achieve positive social outcomes through the built environment

“I am working with developers who are looking to directly address this, to put ‘science on display’ and integrate civic uses into innovationfocused developments. An example is Lateral’s concept for Cavell Street in Whitechapel.

Jasmine continued: “In the past there used to be a lot of what I call ‘invisible social value strategies’, with community outreach and charitable giving delivering positive impact, but not happening directly on-campus, or near to the developments driving that outreach. No-one talked about it, and it was something separate to core business.

“Increasingly the social impact actions that we're trying to deliver with developers are very visible, completely integrated to the place they're trying to deliver. We are seeing social impact now considered part of comprehensive strategy to create a successful place, not just a superficial concept of development. Fundamentally this means that placemaking is now more than ever about driving interaction and inclusive social

Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 13

ADVOCACY and economic participation, rather than just considering design or architecture principles.

“I work across disciplines and across different sectors, which is useful because there are lessons to be learned from built environment and inclusive regeneration practices elsewhere.

“We’re working with clients on strategies which look to address outcomes relating to local health and wellbeing, economic prosperity and inclusivity, diverse business growth, supporting entrepreneurship as well as creating cross-generational educational opportunities. We also often look at environmental opportunities too, such as quality public realm, community-led stewardship, enhanced biodiversity and play.

At its heart, Jasmine and her colleagues are working with commercially minded clients facing two agendas: driving genuine social benefit whilst driving best-in-class commercial and viable schemes.

“Those agendas are closer than we've ever seen them before.

Successful developments are those where people want to live and where people can thrive. That requires quite dedicated strategy to achieve that.”

Social impact strategies

Social Impact strategies also form part of long-term future skills gap planning, to ensure retain staff and attract the best talent and organisations.

Jasmine says she is seeing a change in attitude across the industry in its approach to these issues.

“When it comes to questions about whether organisations are willing to put resources into some of these concepts to make them work, we are starting to see the tipping point among investment stakeholders. There’s an actual level of commitment as opposed to just good ideas.”

Whether it is a new-build project or redevelopment of an existing science park, Jasmine says her approach is always to sit down with the client and look at the different levels of change which are available.

“We need to first understand who the stakeholders are.

14 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

That might be the developers, contractors or the future tenant base, or the local community itself, and then we will start to explore what potential does each entity have to drive positive impact.

“Then we talk about the concept of how the development project can be carried out in an inclusive way.

“And finally, we ask what is the inherent value of the place that we’re trying to create?

“Essentially, there is an opportunity for impact creation at each stage of the development life cycle.

“In every project the specific levers and actions of change will be different. But that's our job, to work through that breadth of opportunity, and to understand the local context within which we're operating.

“If there are particular local challenges or barriers which might prevent that inclusivity or impact from being achieved, we need to understand that and come up with ways to overcome them.”

“It feels like there is quick progress at the moment. These are significant challenges that we’re confronting, but fundamentally we’re seeing a lot of alignment in terms of what different organisations are trying to achieve, and the public and private sector are coming together to try and progress these issues.”

But the property industry is facing a series of challenges in policy terms when it comes to delivering social impact.

“We don’t have the same policy hooks that sustainability has at the moment, and that’s a challenge, but that is shifting. We’re starting to see planning policy with a reference to social value. Public procurement regulations are also changing this year and is expected to emphasise further the role of social value.

Above Jasmine introducing social impact at the Supply Wandsworth Social Value Breakfast

“We’re also seeing growth in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and place-based impact investing. Those levers that have been driving sustainability are starting to catch up with social factors as well.”

Away from the policy, on the ground the job is about working though potential challenges with clients.

Jenny Rydon, Partner and Head of Strategic Advisory, explains: “We work with clients to find financial and governance models to sustain initiatives in the long term. The biggest challenge is sometimes just bringing together different stakeholders to align interests, opportunity and activity.

“As a sector, our understanding of development and impact potential is evolving. We are able to continuously develop our approaches to overcome hurdles and realise potential benefits, especially with passionate and dedicated practitioners.

Jasmine added: “There will be a developer, or the landowners or long-term steward of the project.

But who will be running these spaces? Will it be the occupiers?

And how willing is the landowner to impose obligations on the tenants and how willing, or able, are those tenants to fulfil impact obligations?

“We're trying to find the right language so that every single stakeholder finds their piece in the story, explore what positive impact they are already delivering, and can offer in the future - and how to do that with some kind of funding mechanism which enables it to be sustained in the long term.

“To be honest that’s always the key challenge: finding the right language for each stakeholder on a project to find their own place in the story.” n

caring about people, about legacy and about spaces

Find out more about Montagu Evans at montagu-evans.co.uk

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Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 15

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Making the CaSE for R&D in the UK Simon Penfold talks to Dr Alicia Greated in her first year as executive director of the Campaign for Science & Engineering (CaSE) dealing with a General Election, a new government and a major Budget, with more to come.

I

t’s been a baptism of fire for the new head of CaSE – the Campaign for Science & Engineering – the organisation advocating for R&D in the UK. Dr Alicia Greated – she has a PhD in molecular microbiology from Birmingham University - was appointed executive director in April last year, just weeks before Rishi Sunak announced a general election, plunging CaSE into a major programme highlighting the importance of R&D to the British economy.

Once the new Labour Government was installed, in July, the organisation was immediately working to ensure the best possible result for research, development, science and engineering in the party’s first Budget for 14 years, in October.

In the run-up to the election Labour leader Keir Starmer and Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves had already unveiled plans to make the UK a leader in research and development, making it a priority in their plans to grow the economy.

But Alicia and the team at CaSE were taking nothing for granted, putting together a manifesto calling on the next government to commit to long term investment in research and development.

“We drew up a 100 day plan and wrote to all the main parties,” said Alicia. “We also we did a lot of

16 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

analysis on what the plans of the different parties were, and we also wrote to each of the prospective parliamentary candidates with tailored messages about R&D and the attitudes of their constituents towards R&D.” The organisation was able to call on the findings of a major research programme, called Discovery Decade, that it ran from 2021-24.

A study of public attitudes, it was able to demonstrate that the public thought R&D investment was important. 70% of those taking part thought it was important for Government to invest in R&D, while 58% thought it should be a high or top priority A clear majority – 65% - said it was clear investing in R&D would grow the economy, while 57-64% thought investing in R&D was a better strategy to grow the economy than increasing the minimum wage, cutting income taxes or building new transport links.

Following the election, CaSE used its research in a major follow-up campaign.

Alicia explained: “Along with the new government, around half of the 650 MPs were new. So we condensed a lot of work into a very short timescale and put together an analysis for every Parliamentary constituency.

“We sent each MP a pack specifically about their constituencies. It included predictions of the opinions their constituents held around R&D. We had case studies about R&D in their constituencies, science parks and so on.

“We’ve had some great feedback on that. This is what we do, using very rigorous evidence to lead our core policy work.

“We also benefit from a huge amount of trust; we are independent of government and funded almost entirely through our members.”

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Leading voice for R&D

The Campaign for Science and Engineering was launched in 2005, evolving out of the organisation Save British Science, formed in 1986 to protest cuts to the UK science budget. They decided to take an advert in The Times, urging the Government to ‘Save British Science’. But contributions from the scientific community raised more than double what was needed, enabling the foundation of Save British Science.

Now representing more than 100 scientific organisations CaSE has become the UK’s leading voice for R&D. Dr Alicia Greated was recruited as executive director after a wide-ranging career in the R&D sector, including global director of research and enterprise at Heriot Watt University and work for the UK Research Councils in India and China. Since 2019 she had been CEO w w w.breakthroughdigital.co.uk

of the Knowledge Transfer Network .

It is clear she is thriving in her high-pressure new role. “It's been amazing. I've really enjoyed it. I've learned a lot. That's what your work should be about, shouldn't it?

You're doing something useful and you're learning and contributing.

“It's been very interesting and full-on because of the election. And we worked very hard on the Budget.

We were pleased with the outcome because it could have been very different and we were also , really proud of the way that the sector worked so well together.”

She continued: “There were difficult implications from rumoured cuts coming in the Budget, so very quickly we had to dig into that, find out what was behind it. That took a lot of work but again done very quickly. We then worked across the sector and within 24 hours we had 38 organisations – collective R&D

Above Alicia Greated hosted an appearance

by Peter Kyle MP, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation & Technology, at CaSE’s September conference

organisations, companies, universities and so on – to support our positive message about the importance of continuing investment in R&D. “Effectively we were telling them: ‘It's really important you don't damage the sector in this Budget because we need to be ready for the longer term’.

“The heart and soul of CaSE was reflected in that work on the Budget, bringing the sector together and corralling the messages, showing our value.

“Traditionally the way research is funded, and the way the system is created, naturally generates a lot of competition, which can be important and valuable and in some contexts is needed. But there are times, especially when money's tight, when being united is very powerful and necessary.

“CaSE is the leading independent voice for R&D. We have members from academia, from business, from charities, learned societies, science parks, the whole breadth of fundamental research, applied innovation and development.

“We have small businesses, big businesses and a lot of universities as members, and they are all very different types of organisations.

The reason they come together, and the reason CaSE exists, is R&D - making sure we’ve got a thriving sector that is delivering, creating impact in people’s lives, their livelihoods.

“Our job involves working across the R&D community, trying to have a united voice and understanding what the issues are; understanding what some of the big challenges are facing the sector and being able to advocate in a way that's appropriate.

“We need to be very in tune with what is happening in government and what is happening across the sector, so we can get our messages across.

“The work on public opinion we've been doing recently has given us a really important lens on how we make those messages more compelling.

Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 17

support “We have been able to reach politicians and the public in a way that that I don't think we've done before. And I think that's very exciting.”

The key, she says, is the combination of policy work with the public opinion research. A new programme is currently being put together to deliver both quantitative and qualitative research over the next five years on public attitudes around research and development.

“It is important that we create a compelling narrative. We use this phrase, ‘making R&D matter to more people’, because we want people to care and understand its value.”

Place and purpose

Going forward, CaSE has two priorities for its public opinion work: place and purpose.

“It sounds obvious, but the statistics bear it out. We know that two thirds of people want to know about R&D in their own area. The majority would support a research lab being built in their area.

“But the challenge we've got is that, even though people think it's important, they see it as a little bit of a luxury. More than a third of people we polled can see very few – or even no – ways that investing in R&D improves their lives.

“A massive surprise to me is that it’s a bigger percentage among the younger population – those under 44. Women are more sceptical too. This is clearly an area we need to be looking at.

“People aren’t going to vote or care about what we do, in terms of R&D, if we don’t come out of our ivory towers and talk about the difference we are making.

“So now we're trying to integrate policy and public opinion, bringing everyone together to deliver the message.”

Another area of focus is science parks: “I think they are quite unique in the sector and important for use. I think there is more we could do with science parks because of the type of people and organisation they engage with.

“They are often at the cutting edge of the big issues that are happening in R&D, but might not have the time, resource, money or people to contribute to the debate.

18 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

Science parks have a lot of knowledge and could make a contribution we would find valuable.

We need to access it, and we’d like more science parks as members.

“We would also like to explore with the science park community what we can do in terms of influencing policy, because ultimately policy effects how much money we get into the system.

Everything that happens in the system is affected by policy decisions, so it's really important that the science park community and UKSPA gets its voice heard.

“Because one of the big themes coming out of government is around place and local innovation.

And again the science parks pay a key role in that, building communities that are bringing innovation together and making an impact on local economies.

“Ultimately, making people's lives better and making communities better. And it's about how we get that message to politicians.”

Meanwhile CaSE is preparing to celebrate its 40th anniversary. That provides an opportunity to reflect and to revisit its core priorities.

“The first of those is around sustained and productive investment into R&D and also being able to show the impact and value of that to society and investors.

“The second theme would be around what we've called ‘empowered people and places’ – basically about people and what they are doing: the R&D workforce, the organisations and the infrastructure they work in.

Looking at that on a national and regional level.

“The third is around connections and collaborations; local, national but also global.

Making sure our sector is really well connected at all those levels.

And making sure in our own work we connect with all our members, across the R&D sector, with society and, obviously, with politicians.

“And, of course, the immediate challenge and opportunities around having a new government.

Things like the spending review the Industrial Strategy.”

It looks like 2025 is going to be another busy year for Alicia Greated and CaSE. n

making the case

Find out why CaSE is the UK’s leading independent advocate for science and engineering at sciencecampaign.org.uk

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New I2SL Chapter fosters lab sustainability in the UK WORDS

A

s a membership organisation focused on promoting the principles of sustainability in the design, implementation and operation of laboratories and facilities for science and research across the world, the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) has been working for nearly 20 years to grow its global footprint.

Early this year, I2SL announced the launch of a chapter in the UK. Membership of I2SL is drawn from a wide range of laboratory professionals, including owners, operators and occupiers of scientific research space, as well as designers, engineers, constructors and suppliers. In addition to a series of chapters located across the United States, I2SL currently has chapters in China, Singapore and Australia, as well as co-benefits for members of Sustainable Labs Canada (SLCan).

There is significant variation between different parts of the world when it comes to climatic conditions and how our buildings need to perform. Sharing knowledge and technical expertise at a global level is one key to ensuring sustainable lab design and operations decisions are undertaken locally, which in turn results in a positive impact globally. Hence the value and importance of a truly “international” organization.

UK chapter charts a new course

To date, I2SL has not had a formal presence in the UK, though they have been regular contributors to this magazine, and have previously participated in UKSPA conferences and other UK industry events and organisations such as S-Lab. In addition, the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research—signed recently by UK Research and Innovation, Wellcome, Cancer Research UK, 20 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

Phil Macdonald

National Institute for Health and Care Research, and many other organisations—has signaled the importance of sustainable operations and buildings to funders across the UK research enterprise, if not the world.

At last year’s UKSPA 40th Anniversary conference at Warwick, I was delighted to be joined by Brad Cochran of CPP Wind Engineering Consultants, a Board Director of I2SL, to provide an introduction and overview of I2SL and their Labs2Zero programme to help decarbonize the world’s laboratories with energy and emissions benchmarking, scoring, and assessment tools.

Over the last year or so, I have been delighted to be part of a collaborative group of owners, occupiers, operators, consultants and contractors, leading efforts to establish an I2SL chapter here in the UK.

phil macdonald labs2zero programme

Read more about the Labs2Zero programme in issue 23 of Breakthrough

Below Brad Cochran, I2SL Board Director, delivered an overview of the Institute and its Labs2Zero programme at UKSPA's 40th Anniversary conference

is Managing Partner of Oberlanders Architects and leads their Science Technology and Education teams.

He has over 25 years’ experience working with owners, occupiers and operators of institutional, academic and commercial science and research facilities right across the UK and beyond.

He is a Director and Board Member representing Business Affiliate Members at UKSPA. He is also a member of I2SL and Chapter Officer for the emerging I2SL UK Chapter.

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Virtual Education Week Links Lab Leaders Around the Globe I2SL offers various educational initiatives throughout the year, including an in-person annual U.S. conference in the Autumn.

But with limits on travel and a desire to reduce airline emissions, I2SL is offering its third annual virtual, international Education Week programme in the Spring.

In cooperation with I2SL chapters in the UK, China, and Australia, SLCan, and EGNATON in Europe, the organisation will offer five days of online presentations covering lab decarbonisation, sustainable design, HVAC system optimization, and green labs.

Specific topics will include the I2SL Labs2Zero programme, space optimisation, accessible lab design, lab commissioning, and fostering behaviour change to improve sustainability in the lab environment. Registration will open soon, and sessions will be recorded for viewing at attendees’ convenience. n

Image ©Ed Nix

“ T h e I 2 SL UK C h a p t e r w i l l p r o v i d e a forum w hich focuses on facili t ies for science and rese arch and their needs in t e r m s of s u s ta in a bl e e n v ironme n ta l a nd energy p erform a nce .”

There are already several forums for dialogue and knowledge sharing, not least the role UKSPA plays in this space, alongside other initiatives such as Constructing Science, UKGBC and commercial providers such as BisNow and BEN. However, what we don’t currently have is a forum which is solely focused on facilities for science and that is the gap which I2SL is able to fill. Rather than creating yet another new forum, bringing an established sustainability organization such as I2SL to the UK allows us to build and expand upon the extensive lab efficiency knowledge and resources that exist within the UK and across the world.

Who is involved?

What can I2SL bring to the UK?

Next steps

The I2SL UK Chapter will provide a forum which focuses on facilities for science and research and their needs in terms of sustainable environmental and energy performance.

The events programme for this chapter will be focused on and relevant to the needs of UK science. It will include building visits and talks so we can see and hear how buildings are performing, what the challenges are and how we might overcome them.

We will also promote the I2SL Lab Benchmarking Tool, which can be used at no cost to compare UK lab building energy and emissions performance to similar facilities.

I2SL will encourage greater participation in the important Labs2Zero initiative through the addition of more UK based buildings in the LBT to help grow and expand this important dataset with UK peers.

benchmarking tool

Use the code for more about the I2SL Lab Benchmarking Tool

We have attracted interest from over 80 organisations from right across the UK, ranging from universities, research institutes, commercial science, pharmaceutical and manufacturing clients, commercial developers, designers, contractors and suppliers of equipment and services.

The range and variety of organisations is particularly pleasing and we are keen to continue growing and expanding our membership profile. This will ensure the activities we participate in and the knowledge we share is appropriate and relevant to what the UK science and research sector needs.

Steps to formally establish the UK Chapter of I2SL are currently being finalized, and we look forward to launching a varied programme of events right across the UK over the course of 2025.

We will also be collaborating with established partners in the UK sector, including UKSPA, to continue to promote the conversation around the positive steps we can take to ensure sustainability in the design, implementation and operation of our spaces for science and research in the UK. n

find out more & get involved Please get in touch with us at admin.ukchapter@i2sl.org

Owners, operators, occupiers, designers, constructors and suppliers to science and research facilities across the UK are all welcome to get involved.

Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 21

Innovation Extending the frontiers of UK science and industry

Innovative toymaker keeps delivering the WOW! factor Toy company WOW! Stuff was declared UKSPA’s innovative company of the year in October. Founder Richard North talks to Simon Penfold.

I

nnovation has always been the key to success at Wolverhampton-based toy firm Wow! Stuff.

Whether it is remotecontrolled fish-shaped helium balloons, called Airswimmers, Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility or nano size connectable collectables, the toys deliver the “wow” factor that in turn delivers major sales figures.

Licensing deals and partnerships with the likes of Warner Bros, Mattel, Mensa, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum has resulted in sales worth hundreds of millions worldwide over the last two decades.

This year the company’s designers and technicians have come up with what may be their biggest seller yet the Real FX Disney Stitch Puppetronic.

22 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

Above WOW! Stuff founder Richard North gets to grips with his new Puppetronic friend Stitch

Despite it’s £70 price tag it’s been selling out since it was unveiled in the summer of last year, and it was on many children’s ‘most wanted’ list this Christmas.

Founder Richard North said: “We’ve done a license with Disney to manufacture the flagship toy in what is probably their biggest brand right now.

“The toy industry has even started classing the technology we created as ‘puppetronics’, a new toy category. It’s a combination of classic puppet and animatronics. It has never been done before at this level, with the amount of animatronics, so the product looks like it’s alive.

“It’s really captured people’s imagination. It looks amazing and is stunning when you play with it.

It absolutely creates that ‘wow’ reaction we always look for, and has become a global blockbuster.

“Currently it’s number one in America, number one in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Scandinavia. Virtually everywhere.”

Not bad for a small company based on a science park in the unglamorous end of the West Midlands conurbation.

WOW! Stuff is a lean operation, with a core team of around 50 supplemented by freelancers.

Around 15 people are based in the Far East, mostly in Hong Kong but two in mainland China, because that’s where the manufacturing takes place.

There’s another 20 in the UK, most of them in Wolverhampton,

with other people overseas in Spain, Germany, Portugal. Even in the US there are just two staffers in Los Angeles. “It’s a very small office but perfect for maintaining our relationships with leading brands who are headquartered there.”

With all its success, WOW! Stuff has remained a solid tenant on Wolverhampton Science Park for the last 15 years. The flexibility the park provided allowed the fledgling business to grow, says Richard North. It also gives the company access to the talent coming out of local universities and colleges.

Stimulating spaces

Because, at its roots, this is a science and technology company.

It just uses that science and technology to come up with innovative fun products that make adults and children alike go “Wow!”. Each one is the result of a lengthy and intense process involving toy ideation, user analysis, material selection and new production methods.

innovation

Richard explained: “One thing about being a creative business is creativity doesn't happen in a vacuum. It happens when there's people around you to bounce things off.

“Just being on the park and having people around you, it’s stimulating. There are a lot of companies on the park and a lot of young people working here, mixed with some older ones. It’s a good range of brains.

“It’s why I like working in coffee shops most mornings.

I like having people around, talking and chatting. It’s energising, yet I can still maintain a focus, with my headphones on! w w w.breakthroughdigital.co.uk

Below The Disney Stitch Puppetronic creation by WOW! Stuff has been a best seller since unveiling last summer

“We have new product development meetings every few months at the science park, where 15 or 16 of us will go into one of the big rooms here and go through the concepts, the ideas we are looking at. It’s brainstorming, and more ideas flow between us, bouncing off each other.

“Some of the ideas might seem stupid at first, but they’ll spark a thought. One idea leads to another.

It’s an indirect, intuitive process where you welcome any and every idea.

“Before you know it, you've created a new toy that's gone from one daft idea to another daft idea, you iterate until you come up with something that is clever, actually WOW!” But the innovation and search for inspiration is constant. “You could be having a coffee on your own and you come up with an idea and you send it to the group.

Or you could be having a shower in the morning or even sitting on the toilet!

“For me it’s that time between being tired and going to bed, and being fully asleep, when your brain is drifting and something pops in.

You don't know how or why.

Perhaps you've been trying to solve a problem, a conundrum or a product idea. At those moments of relaxation an idea comes into your mind and I always have a notebook or a phone by the side of the bed.

“Because if you wake up at three in the morning with something on your mind, you can get rid of it.

Write it on your phone, go back to sleep and look at it in the morning.

Sometimes the best ideas are those ones you write at 3am.

“On my phone there are years of notes and stuff that I’ve come up with. I’ll look at it in the morning and say ‘that’s a good idea’ and send it through to the group.

“We’ll have three production development meetings a year at the science park and pull ideas and products apart. It’s a part of the critical path in creating a toy that comes to market.

“They’re usually two years ahead of a product ever hitting the shelf. Some will be dropped and others move forward, develop into a prototype and we’ll sit in the room and watch it work and perform.

“We all put our ideas in and move things forward and by the third PD meeting we get the finished product.”

Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 23

innovation Woven into its DNA

It was the company’s constant efforts to push the boundaries and its innovative new products that snared UKSPA’s award for innovative company of the year at the association’s anniversary event at Warwick University in October.

The award was a cause for celebration back home in the West Midlands. Nigel Babb, commercial director at the University of Wolverhampton Science Park, said: “WOW! Stuff typifies the spirit of an organisation thriving at our science park, where innovation isn’t just a concept—it’s woven into its DNA. “Through a culture that thrives on creativity, it has made innovation the driving force behind continuous product development in an ever-changing and fiercely competitive market.

“As University of Wolverhampton Science Park celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, the passion for innovation remains steadfast and continues to help shape the region’s business landscape.

“For 15 years, WOW! Stuff has been part of this dynamic ecosystem, harnessing talent from the University of Wolverhampton by recruiting and mentoring graduates. In doing so, it has not only supported the careers of university graduates but has also helped put Wolverhampton on the global map for innovation and excellence in a highly entertaining, and secretly scientific, market.”

There is an element of serendipity in the creation of Wow! Stuff.

Two decades ago Richard North was a serial entrepreneur who had just sold his third company and was on the lookout for something new.

Image ©Ed Nix

He bumped into a pair of scientists at a gift fair in Harrogate, Kenny McAndrew and Graeme Taylor.

They were selling their novelty product – a towel that was half white for the face and half brown for ‘the other end’.

“They seemed like good guys but there were trying to sell this novelty product in the wrong place,” he recalled. “They came up with the idea when they lived together at university; they had a bathroom they shared, they were broke and they were sharing one towel. So they created this unique solution.

“I ended up backing them and it was one of the best moves I ever made. We set up WOW! Stuff and ended up selling five million of those towels globally over the first years.

“We moved into toys because we thought that the business model worked for us and we had big ambitions. We bumped into another inventor who had this little robotic monkey that sat on your shoulder, with a little remote-control handset. For all the world it looked like the monkey was alive. We called it Dave and it just took off.

“It just captured people’s imaginations and we sold hundreds of thousands of them.”

“Jus t being on t he pa rk a nd h av i n g p e o p l e a r o u n d y o u , i t ’ s s t imul at ing. T he r e a r e a lo t of compa nies on t he pa rk a nd a lot of young people working here, mixed with some older ones.

I t ’ s a good r a nge of br a in s.”

24 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

He persuaded his co-founders McAndrew and Taylor (now head of licensing and new product development, and head of technologies and sustainability respectively) to move from Scotland to Wolverhampton – no easy task he admits – and soon recruited three more employees.

“And that was the start of the journey. We went from importing novelties from China to becoming a fully-fledged toymaker, bringing in more toy developers and designers, engineers, and scientists.”

innovation

“One of them is even in the Guinness Book of World Records as the first person to infect themselves with a computer virus.”

During his time working with WOW! Stuff Dr Mark Gasson, with Dr Jim Wyatt, another WOW! Stuff director, developed Dave the robot monkey and the Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak, which scooped the innovation award at the 2020 New York Toy Fair.

The company also made groundbreaking use of AI in its Real FX radio-controlled racing cars 10 years ago, licensing them to Mattel.

“They sold $100 million of that product at retail in North America, a market we are now keen to crack directly,” said Richard.

“Along the way we have learned how much timing is critical in the toy market. You can be ahead of the game and people are not ready, or you can be too late.

“But really it’s all about the chase for the ‘wow’. We are in love with bringing to the world toys that make kids, young and old, go ‘wow’. That’s very fulfilling.

“The business started with me looking for people who believed in w w w.breakthroughdigital.co.uk

the same things, and with Kenny and Graeme chasing ‘wow’ with their towel.

“When you find people that share those beliefs and values it’s easier to build a business. You are all chasing the same thing, and we were all chasing that ‘wow’ reaction for sure.

But it is hard work: “Toys are a hugely competitive market; it’s definitely the most competitive industry I’ve ever worked in.”

It is also a global market. “We've always thought of ourselves as an international business. We've never thought of ourselves as just ‘made (and sold) in the UK’. We've always had the attitude to sell anywhere in the world, however difficult.”

Above WOW! Stuff picked up the UKSPA award for innovative company of the year in October

American ambitions

One of the hardest nuts to crack is the US market. “Americans buy from Americans, as a general rule.

We sell in Walmart and in Target, but it’s hard. Ideally you need to find the right American distribution partner to work with.

“So, the next big thing that’s going to transform our business and take us a whole leap forward is having boots on the ground in America.”

The challenges to growth for WOW! Stuff mirror the challenges facing most UK science and technology businesses.

“We’ve got the creativity, we've got the engineering; British companies are brilliant, creativity is what we are great at.

“You have to subcontract out the manufacturing, in our case to the Far East because the UK is generally not competitive enough for that.

“Then you need the distribution.

That involves offices in other countries, or in the case of the US, Americans selling to Americans.”

Richard is bullish about the company’s prospects: “We're going through very big growth this year and over the next few years. This has been a big year, and next year will be even bigger. We’ve got some very exciting products and brands launching.

“It’s interesting, because the toy industry as a whole is having a tough time. Talking to a lot of my peers they are anything between 3% and 25% behind year-on-year.

But we are bucking the trend.

“I think that’s because ‘wow’ is at the centre of what we do. You’re always going to have people that want that big ‘wow’ toy at Christmas, now more than ever.

And you’re not just competing with other toys nowadays. As the saying goes, the kids get older younger, so we’re competing with mobile phones, headphones, the Nintendo Switch, areas of kids’ demand that didn’t exist 25 years ago.”

“In our industry, we've become extremely well known for innovation. If you take the top kids franchise brand owners, like Disney, Warners Brothers, Universal, and you said to them who's the top five most innovative product companies in the toy industry? I believe they’d say WOW! Stuff was one of the five.

That’s little old us, compared to others doing a billion dollars in sales.”

Our aim now is to reach our potential in sales equivalent to our reputation and our ability to deliver ‘wow’.” n

great brands brought to life Check out more of WOW! Stuff's innovative creations with a visit to www.wowstuff.com

Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 25

North East Technology Park A Thriving Ecosystem for Innovation Located in North East England, NETPark offers an unparalleled environment for innovation.

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Companies pioneer next-generation satellite communication systems, advanced energy storage materials, and photonic technologies that improve safety and efficiency.

This diversity underscores NETPark’s role as a hub for transformative technologies that impact industries globally.

The power of collaboration (left to right) Michael Tyerman, CFO, Filtronic; Kim McGuinness, North East Mayor; Janet Todd, NETPark project director; Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Leader of Durham County Council

A Vision Realised

T

wo decades ago, the decision to allocate land for a science park in County Durham was met with ambition and a forwardthinking mindset.

NETPark is home to more than 40 innovative companies, employing in excess of 700 people and driving regional economic growth.

It has brought together a unique combination of academic excellence, industry expertise, and a thriving business community to create an unparalleled ecosystem for innovation.

Councillor Amanda Hopgood, leader of Durham County Council, says: “Twenty years ago, when the council took the bold decision to allocate land to establish a science park in County Durham, the vision was for NETPark to become a global hub for engineering, science, and technology-based companies.

“It has certainly achieved that, and the county is reaping the benefits now as NETPark’s success has brought hundreds of higher-skilled, high-value jobs.”

Milestones and future growth

This year marks a major milestone with the completion of NETPark’s £100 million Phase 3 expansion.

Opening in 2025, the development adds 285,000sq ft of advanced facilities, including laboratories, offices, and production spaces.

This new chapter will enable NETPark to attract more businesses, create up to 1250 on-site jobs, and support an additional 2200 roles across supply chains.

Among the first to benefit from this growth is Filtronic, a specialist in radio frequency and microwave technologies.

The company, already a NETPark tenant, is doubling its operational footprint with a custom-built headquarters in the new development.

This expansion supports its growing partnership with SpaceX, supplying critical components for the Starlink satellite constellation.

Michael Tyerman, Filtronic’s chief financial officer, says: “We opted to stay at NETPark due to its modern infrastructure, the presence of innovative and like-minded companies, and the flexibility it provides for scaling our operations.

“The new facility expands our manufacturing and office space, as well as upgrading test facilities.

“It will support the continued development of our leading-edge products and enable us to scale capacity to meet growing customer demand.”

Filtronic’s move to phase three unlocks more than 17,000sq ft of existing laboratory and office space to support new and smaller businesses joining NETPark’s supportive community nurturing the next generation of businesses in key regional sectors.

Innovation hub across industries

NETPark has established itself as a hub for businesses driving advancements across a range of sectors.

From space technology to sustainable energy, the park’s tenants are tackling some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

Companies at NETPark drive advancements in telecommunications, clean energy, photonics, and advanced

A cornerstone of NETPark’s success lies in its collaborative ecosystem.

Partnerships with Durham University and innovation centres like CPI accelerate product development and commercialisation.

The park also offers a flexible approach to space, enabling businesses to scale operations without disruption, from incubator units to larger standalone facilities.

NETPark’s expansion reflects its commitment to evolving with the needs of its tenants.

The new facilities will cater to industries ranging from biosciences to clean energy, ensuring companies have the tools they need to grow and thrive.

Regional impact, global reach

The impact of NETPark extends beyond its immediate community.

With excellent connectivity to regional hubs and global markets, the park has become a magnet for national and international investment.

It plays a pivotal role in the North East Investment Zone, which aims to drive economic growth and create thousands of high-skilled jobs.

Kim McGuinness, North East mayor, says: “As a combined authority, we are investing in NETPark through our investment zone, building amazing new lab and production spaces for businesses to grow and adding over £600 million to the North East’s economy.

“From semiconductors to the next generation in space technology, we can create a very bright future for NETPark, County Durham, and our great North East.”

As NETPark prepares for its next phase, its role as a cornerstone of innovation and growth in the North East remains steadfast.

With a commitment to nurturing cutting-edge technologies, fostering collaboration, and creating high-value jobs, NETPark is more than a science park – it is a symbol of what is possible when vision meets determination. n

find out more about netpark

Visit northeasttechnologypark.com or call us on 01740 625250.

innovation

Innovation holds key to future of Liverpool City Region Prof. Anthony Hollander from the University of Liverpool and John Whaling from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority talk to Simon Penfold about the importance of innovation in shaping the city region’s future. t is two years since the unveiling of proposals to create eight innovation zones around the country and a year since the launch of the Liverpool City Region Life Sciences Investment Zone.

Supported by the University of Liverpool, the zone is intended to make the area a global lead in life sciences innovation, driving a high-wage, high-skill and high-productivity economy. Local partners hope it will attract up to £640 million of private investment and create over 8,000 new jobs over the next decade Anthony Hollander is the University of Liverpool’s Pro-ViceChancellor for Research & Impact.

He said: “We all know that growth is the significant challenge of our times and this is exactly the kind of initiative which, over time, can help to build growth by driving leading edge research alongside commercial activity in thematic, geographic areas.”

In the Liverpool City Region this builds on its existing strength in life sciences, from work at a string of university facilities to the city’s School of Tropical Medicine and one of Europe’s largest concentrations of biomanufacturing and pharmaceutical clusters, already home to AstraZeneca, CSL Seqirus, Pharmaron and Unilever.

Anthony Hollander continued: “During COVID, our strength at the 28 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

clinical end of life sciences became evident with the population testing work we were doing. The first mass public testing event happened in Liverpool. That wasn’t by accident; it was because of both our clinical expertise and our data science expertise.

“There's a long history of health science in Liverpool and this investment zone is a way to bring a cluster of that expertise together with industry and universities playing a leading part.”

“We had areas of absolute strength where we were ready to go for the launch last year but they are certainly not the limit of our ambitions.”

Transforming healthcare

Led by the university, the Civic HealthTech Innovation Zone (CHI-Zone) will spearhead the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other data-driven technologies to transform healthcare, social care and wellness.

Right Prof. Anthony Hollander from the University of Liverpool

Below Inside CSL Seqirus’ Liverpool vaccine facility in the Speke Pharma Cluster

Using a ‘technologies for all, for life’ approach, it aims to develop AI to tackle global challenges, giving children a better start in life and helping adults to thrive. It will also create AIs to enable older people to live better, including the use of AI-powered technologies in homes and communities.

innovation

Design/visuals by Gilling Dod/ION developments

The Pandemic Institute (TPI) is a unique academic, health and civic partnership with a global mission to tackle emerging infections and future pandemic threats. Investment Zone funding will support TPI in its ambitions to build a new Pandemic Preparedness and Response Facility in Liverpool containing state-of-theart research laboratories to strengthen the UK’s infectious disease research and innovation capabilities. TPI’s work will accelerate the development of diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines, and will be a national facility for use by members of the UK Pandemic Sciences Network.

The world’s first Centre of Excellence for Long-acting Therapeutics (CELT) was established by the University of Liverpool in 2020. Primarily funded by global health organisation Unitaid, CELT combines the university’s expertise in pharmacology and materials chemistry to transform treatments that already exist in pill form into long-acting medicines, making key drugs much easier for patients to take and for clinicians to administer.

The Investment Zone will enable CELT's rapid expansion into w w w.breakthroughdigital.co.uk

new high-tech office and lab in Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter.

CELT will occupy pharmacology and chemistry laboratories in a purpose-built facility for the creation and understanding of long-acting medicines.

The fourth project, supported

by Investment Zone funding, will see the Microbiome and Infectious Disease (MaID) Innovation Hub at the university drive development and commercialisation of microbiome therapies, novel antimicrobials and diagnostics for infectious disease.

“The MaID project was already up and running and ready for expansion,” said Anthony Hollander. “And CHI-Zone builds on the use of our big data capability in supporting mental health programmes, “Our Centre of Excellence in Long-acting Therapies has seen absolutely brilliant work going on for some time, recognised through Unitaid funding, and this is a way to really give it commercial attraction as well, which is obviously where we need to go in terms of developing new drugs that work in a very different kind of way.”

Above The Mental Health Digital Research Centre will apply UK and world leading capabilities to improve mental healthcare

Expanding on those four projects will be a “gradual process”, as the university and city region work closely with politicians, civil servants and the Treasury. “We need to make sure that we make the right choices in terms of the projects, and in the most effective way in terms of creating jobs and adding to the regional economy.

“The microbiome programme is the furthest ahead. It’s got the green light and is now getting going and recruiting. The other projects are still going through different stages of governance.

Anthony continued: “If we’re going to build an expanded regional economy, give companies the confidence to grow here and hopefully to move in here as well, they need to know we're all investing in the right way.

“As a university, we have to know that we're investing appropriately for the wider good.

“And, while it’s planned for 10 years, it’s not guaranteed.

The Government will review it at a certain point, probably after five years, and then we'll see. That review will depend on the progress that's been made up to that point.

Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 29

innovation “I lead on enterprise activity for the university. It’s slightly different, but when you're talking about anything to do with the knowledge-driven economy there will be a degree of risk. With all of these programmes, not everything will work all the time, especially experimental-based ones like the microbiome work.

“Hopefully they'll all deliver something and hopefully some of them will over deliver while some may under deliver. It's a portfolio approach.

“This innovation zone will be more about building an academic commercial environment. But even on that scale we're talking about commercial risks and failures.

“I'm very convinced that across the board we're going to have a lot of success with this; I think it'll be great for the Liverpool City Region, for the nation and also for the university.”

“Historically, we could do the research but where we've fallen down as a nation is in the commercialisation of that research.

We're particularly poor compared with the US and some of the Asian economies where they commercialise well. That's the gap we need to close. So it's about making much better use of what has always been a very strong knowledge economy and turn that into money for the nation.

“This zone is not going to solve the problem but I think it’s a significant piece of the jigsaw.

Becoming the go-to place

Looking ahead, Anthony Hollander said: “I think people will see a gradual start to progress across the Investment Zone, and then it should all start accelerating very quickly.

We are pretty good here in Liverpool at delivering the commercial engagement and industry investment.

“Moving industry in will be slow of course, because there has to be confidence given to those companies; a general sense of growth. But when people start seeing what's happening and talking about it, that will accelerate things.

“My dream is that we become the go-to place for life science industry investment.

“Another area where we have global strength is advanced materials; we're really ahead of the game in our industry engagement with Unilever. So we have the Materials Innovation Factory here on our campus, which was jointly built by the university and Unilever with some government money.

“They occupy a floor and do a lot of their research there. Now we have state-of-the-art, chemistry, automation and robotics and data handling and a lot of the top academics and chemists in that building as well.

Design/visuals by Gilling Dod/ION developments

Above Hemisphere One will provide a home for cutting-edge commercial and academic laboratories

Below The 42-hectare Maghull Health Park will house Europe’s largest cluster of complex secure mental health services

“They chose Liverpool because we have the best research in the world in that domain. So that's our model where we work closely with industry, benefitting both.

“I think if someone comes back in five years, they will see a very different city, in a very positive way.”

While the university and Knowledge Quarter Liverpool play a pivotal role in the zone, it takes in sites across the city region, including Sci-Tech Daresbury, Maghull Health Park, the Speke Pharmaceutical Cluster and St Helens Manufacturing and Innovation Campus.

Initial investments include £9.5 million to develop new category 2 lab and office space at Sci-Tech Daresbury and £10 million toward further enhancing the AI and robotics capabilities at iiCON – the Infection Innovation Consortium at Liverpool Life Sciences Accelerator - to reduce the development time for infection therapeutics.

Led by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the aim is for zone projects to provide business and innovation support, and new skills and talent programmes for local people to aid workforce creation and recruitment.

innovation Unveiling the plans last year Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “With up to £800m of investment and thousands of quality, high skilled jobs on offer, the Liverpool City Region Innovation Zone is an important tool in our arsenal to position our area at the head of UK science and innovation.

“Throughout the development of our Innovation Zone, I have been clear that any investment in our area must go further than purely financial incentives. I want to use our status as a force for good, to connect our residents up to secure, well-paid jobs and training opportunities, and attract transformational investment into our communities.”

Paddington Village is a £1bn flagship development site at the eastern gateway to Liverpool's thriving Innovation District, Knowledge Quarter Liverpool

A unique blend

John Whaling (pictured right) is the Lead Officer for Innovation & Commercialisation at the Combined Authority and has led the Liverpool City Region’s innovation agenda for the past decade. His primary role is to forge policies, partnerships and programmes to help the city region achieve its North Star target of investing 5% of GVA (gross value added) a year in R&D by 2030, driving the area’s economic growth.

“Liverpool and the surrounding area has a history of innovation that goes back 300 years, but like many places in the north suffered serious post-industrial challenges.

Explicitly embracing place-based innovation in 2013 was a direct response to these, while the creation of an elected metro mayor has been pivotal, and indeed transformational, for the Liverpool City Region.

“One issue was a lack of prioritisation – there were just too many priorities. The other was that there was no-one who could speak authoritatively for the city region as a whole.

“One of the many things that has changed for the better over the past ten years is that Liverpool as a region has absolutely regained its international aspirations. It’s kind of back to the future in terms of having been a global port city.

“My definition of place-based innovation is essentially maximising distinctive worldleading assets and capabilities, both to drive investment and w w w.breakthroughdigital.co.uk

life sciEnce investment zone

For more about the Life Science Investment Zone, please use either of these codes

transformational economic growth, and also to solve our own problems.

“The seminal moment for us was in 2017 when we took part in the government’s programme of science and innovation audits.

“The ‘exam question’ was, in what fields does Liverpool City Region have demonstrable world-class research excellence, internationally significant innovation assets and major industry presence and investment?

“In our case the answer was threefold. It was infection prevention and control. It was materials chemistry. It was what we called at the time high performance cognitive computing – redubbed AI solutions now.”

John continued: “It led to our evidence-based smart specialisation approach in which we focused on where the LCR is are demonstrably, distinctively world leading. And we haven't looked back.

“While it might seem that our Innovation Investment Zone went

innovation agenda

Find out more about Liverpool City Region’s place-based innovation agenda

from nought to 60 in three seconds, most of the schemes were already in development.

“We’ve already got around £1bn of projects on the go in Liverpool alone, plus a £2bn pipeline. And we also have Freeport status – we are one of only three places in the country with both an Investment Zone and a Freeport.

“These innovation investment zones are absolutely pivotal, but they're not the sum total of our innovation agenda, either geographically or in terms of established and emerging high growth clusters.

“For example, we also have plans to build the world’s largest tidal energy scheme on the River Mersey, plus one of Europe’s largest cryogenic cooling facilities at Sci-Tech Daresbury where the Science and Technology Facilities Council is seeking to create a new national cryogenic facility and scale out the existing R&D base of world-leader PsiQuantum into a global quantum computing cluster.

“I would certainly say that the Liverpool City Region is at the forefront of UK place-based innovation. We're not Cambridge, we're not Oxford, we're not the Golden Triangle, nor are we trying to be. Our approach is about making the most of our own distinctive assets and capabilities.

“There are other places that are world leading in materials chemistry or in infection or in AI solutions, but there's nowhere that has the unique blend that we do.” n Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 31

Growth Team building Bristol’s deep tech sector Sharing your success, best practice, and lessons learned

Groundbreaking work by Science Creates is about to see Bristol’s third deep tech incubator built in less than a decade. Simon Penfold hears the story so far from Patrick Fallon and Ashley Brewer.

I

t's been a decade since the team behind Science Creates realised Bristol was in dire need of incubator space for deep tech spin-outs from the region’s universities.

They were told there was no market for it, no demand and it was too high-risk.

Today the first two buildings are full and work is under way on their third city centre incubator, an £8.5 million partnership with the University of Bristol including a £4.75 million award from the Research England Development (RED) fund.

The new incubator, OMX, will give Science Creates a total of 75,000 sq ft of space for quantum and biotech startups and scaleups.

This combines purpose-built laboratories, flexible offices, events space and cutting-edge instrumentation, designed, developed and run by an in-house team who work with member companies to provide mentoring, expertise and the resources needed for scientific innovation and business development.

The business has also maintained its deep connection with the University of Bristol, which is due to open its £300 32 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

Below Science Creates' Head of Property Ashley Brewer

million Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus next year, a stone’s throw from Science Creates’ city centre facilities.

It was all very different back in 2015.

Science Creates’ Head of Development, Patrick Fallon, and his colleague Ashley Brewer, Head of Property, were both part of the pioneering team led by Harry Destecroix, a University of Bristol graduate and co-founder of the deep tech life sciences company Ziylo.

Pat explained: “It all stemmed from Harry's original spin-out, Ziylo, which was creating glucose binding molecules and needed chemistry facilities, particularly ducted fume hoods. Harry and his co-founder, Tom Smart, had space in the university, but got to a point where they needed to get their own space to properly commercialise their research. And they had nowhere to go.

So it seemed that university research wasn’t spinning out because they had nowhere to go, and

infrastructure wasn’t being developed because there were no companies spinning out. It was a chicken and egg situation.

“Zyilo were on the lookout for labs in Bristol and the South West, and there wasn't really anything on offer where you could rent containment level 2 laboratories with fume cupboards or any labs that would have the kind of facilities they needed.

“Harry was keen to build a lab for Zyilo with the company chairman, Keith MacDonald. But, rather than build a single lab for one small company, they decided to build a bigger space and build an incubator for them and other spinouts in Bristol.

“There was clearly a crying need for a commercial space outside the university.

“We turned up to a warehouse and laser scanned it to see if it would work. We designed it in 3D over a few days and it started to

growth

make sense. So we continued the project, secured planning permission and started building our first incubator at St Philips.

A leap of faith

“That was the beginning. We had to just take a leap of faith. A lot of people were saying don’t do it, it’s too high-risk, it’s not going to work, there’s no market, there’s no demand. But we knew there was, because there was just such great research coming out of the region’s universities that had nowhere else to go.

“We had no grant funding, so we believe St Philips was the first privately-funded science incubator in the UK at the time. It was a real journey to get there with a lot of ups and downs throughout that process. w w w.breakthroughdigital.co.uk

“The total project was about £3.5 million. We were down to the wire because we didn't have a big fund backing us or a real estate track record. The financiers behind this project – and who have continued to support us through a mixture of debt and equity – are high net-worth individuals who were fully onboard with the mission.

“We had to learn along the way, things like how do you balance a ducted fume cupboard ventilation system, what gases do we need to install, how do you procure a substation? It was definitely a DIY mantra.

“It was difficult; there were a lot of

Above Science Creates' new incubator, OMX Below Science Creates' Head of Development Patrick Fallon

compromises. The original design had a lot of glass, huge open-plan areas, a cafe. It all got scrapped when we got to tender – at one point it would have cost £5.2m, with two storeys of labs. It was just too expensive. We had to focus on what was needed. Construction was a baptism of fire.”

Ashley added: “Pat has very been very modest but he is the architect behind all of this. The design side was covered by Pat, while I had the laboratory management side and the user experience was covered with Harry.

Keith, Zyilo and also Science Creates’ chairman, comes from corporate finance so was able to provide that expertise. The design was bottom-up rather than top-down.

Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 33

growth “It’s been an unusual way to deliver impact, but it has succeeded.”

Pat interjected: “Ashley is also being humble. Lab management is really hard, and can go badly if you don't understand the science and the risks. He has been the safe pair of hands throughout the process, whether installing NMRs, building clean rooms or managing the game of Tetris that is growing companies expanding in a multi-lab incubator.”

Proof of concept was fairly rapid, recalled Ashley: “St Philips is about 15,000 sq ft gross internal area. It took just shy of two years to lease out each of the laboratory spaces and the office space.

“We started supporting companies in their growth, not just as a landlord but to facilitate innovators and entrepreneurs in Bristol and the South West to support growth in the sector. In particular, we started to develop a gateway policy where companies we support are working on having a positive impact on the health of people and the planet. This is one of the things that now makes our community unique - everyone is aligned when it comes to that bigger purpose. We aim to support a community that does good.”

A career calling

Need for a second centre was clear.

Ashley continued: “It validated all the hard work we'd done. What helped was that Harry’s original company, Ziylo, was acquired by Novo Nordisk - a deal worth $800 million and one of the biggest in the University’s history. This enabled a new amount of capital to come into the ecosystem: through angel investment for member companies from Harry, Keith and others involved in Ziylo, and funds to reinvest in our second incubator project, Science Creates Old Market.

“Harry and Keith have both remained committed to the project, and Science Creates has always been an impact-led venture. Any company profits are reinvested into the growth of Science Creates, to continue helping founders and startups. It’s a career calling for all of us.”

Ashley added: “The Old Market facility was an ‘entertaining’ process.

34 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

What wasn’t on our construction risk register was a global pandemic. Most people hit the big pause button on construction projects, but we just adapted.

“Pat and I worked with the main contractor and we designed most of it on Microsoft Teams.

We put spades in the ground in September 2020 and opened in November 2021. Our first tenants were two member companies moving over from St Philips, who took five of the 15 lettable labs.

We felt 13 months for a construction project for a 30,000 sq ft facility designed through COVID was pretty good.

“We had been operating the St Philips building at probably 105% capacity; we were getting creative and converting offices into electronics laboratories and that sort of thing. The lab space was just cheek by jowl.

“Old Market had all of the laboratories leased in just over twelve months. There was clearly pent up demand after Covid.

“It is hard to estimate how successful we have been. We operate in an inherently risky environment - startups in the deep tech sector are particularly prone to fail. We have seen a few companies that have had to make difficult decisions but other members we have supported have continued to grow alongside us for the last seven years.

“There are others that have outgrown us. They’ve utilised our support services and space and they've secured enough investment to move into their own facility.

“There’s a healthy amount of churn; it’s a sign of a growing and healthy ecosystem. And we are seeing capital and talent circling back into the ecosystem.”

Alongside the growth there has been a reframing exercise at Science Creates, said Ashley.

“We have restructured our activities into 4 pillars of support - Incubators, the physical space and specialised services for startups; Platform, training programmes, events and partnerships to support the growth of the deep tech community; Outreach, our public

growth engagement and STEM outreach to inspire the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs; and VC, the investment side, led by our VC arm - SCVC. “It recognises the depth of knowledge we've got within the team and the ability to assist on a broad front.”

The venture capital firm was formed during 2019-2020. “One of the challenges in the region was, although angel investors were and are very active and have a key part to play, there was a dearth of venture capital money going into the sector in the region.”

Pat added: “SCVC provides investment for category-defining deep tech businesses spinning out of universities, and they invest UK-wide. The companies they invest in - in line with all others the Science Creates' ecosystem are those that will move the needle in terms of solving global challenges through innovative technologies to improve human and planetary health.

“These companies are turning visionary academic research into life-changing inventions. And some of the businesses who work with SCVC are also hosted in our incubators. There's a very symbiotic relationship there.”

Ashley said: “What makes the deep tech sector different is that it relies on years, if not decades, of research. These companies are built upon intellectual property backed from a higher education organisation. This isn't someone in their bedroom thinking of an idea - it comes from years and years of research.

“These are also very capital intensive businesses. They need patient capital, patient investors who know that what is being developed is not just a widget or a single product. There isn't necessarily a straight route to market. These companies may end up developing a component within a larger system, or a platform technology. For example, the vaccine delivery platforms developed here are just one example of a technology that could be applied across multiple healthcare settings.

“There’s a recognition that these companies aren't necessarily going to take a product to market, w w w.breakthroughdigital.co.uk

Above Science Creates founder Harry Destecroix was recognised in the 2025 New Year Honours List with an MBE for services to science

but they’re still going to be creating ground-breaking revolutionary technology.

Melting pot of ideas

“We have never really pigeonholed ourselves, because the interface of research fields is where the interesting things happen.

We support a community that works on engineering biology, diagnostics, therapeutics, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, next-generation lithium-ion battery technologies, advanced materials and more.”

Pat chimed in: “It's about building a community under the same roof that can collaborate and become stronger. Having multiple skills, multiple perspectives, different research specialisms, all under one roof, make this space an exciting melting pot of ideas.”

An independent impact report showed that as of April 2023, Science Creates had helped create 370 new jobs and added £125m gross GVA each year to the UK economy.

Science Creates now comprises a team of around 30, with 25-30 companies currently spread across the two sites. Including the companies spawning from its accelerator programmes, the Science Creates community has a total of around 70 member companies.

With their two buildings being fully let since 2022, the search for a third space began fairly shortly after the Old Market incubator opened.

And they didn’t have to look far.

Pat said: “We were lucky enough to find a property out the back of our current building. We have been working hard over the last year on getting that built. We got planning permission last July and now we’re about to sign with a contractor.

“The building is called Science Creates OMX – Old Market eXtension. It's another 30,000 sq ft.

It's aimed as the next step after the Old Market building, with larger lab suites, increasing our incubator footprint by over 60%.

“This project will be great for Bristol. With our three incubators, the city centre’s going to have just shy of 75,000 sq ft of early stage commercialisation space, which, starting from zero seven years ago, is great. And we are starting to create a bit of a campus feel in the Old Market area.

“We are right next to Temple Mead Station – the main railway station in Bristol – which makes the space really easy to access from other parts of the country. A city centre of innovation is what we are all about.”

Pat added: “It’s been great to be in partnership with the University of Bristol and Research England to deliver the new site and tie into the city centre innovation with Temple Quarter, which is one of the largest construction sites in the UK at the moment. There's going to be an amazing transformation for Bristol and the region to become a global deep tech hub over the next few years.” n

dive into deep tech

https://sciencecreates.co.uk E info@sciencecreates.co.uk T +44 (0)117 403 4035 Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 35

REACH KEY DEC I S I ON MAKERS w i t h

An Open Box Media and Communications publication produced in association with UKSPA

You can reach key decision makers in the science, innovation, research and technology sectors with Breakthrough.

Opportunities for advertising and sponsored content are available to book now for upcoming issues.

For more details or to book your space, call Krishan on 07539 321 345 or email krishan@breakthroughdigital.co.uk

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Leveraging data-driven insights

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Supporting hybrid working models

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Our unified cloud-managed platform is designed to simplify managing specialised environments such as laboratories and research hubs through customisable service requests, compliance tracking, and real-time operational insights, all while fostering a collaborative, innovation-driven community with TenX and communication tools. Equiem’s comprehensive solution addresses the unique challenges of Life Science properties:

Ensure seamless transitions between onsite and remote working, with innovative, tenant-friendly features.

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With over 12 years of PropTech expertise, Equiem is trusted by leading Life Science hubs, including Babraham Research Campus, Southampton Science Park, and Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst. Our platform has helped more than 20 science parks across the UK optimise operations and redefine tenant experiences. n

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Monitoring

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llab partner with life science companies to provide complete, end-to-end solutions that ensure safety, compliance, and operational excellence. Their mission is simple: To build confidence in consumer safety, everything they do is driven by this purpose.

They specialize in delivering compliance solutions, helping you meet strict regulatory requirements across three key areas:

Validation

From the standpoint that they work closely with your team to ensure all your w w w.breakthroughdigital.co.uk

operations are thoroughly validated according to industry regulations, guaranteeing that every step is documented, compliant, and audit-ready.

Calibration

Ellab’s ISO 17025 accredited services ensure precision and reliability in your critical processes. By maintaining accurate instruments, they help you avoid costly errors and ensure your data remains reliable and compliant.

From the standpoint ellab’s real-time monitoring solutions continuously track your critical systems, ensuring they stay within required parameters. This proactive approach helps you prevent issues before they escalate, safeguarding your operations and compliance.

Together, these three pillars form the foundation of their end-to-end solutions.

From initial validation to ongoing calibration and real-time monitoring, ensuring your operations are compliant, efficient, and prepared to meet the challenges of the life sciences industry.

Ellab are passionate about helping professionals like you achieve excellence in compliance and operational success. n

we can partner with you

Find out how at www.ellab.com Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 37

growth

Equipping the

next generation Thames Freeport Funds Green Skills Education in London and Essex The Thames Freeport, a designated economic zone in southeast England, has awarded a significant grant to CEME (Centre for Engineering, Manufacturing & Electronics) to boost green skills education in the surrounding boroughs. he initiative, part of a wider £1.2 million "Skills for the Future" programme, aims to empower teachers, parents, and students with the knowledge and tools needed to thrive in the burgeoning green economy.

CEME's Green Skills Showcase: Empowering educators and inspiring students CEME received a £40,000 grant for its Green Skills Showcase programme, targeting educators, parents, and children in the boroughs of Havering, Thurrock,

Barking, and Dagenham. This initiative addresses a critical gap – the lack of awareness among teachers regarding current and emerging green career opportunities in the region.

teachers with practical strategies to integrate green themes and projects into existing curriculums.

Additionally, teachers will receive resources on career pathways and how to incorporate them into different subjects.

The programme offers a three-pronged approach:

2

1

Equipping Teachers

Three Green Skills Teacher Intervention sessions will be held at CEME. Local green business experts will highlight the range of available green STEM careers.

Interactive workshops will equip

Engaging Parents

Information will be provided to schools for parents, raising awareness of current and emerging green job opportunities and the essential skills needed for their children's futures.

3

Inspiring Students

By equipping educators with knowledge and resources, the programme aims to inspire the next generation of environmental leaders.

Lucy Groen, Head of Partnerships and Skills at CEME (right), emphasises the transformative power of the grant: "This funding is a game-changer for our green skills programme.

It will enable us to reach more students, teachers, and parents, and provide them with the tools they need to succeed in the growing green economy. Green skills education is essential for preparing our young people for the future.

38 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

growth Investing in the future: a skilled workforce for a sustainable economy

The Thames Freeport's "Skills for the Future" programme, with CEME's Green Skills Showcase serving as a vital component, represents a forward-thinking approach that recognises the critical link between a skilled workforce and economic prosperity. By investing in green skills education and training across various sectors, the programme aims to:

Drive Economic Growth A skilled workforce equipped with the knowledge and expertise demanded by the Freeport's industries will contribute significantly to regional and national economic growth.

Attract Investment A broader vision: skills development for a thriving freeport

CEME's Green Skills Showcase is just one part of the Thames Freeport's "Skills for the Future" initiative. The £1.2 million programme supports a diverse range of initiatives across various sectors, including logistics, manufacturing, and green technologies.

Matt Hamnett, representing Thames Freeport (below right), emphasises the programme's dual focus: "To realise our high ambitions for the freeport, we must invest in skills and training – both working with business to ensure that we create the talent pipeline they need to succeed, and with communities to ensure that through the Freeport we change lives."

By equipping teachers with the resources, they need, we can inspire the next generation of environmental leaders. Our partnership with Thames Freeport is a testament to their commitment to sustainable economic development. This funding will help us create a highly skilled workforce that can drive innovation and growth in the region." w w w.breakthroughdigital.co.uk

“This funding will help u s c r e a t e a h i g h ly skilled workforce t h at ca n dr i v e i n n o va t i o n a n d grow t h in t he region.”

A readily available pool of skilled professionals makes the Freeport a more attractive proposition for businesses, leading to increased investment and job creation.

Foster Innovation By supporting education and training in cutting-edge fields like green technologies, the Freeport fosters a culture of innovation, propelling the region towards a sustainable future.

Create High-Quality Jobs The programme aims to equip residents with the skills needed to secure highquality jobs within the Freeport, improving their livelihoods and contributing to a more prosperous community.

Promote Inclusivity By ensuring easy access to skills development opportunities, the programme strives to create a more inclusive workforce within the Freeport, offering residents a fair chance to participate in the economic and social benefits it brings. n

go online to find out more

Take a closer look at CEME's programmes at ceme.co.uk and discover the Thames Freeport zone at thamesfreeport.com Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 39

sponsored content

Green Fuels Research boosts lab efficiency with Ductless and Ducted Fume Cupboards The Client

Green Fuels Research [GFR] is a leader in renewable fuels and bioenergy. Located at the Gloucestershire Science & Technology Park, Berkeley, their research is centred on sustainable aviation and marine fuels, advanced agronomy systems, agricultural waste processing, and renewable catalysis.

By integrating innovative research with real-world applications, the team at Green Fuels Research is driving the global transition to cleaner, more sustainable energy solutions.

The Challenge

As GFRs’ R&D activities expanded, the existing laboratory setup was no longer sufficient to accommodate the increasing volume of solvent extraction, biofuel research processes and more complex experiments. The company found that more fume cupboards were necessary to maintain high safety standards and ensure an efficient workflow.

The Solution

To overcome these challenges, Monmouth Scientific and Safelab Systems provided: • Circulaire® CT1100 Recirculating Fume Cupboard [Monmouth Scientific]: • Recirculating design optimises the handling of solventless samples.

• Frees up existing ducted fume cupboards for more demanding solvent extraction tasks.

• Airone XP 1500 Ducted Fume Cupboard [Safelab Systems]: • Capable of handling solvent extraction processes with high chemical emissions.

• Guarantees efficient operation for critical R&D tasks involving high-risk chemicals.

The Result

By installing both ductless and ducted fume cupboards, GFR achieved:

Improved Workflow

Enhanced Lab Efficiency Multiple staff members can now work at the same time on various aspects of biofuel research and development, leading to greater efficiency and a more collaborative environment. Resources are also allocated more effectively with the introduction of a ductless fume cupboard, which is designated for non-solvent tasks and helps maintain a safer, more organised laboratory.

Increased Safety and Flexibility All critical solvent extraction processes are carried out within the ducted fume cupboard to ensure safe handling of volatile or hazardous materials, maintain a controlled environment, and protect personnel from potential chemical vapours and spills.

By confining these processes to a well-ventilated and contained area, the laboratories experienced significantly reduced downtime and minimised risk of accidents or contamination, particularly during high-volume or complex experimental work.

The dual fume cupboard solution enables GFR to complete research projects more quickly and efficiently, accelerating the pace of their biofuel innovation and product development.

The design offers the flexibility to expand resources and infrastructure seamlessly, ensuring the company can easily scale its operations to meet evolving research and development needs.

The Feedback

“We are expanding our capabilities, and one key issue that became evident is the shortage of fume cupboards. We needed to increase our lab capability. The previous setup wasn’t enough to guarantee efficient operation, especially for solvent extraction activities.

“The new recirculating fume cupboard enabled work on solventless samples, freeing up space in the ducted fume cupboards.

“Monmouth Scientific and Safelab Systems provided an excellent service from day one through installation and maintenance. The extra fume cupboards help increase the volume and efficiency of our R&D work.”

Dr. Sergio Lima

Research Director Green Fuels Research. n

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E

PIC (Electronics and Photonics Innovation Centre) is a cuttingedge facility of approximately 25,000sq ft of lettable space, offering world-class labs and offices and unparalleled technical capabilities for research, development, and product innovation across diverse sectors like Microelectronics, Photonics, MedTech, AgriTech, MarineTech, Aerospace, Creative tech, Biotech and Environmental tech.

Strategically situated in the thriving South West region, EPIC offers convenient access to a dynamic local supply chain and a robust cluster of engineering and hi-tech expertise. Located in Torbay, our facility provides a vibrant business community and access to a wealth of talented individuals from renowned universities and colleges in the area.

“ EP I C e m p o w e r s b o t h s t a r t- u p s a nd e s ta bl i s he d businesses with the necessary resources and expertise to succeed.”

w w w.breakthroughdigital.co.uk

EPIC offers an ISO 7 Classified Cleanroom, cutting-edge equipment and facilities to drive innovation. Over £4M worth of equipment is available in our fully-equipped Prototyping Suite, to enhance production capacity and elevate tenant business's technical capability.

Current offerings encompass Palomar Die & Wire Bonding, Device Packaging, Fibre Alignment, 3D Printing, Laser Etching/Marking, Microscopy (SEM and VMS), Industrial Metrology (Nikon XTV60 X-Ray / CT), and Product Testing.

EPIC is also home to The Torbay Hi Tech Cluster. The cluster supports renowned global technology leaders such as Lumentum, Coherent, QLM Technology, Gooch & Housego (G&H), Spirent, Queensgate (Prior Scientific), Superb Media and Bay Photonics.

The presence of these high-tech businesses in Torbay and South Devon serves as a significant catalyst for the local economy and lays a solid foundation for the region to thrive as an innovation and technology hub.

Collaboration between these businesses and academic partners is paramount for driving the development of new technologies and ensuring the availability of a skilled workforce to support industry growth.

Through joint efforts, the industry can identify research areas that lead to groundbreaking products and services, while academic partners can deliver the necessary training and education to produce highly skilled graduates.

The ongoing investment in the region by these global technology leaders speaks volumes about their confidence in the local workforce and the growth potential of the area. The concentration of expertise and innovation in the hi tech sector within Torbay is truly inspiring.

In 2027, Torbay Technology Park will be completed, just minutes away from EPIC and will provide a further 22,000 sq feet of state of the art grow on space to support the growth aspirations of the vibrant hi tech cluster businesses in Torbay. n

reach out to us

Take a visit to the EPIC centre website at epic-centre.co.uk or send an email to: Richard Scott Centre Director E richard.scutt@torbay.gov.uk Clive Wall Palmer Centre Co-ordinator E clive.wall-palmer@torbay.gov.uk

EPIC'S fully-equipped Prototyping Suite Use the code to find out more.

Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 41

Impact

Taking care of your people, places and public perception

Groundbreaking net zero hotel at Exeter Science Park The newly opened voco Zeal Exeter Science Park is the culmination of a decade-long sustainability odyssey for Tim Wheeldon, but, he tells Simon Penfold, it’s just the beginning.

S

ustainability is at the heart of the new voco Zeal Exeter Science Park. This is no exercise in ‘green-washing’; this is Europe’s first ever net zero carbon hotel.

While offsetting was used in the construction process, once up and running the building will use a variety of methods and technologies to operate on a net zero basis.

It is a matter of huge pride for Tim Wheeldon, managing director of Zeal Hotels. He has been working towards this for the last 12 to 15 years.

Tim and his business partner, Tony Clark, founded Zeal Hotels back in 2012 with the ambition of creating a group of sustainable hotels where a stay, whether for business or pleasure, would not harm the planet.

“There has been a drive towards net zero carbon sustainable buildings over the years – for instance the Passivhaus system been adopted in many homes and school buildings. But the hotel sector has always lagged behind.

“The target is to be net zero carbon by 2050, and that means the hospitality industry has to reduce its carbon by 66% on 2019 levels.

At the same time, the pace of building means that 80% of hotels

42 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

that will be operating in 2050 have already been built. “ Some hotels are going to struggle to meet the 2050 targets and that will have a significant impact on their value 25 years from now, in terms of refinancing, mortgaging and borrowing, let alone whatever penalties are drawn up for those failing to meet any potential carbon emmission targets.

“But what we have achieved here already meets these 2050 targets. Energy efficiency targets for 2050 have been worked at 95 kilowatt hour (kWh) per m2 per annum for a hotel of this size.

We will be at <60 kWh by the end of our first year of operation.

Below Barnaby Kean, General Manager of voco Zeal Exeter Science Park and Zeal Hotels MD Tim Wheeldon checking on progress during construction in summer 2024

“It is why we are getting a lot of interest from other hotel chains.

This is what hotels of the future will look like. That’s not to say we aren’t still learning. The design and construction phase, and the fit-out, have provided lessons we will draw on for the second, third, fourth and fifth hotels built on this template.

“We have a handful of sites we are looking at around the country at the moment, but our focus is on opening here in February.”

Sustainability inbuilt

The hotel on the Exeter Science Park site will provide 142 rooms, a restaurant – and an outdoor restaurant/bar seating area and

impact

gardens – as well as a meeting room, co-working space and a residents’ gym. There will also be 12 EV charging points.

Zeal struck a deal with British multinational IHG Hotels and Resorts which will see the operation trade as part of IHG’s voco brand. It is being managed by Valor Hospitality. Tim Wheeldon makes it clear that both were chosen after a selection process, based on their enthusiasm for the project and their dedication to achieving g net zero carbon within the hospitality industry Sustainability was embedded in both the planning and construction of the hotel – it achieved the BREEAM Outstanding rating at the design stage. GGBS concrete – using the waste byproduct from smelting – was used in the building work, halving the amount of embodied carbon used in a standard hotel. The hotel will also generate more electricity than it actually uses, from its photo voltaic roof and wall panels.

But for the guests arriving at voco Zeal Exeter Science Park it will be no different from staying at any other premium-brand hotel.

Tim Wheeldon said: “There isn't going to be anything different to their experience.

“One of the big things that we've been working on throughout the whole design process, is not altering the guest experience. w w w.breakthroughdigital.co.uk

book a stay

Use the code to book a stay at the new voco Zeal Exeter Science Park

It’s been top of the list. We can chop and change things around in terms of the hotel, but the one thing we don't want to do is diminish the guest experience in any way.

“In effect, we need to enhance that experience. A lot of what we do, in terms of sustainability and net carbon zero, the guests won’t actually see.

“They’ll be able to find out about it of course, but they won’t see the concrete or understand that 60% of it is actually waste – ground granulated blast furnace slag.

“It’s part of the design process that goes back probably seven years, and the thought process that goes back a lot longer than that.

And it’s looking at the sustainability of both the building itself and the FF&E (furniture, fixtures, and equipment).

“Everything has been very carefully considered and thought about in terms of where it comes from. Everything on our procurement flow chart has to correspond to what we stand for, from the cutlery to the flooring to the uniforms.”

A case in point are some of the hotel’s mattresses supplied by Devon ‘B Corp’ firm, Naturalmat.

Their beds, mattresses and bedding are made by hand at their solarpowered workshop in Topham on the banks of the river Exe, just a stone’s throw from the hotel.

Zeal has selected Naturlamat’s Barle Mattress, which contains a core of pocket springs made from recycled steel, surrounded by recycled denim – offcuts from UK jean factories - and organic wool from farms in the South West.

When the mattresses come to the end of their useful life, they are broken down into their component materials, each of which can be either composted, reused or recycled rather than being thrown away. The factory also refurbishes mattresses for reuse.

Another mattress supplier is Hypnos, British bedmakers for over 120 years, partners with the Eden Project since 2019, the Hypnos Eden Project Harmony mattress is manufactured with responsibly sourced plant and fruit-based Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 43

impact fibres, and Responsible Wool Standard certified British wool.

Many of the innovative plant fibres used in this mattress can be found growing in the Biomes at the Eden Project in Cornwall, including bananas, pineapples and oranges.

Polyester used in the mattress is made from recycled plastic bottles that otherwise would have gone to landfill.

The attention to detail reflected in the choice of mattresses is repeated across the hotel, says general manager Barnaby Kean. “We want to be a beacon of sustainability fit for 2050 set out by the Paris agreement and to be the leading hotel in Exeter and the UK using a circular economy from start to finish in all that we do, with particular focus on the local use of food and beverage.

“We aim to be the leaders in sustainable hospitality and we want to be the first sustainable generation.

“I am fully committed to the ideals of this hotel. I previously worked for Zeal in 2018 and when this opportunity came along I seized it. Our training will ensure every member of staff is aware of our net zero commitment and their part in it.

“Everything has to be part of the net zero carbon mission. Our chef is absolutely committed, sourcing local ingredients and cooking with the seasons, working with local suppliers.”

In addition to his skills in the kitchen, head chef Andy Short also has a degree in environmental science and a master's in environmental consultancy.

New hotel, new design

Tim Wheeldon has brought 30 years’ experience in the hotel trade to this project – even longer considering his parents ran hotels in Devon & Cornwall and the teenage Tim soon followed in their footsteps.

This will be the third hotel for the Zeal team, who are joint owners of two hotels in Bridgewater – a 138-bedroom Holiday Inn Express at Junction 24 of the M5 and an Ibis Hotel at Junction 23 with 144 bedrooms.

“They were built with sustainability in mind, but not with the sort of emphasis that we have adopted on this one,” said Tim. 44 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

“This is very much a new hotel, a new design, certainly for the UK, essentially Europe as well and maybe even worldwide.

“One of the big keys that we've been looking at is embodied carbon, used in the construction and fit-out. We’ve utilised about half the carbon you would normally expect in normal hotel construction project.

“This has been a passion we’ve had for some time. We had some designs down about 10 years ago, just as we were coming out of the credit crunch, but to get funding for a new hotel at that stage was almost impossible. Interest rates were high and nobody was interested in sustainability.

“A lot of people just weren’t interested in sustainability and some didn’t want to know what it was all about. We put it on the shelf and then blew the dust off about five or six years ago. We brought in a team of architects, interior designers and engineers about four-and-a-half years ago.

“There’s both pride and satisfaction at finally opening. I still can't believe that it's happening. Having had this sort of passion and drive for such a long time, it’s very exciting as well.”

In addition to its role as a four-star hotel, voco Zeal Exeter Science Park will also be a test-bed, where new bench marks will be created for further hotels going forward and, says Tim Wheeldon, for the hospitality industry as whole.

As well as being generally an ideal site for a hotel, Tim added, there was another reason for choosing Exeter Science Park: “The University of Exeter is home to more worldwide respected climate scientists than anywhere else in the world, and the science park itself is incredibly proactive in terms of sustainability.”

The feeling is mutual. Dr Sally Basker, CEO of Exeter Science Park, said: "We are proud to be the location for the first Zeal/IHG net zero carbon hotel, which is compatible with Exeter Science Park’s own net-zero ambitions.

“The hotel aligns closely with the park's commitment to sustainability and innovation and compliments Exeter Science Park's existing sustainability goals, which include fostering a net-zero community for businesses in STEMM fields and there are huge potential synergies between the hotel and Exeter Science Park, benefiting businesses, residents, and the wider Devon community.” n

visit the website

Use the code for more about voco Zeal Exeter Science Park

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Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 45

impact Switching from gas to electricity means striking a balance between cost, carbon, legislative compliance and technical complexities. Neither landlord nor tenant can do it alone, says Phil Kelly, Sustainability Partner at Ridge.

HOW TO

DECARBONISE A CAMPUS

D

ecarbonising a campus is often presented as a simple case of swapping fossil fuel power for electricity – just replace gas boilers with air source heat pumps and you’re most of the way there, right?

If only it were that easy. While that would mean buildings could be powered entirely by renewables, unfortunately the UK’s energy market has yet to catch up with its Net Zero aspirations for this be achieved off-site. Today, electricity is still four times more expensive than gas, which means that an overnight switch could result in higher bills unless the heat pump can operate four times as efficiently – a big ask! This is on top of the capital expenditure of installing new equipment.

The conundrum

So what’s the answer? This is a conundrum that science park 46 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

owners must solve, not only to meet minimum energy efficiency standards and avoid stranded assets, but because tenants will demand decarbonised workspaces so they can achieve their own sustainability goals. There is a lot of talk about the “greening” of finance these days, where funding may come with energy or carbon stipulations attached, as investors seek opportunities that deliver on environmental or social goals.

This is especially relevant to the science and research sectors: companies developing worldchanging technologies to solve the climate crisis or improve health must demonstrate that their own operations reflect these values.

When indirect upstream and downstream ”Scope 3” emissions are excluded, over 90% of tenants’ direct carbon impacts (Scopes 1 and 2) are typically linked to energy consumption within the buildings they occupy – so they will lean on landlords to act.

Phil Kelly is a

Partner in the Sustainability team at Ridge.

Working closely with all disciplines and across every sector, Phil brings an expert focus to Sustainability, Net Zero and Circularity.

e philkelly@ ridge.co.uk

The opportunity

At Ridge, we’ve got first-hand experience of this, both in our own offices and in the work we’ve done for property owners. Our clients are asking that we reduce our carbon emissions – because our scope 1 and 2 emissions become their scope 3 – so we’ve approached our landlords to talk about how we can work together to improve the value of their assets, while meeting our decarbonisation targets.

Meanwhile, we’ve advised landlords on decarbonising many different kinds of campus or portfolio, including science parks, business parks and education estates, from F1 and advanced manufacturing campuses, to Oxford colleges and independent schools with buildings that are over 100 years old.

This is undeniably complex and spans many different disciplines.

Because we have designers, engineers, surveyors, cost consultants and sustainability experts under one roof, we can provide comprehensive, independent advice on balancing cost and carbon while working towards longer-term targets.

In the majority of cases, it’s not viable to switch all buildings from gas to electricity in one go, or without additional interventions.

This is due to the nuances of these very different fuels, and the accompanying cost implications.

impact radiators – the landlord could just swap out the boiler for a lower capacity heat pump, with the capital works restricted to the plant room, and no impact on the tenant’s internal space.

The final step is to look at the programme implications, and how interventions can be costed and sequenced in the optimal way to meet future legislative requirements or certifications.

Sharing the burden

“Tenants will demand decarbonised workspaces so t he y ca n achie v e t heir o w n s u s ta in a bil i t y go a l s , a s f unding m ay c o m e w i t h e n e r g y o r c a r b o n s t ip ul at ion s at ta che d.”

But we can set out a phased approach, with hybrid solutions along the way, to steadily reduce carbon and work towards the ultimate goal of Net Zero.

Our approach

We begin with an options appraisal, considering many possible interventions individually, from fabric improvements such as insulation, airtightness and replacement glazing, to building system upgrades and replacements, to adding onsite renewables like photovoltaic and solar thermal panels.

For each one, we work out the capital expenditure requirement and potential operational savings. As well as the return on investment, we look at how they would affect energy ratings and carbon emissions, and we overlay other factors such as disruption to tenants or wider benefits to occupant health and wellbeing. Take external brise soleil: adding these to protect glazing from solar gain will reduce the need for w w w.breakthroughdigital.co.uk

air conditioning, but it could also allow people to leave the blinds up throughout the day, reducing demand for artificial lighting while increasing natural light and creating a better working environment.

Then we identify the interdependencies between all of these things. For example, improving the fabric of the building first can allow it to be served by a smaller heat pump. On one project, we succeeded in cutting the heating requirement to such an extent that there was no need for invasive upgrades to the pipework or

There’s an engagement piece too.

Beyond the initial options appraisal, this does need to be a joint conversation. Rather than just putting 20 different options on a page with an ROI for each, we can facilitate conversations between landlords and tenants, to help them decide the best way forward.

If both parties understand the logistics and the costs, there may be ways of sharing the burden: a tenant might offer to continue paying rent while vacating their space for the works to happen.

This could be more cost-effective than relocating to an alternative decarbonised building, and it can significantly enhance the cost/ benefit analysis for the landlord.

Again, Ridge has direct experience of making these decisions. Over the last two years, all of our lease commencement or extension negotiations have involved a discussion about decarbonisation, and sometimes a specific clause. In more than one instance, the replacement of gas infrastructure and/or the installation of renewable technology has been written into the contract. That is the level of conversation that science park owners need to have with their tenants to plan for the future.

This is essential for maintaining asset values and keeping up with regulatory requirements, but it will also result in better relationships, longer tenancies and fewer voids.

Decarbonisation is not a landlord problem or a tenant problem – it’s something we need to tackle together. n

go online

See what Ridge and Partners can do for you at ridge.co.uk Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 47

Trends

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the innovation ecosystem

Talking about change in the move to low carbon

I

t is an unfortunate irony that many of the laboratories and research institutions looking into ways of mitigating climate change are themselves generating a significant carbon footprint.

Labs typically consume anything between three and 10 times more energy per square metre compared to academic or office spaces, while a study by academics at University College London found the carbon footprint per researcher from consumables was 660 kgCO2e/year - about four times the emissions from commuting.

One estimate suggests biological, medical, or agricultural research alone generates 5.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, equivalent to the carbon footprint of over a million UK citizens.

And back in 2020, the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector was estimated to have made up between 1.8% and 2.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions – more than aviation (1.9%).

Labs globally are responsible for 4-5% of total greenhouse gas emissions and 2% of all plastic waste.

It is against this background that project managers 3PM and strategic sustainability consultants GXN have been investigating how to improve the life science sector’s approach to sustainability.

A deeper understanding

Their joint report, ‘Transforming to Zero: Changing Behaviours for Decarbonising Laboratories’, aims to offer a range of practical, robust, and achievable guidance on decarbonising science buildings.

48 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

What would a net zero future mean for the UK’s science laboratories?

Kåre Stokholm Poulsgaard from GXN and James BuckleyWalker from 3PM talk about the findings of their joint research.

The work follows in-depth analysis, review, and debate with more than 50 lab experts, managers, and developers.

James Buckley-Walker, partner at 3PM, said: “We wanted to undertake this project—to gain a deep understanding of how life science buildings run and where we can help the industry make a meaningful and scalable change.”

Kåre Stokholm Poulsgaard

Partner & Head of Innovation, GXN

James Buckley-Walker Partner, 3PM

Kåre Stokholm Poulsgaard, partner and head of innovation at GXN, added: “What is essential for us is that this initiative becomes a driver for meaningful change, so we are eager to partner with and assist interested organisations to implement sustainable practices in their labs and buildings.”

One of the biggest challenges was finding the time for such as in-depth study, said James, both for the report team and for those it was questioning.

“We found that some of the businesses we interviewed don't have the resource capacity to divert into sustainable initiatives.

Actually changing their methods of science and their methods of ways of working is one of the biggest organisational blockers to change in the industry.”

Kåre added: “When we first started, one scientific manager told us that scientists don’t care about the climate, or rather, that they believe they are working on the technology that will ultimately help solve the issue.

“It was a bit of an interesting thing to be told that highly educated people who are really dedicated to science in general wouldn't really be caring about this.

“Luckily, as we engaged with people, we found that a lot of people care very deeply about the climate. They spend a lot of time thinking about how their day-today work practices can potentially be smarter in order not to contribute more to the problem than what's required.

trends “There’s a lot of plastic waste in labs. There's a lot of heavy equipment running, a lot of air changes because of health and safety requirements. All of these things are in place for good reason. But that also means that the work that goes on in labs is quite wasteful.

“For some of the people we were speaking to, that actually led to a bit of an issue. They’d tell us how engaged they were in their private lives, sorting out glasses, recycling, trying to minimise their carbon footprint—to come into work and be part of these fairly wasteful big machines.

“One of the people who spoke to had been diagnosed with climate anxiety, but also worked in in the most high containment lab you could possibly come across, which uses huge amounts of energy and waste.

So it was a really big dichotomy for her in as an individual.”

Much of the drive for change has to come from the top, said James Buckley-Walker.

“We observed that he more successful organisations—who are kicking goals in terms of sustainability —have truly great leadership. They are inspiring individuals who are passionate about sustainability themselves, whether they come from a sustainability background or science background.

“It’s the inspiration that is driving change within those businesses. They have the time and funding to divert to some of these efforts to change their procedures, which can be quite a big sidetrack from their day-to-day operations.

“The change has to come from the top, but it also has to come from all areas supporting science. In this regard, one of the other significant gaps we found is between the occupier or the tenant and the landlord or the asset owner.

“The asset owner might be a traditional science park or the new entrant developers and private equity investors that are coming into the market. The gaps between their needs and their aspirations as well as their drivers is still quite large. The knowledge we have found in our research provides some of the ways we can help bridge those gaps and help these organisations become more sustainable.” w w w.breakthroughdigital.co.uk

The Transforming to Zero white paper targets three main focus areas, from conceptualisation to daily operations and with a focus on continuous improvement.

1

Organisational Change

Understanding first-hand the needs and experiences of people in the lab to support teams in driving positive change.

2 3

Improving Operations

Identifying the key role of specific sustainable behaviours in making green labs a reality.

Better Buildings

Considerations for the design and construction of lowcarbon lab buildings to enable future adaptability and long-term sustainability.

Diverse needs

Each section of the white paper is tailored to meet the diverse needs and perspectives of stakeholders involved in laboratory environments. Twenty case studies

portray the success stories of multiple science organisations and the paper shares three roadmaps for change that describe goals, activities, and outputs.

Landlords want to attract occupiers who in turn need to attract employees with high skill credentials, said Kåre “They might think about the way they lay out and operate their buildings, and the amenities they add to the offering might also help these organisations appeal to younger talent.

“We saw that many younger people value being employed in a place that allows them to align their workplace and their personal values in a better way.

“A lot of people know how to design very well-functioning labs, but we're seeing a little bit of a missed trick by not also thinking about the day-to-day experience of people inhabiting these labs.”

There are answers to the sometimes conflicting demands on property owners, tenants and their employees, says the report.

“Adopting a balanced approach to product and market fit, alongside adaptability and low carbon design choices, allow teams to create lab buildings that meet the needs of occupiers without sacrificing long term sustainability.”

And it’s not all about demolition and new-build. “A lot of the time, buildings are not necessarily torn down because their material life is over, but they're torn down because they don't work as real estate assets,” explained Kåre.

“And that leads to the wasteful demolition that we see.

“What we developed in those cases is a methodology for working with the asset owner to try and understand the business case; what does it need to do to be able to make sense as real estate.

“We can look at the structural aspects of the buildings. It's usually not either or when it comes to transformation and new build, it’s more a situation of cutting, carving, adding and figuring out what the structure can take and how to make the structure work.

“A lot of the time what kills projects is low floor-to-ceiling heights; it makes it very tricky for conversion to labs. The operational side is another piece of the puzzle, and then the architecture of it.

Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 49

trends

If we are going to expend energy and carbon on transforming an asset, we need to make sure that it performs as well as, or close to, a new build.

“We can see a lot more time being spent upfront on projects trying to get that right, which is quite exciting and an interesting challenge.”

Challenges of changes

Then there is the challenge of changing use and buildings reaching the end of their design life, or the science changing so much that the building becomes obsolete.

James said: “The challenge is to understand the tenant and the science they are undertaking to the nth degree, so they can help the transform their asset in the most efficient way possible, to streamline what they do and how they operate within the lab. That includes their workflows and waste flows, helping them grow and expand, keeping them on the science park, helping them on their real estate journey.

“But now we are also driving the low carbon agenda. It can’t be about overdesigning and over flexing spaces anymore, because we must reduce the carbon footprint of science. There must be a delicate balance of flexibility with carbonconscious design flexibility so that research facilities are future-proofed.

“In the last few years we saw the rise of ‘lab enabled’ developments, but they were often over specified for an unspecified potential use. After spaces were fitout and operational, they were often not being used to their full capacity and that is inherently wasteful.

“For a developer, a science park or an institutional owner, the more they understand the science going on inside, the more they can hone 50 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

access the white paper

Use the code to access the full Transforming to Zero: Changing Behaviours for Decarbonising Laboratories joint report

in on what that specification of that space will be for, both now and in the future.

Kåre added: “You have one approach that is gold-plating; you try and design for all the different scenarios, for the highest use case.

But that adds a lot of cost and carbon that you might not use.

“The other strategy is rather to think about what the minimum is we need to do today to allow things to change in the future? How do we design in flexibility knowing there's a bit of a cost that now, but it would allow an asset to live longer.

“In some of the case studies in the report we are working with vibration requirement; allowing floors to be retrofitted with hangers that can improve vibration requirement should a floor change to a type of science that needs that capacity. But it’s not installed from the get-go because we don’t know if we will need that capacity.

“That type of strategy is one way to enable change in the future.

We understand that we cannot foresee everything but there are

certain parameters we might want to have that adjust as the building lives on.”

James added: “Science and technology changes so swiftly that if you build a fixed and rigid lab, by the time it is built things have changed so much it can be obsolete. By understanding the site and the science you’re actually future-proofing the asset because you know understand swiftly that's going to change.”

They highlight another case study: the work of Dr Jason Millichamp at UCL’s new East campus in Stratford. Rather than the traditional system of departments, the key to developing the new campus has been to enable sharing of spaces and resources.

Overseeing the design and development of lab facilities at UCL East, his job extends from initial planning to operational implementation, fostering collaboration and breaking down silos.

Dr Millichamp explained: “It’s about understanding when to be specialist and when to be generic. When you’re designing, you will lock into design requirements quite early on, but it will be years until that design actually comes to fruition, so you’ll never get the details right perfectly, but what’s important is your overall design strategy allows the spaces to evolve as the users do.”

“They have spaces designed around generic lab spaces that are shared with more specialist labs and support spaces,” said James. “The efficiencies they’re getting from decentralising the departments are game changing for them, and for a lot of other universities that are following suit.”

“It’s what we want the paper to share. There's a lot of great stuff happening out there, in all of these different areas, but no one organisation or team is doing everything right. By sharing great stories and lessons learned from all of those areas, we hope we can open some doors and shine some light on the great things that are happening.” n

transforming to zero

For more on Transforming to Zero visit TransformingToZero.com

member profileS partners we offer a wide range of business support services, from personalized Business Support Surgeries to MIC’s Biggest Conversation, which brings together industry leaders and innovators to discuss the latest advancements in healthcare.

Connecting innovators & leaders

T

he Maidstone Innovation Centre (MIC) is a pioneering workspace in the heart of Maidstone, dedicated to fostering innovation in MedTech, life sciences, and healthcare.

Opened in 2021, MIC is strategically designed to support the next generation of innovators and to drive economic growth within high-tech sectors. With funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Maidstone Borough Council, MIC reflects a strong commitment to enhancing the local economy through collaboration and cutting-edge innovation.

C

undall is a global multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy with over 1,200 staff in 28 locations. Our engineering expertise, coupled with creativity, innovation and a deep-rooted understanding of people and communities, has allowed us to develop the best possible solutions for our clients’ projects for nearly 50 years.

Sustainability is integral to our approach. We provide clients with practical advice and solutions to reduce the environmental impact of developments and enhance social value. As a result, we were very proud to have a number of people from Cundall contribute their expertise towards the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (UK NZCBS), the UK’s first cross-industry standard for net zero carbon aligned buildings. w w w.breakthroughdigital.co.uk

Our Centre is more than just a workspace – it’s a community. MIC unites researchers, professionals, and businesses in MedTech, life sciences, and healthcare, creating opportunities for collaboration that drive both innovation and economic growth. Our events and networking activities foster connections, enabling our tenants to leverage shared resources and access expert guidance to advance their impact in the industry.

A commitment to sustainability

Supporting innovation and business growth

At MIC, we provide a vibrant, purpose-built environment where healthcare entrepreneurs and businesses can connect, collaborate, and thrive. Our state-of-the-art facilities include flexible workspaces, meeting rooms, and event areas, all designed to accommodate the needs of businesses at various stages. Working with our

The Maidstone Innovation Centre is designed with sustainability at its core.

Achieving a BREEAM rating of “Very Good,” our Centre prioritizes environmentally responsible practices, from energy-efficient systems to sustainable construction materials, all aimed at reducing our environmental impact while enhancing the wellbeing of our occupants. n

connect, collaborate, thrive

at maidstoneinnovationcentre.co.uk

Andrew Somerville, Partner (pictured left), contributed to the Science and Technology sector group.

He explained: “The UK NZCBS is a free-to-access technical standard for anyone who owns, operates or designs buildings and wishes to definitively demonstrate that their building is net zero carbon aligned. As a robust industry-backed initiative, the Standard should also be useful to policymakers as it outlines what is needed to support the UK’s net zero carbon transition.”

Cundall is ideally placed to support commercial and institutional investors looking to create world-class science and technology facilities that deliver economic, social and investment value. n

want to learn more?

Our team is available to help with any queries you have at www.cundall.com Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 51

trends

Getting AI right in the world of infrastructure There is significant opportunity for, and increasing use of, artificial intelligence in the world of construction and design, but Caro Ames from Arup tells Simon Penfold that caution and expertise are vital in its application.

E

arly last year the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) revealed the growth in use of artificial intelligence in the design process.

More than half expected their architecture practice to use AI over the following two years, with 57% predicting it would improve efficiency. But almost seven in 10 said their practice had not invested in AI research and development, and only four in 10 expected that investment to take place.

Despite this, the use of AI in the property industry is rapidly increasing, with the potential to transform the way buildings are designed, built and operated.

Against that background, the use of AI in science park development was a hot topic in a debate over digital innovation at the UKSPA 40th anniversary conference at Warwick University.

On that panel was Caro Ames, data science strategy lead at Arup, the global engineering, design and architecture group.

“I’ve done a few of these panels before, but you rarely get one where the room is full,” she recalls.

“People were really engaged and asking interesting questions.

“The tone of the panel was that there was a lot of opportunity, but we have to focus on where it can deliver value. And we've also got to

52 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

make sure that we do this in a way that is responsible.”

“The infrastructure space historically has been fairly slow on the uptake on digital, data and AI,” said Caro. “However, this space is facing a lot of quite critical challenges. They know they need to change. Alongside this the profileration of GenAI in the media and our daily lives is making people significantly more aware.”

Gen, or generative, AI creates new content such as text or images based on patterns in data. In architecture AI algorithms can explore a far wider range of design options than a human designer could consider, generating thousands of options in a few seconds compared to the days or weeks the job would take a human or traditional piece of software.

“It's also made AI - a concept that has typically been approached with significant caution - more accessible. So while it is not always the solution, we've seen a massive uptake in interest across all aspects of AI.”

More informed decisions

AI’s ability to crunch massive amounts of data lets it predict how a building will perform in terms of energy efficiency or structural integrity, enabling the human architects and designers to make more informed decisions.

Caro said: “Historically, large engineering simulations take a long time to run. AI enables people

to model things much earlier on in the design process.

“In the past you needed really deep technical skills in order to train and deploy machine learning models. But the introduction of major cloud platforms has begun to change that because a huge amount of the process can be automated. And that means it is also rapidly reducing the historically high cost of leveraging AI, which has been a key barrier to large scale uptake.”

That being said, it poses risks too. “Because the barrier to entry is lower, people might be deploying AI who do not understand the technology in as much depth as other people who might have been doing this in the past.

“That could result in the development or deployment of machine learning models in a way that isn’t responsible. There are also challenges with machine learning models: if you train them on bad data, they’re going to give you bad predictions.

“It means your data needs to be sorted beforehand, which can be quite a large and daunting task.”

The organisations designing, building and running laboratory

trends space and science parks are still in the early stages of their data transformation journey, says Caro.

“That provides the opportunity to think about how you develop your data strategy, architecture and governance AI. “I think it gives the opportunity for the infrastructure and property space to really accelerate how quickly that they can generate value from this transformational technology.”

For Caro, this means the application of AI needs to focus on the right things and key opportunities in the property space. “My big belief is that the use of AI needs to be problem or value driven. I get a lot of people come to me asking if they can solve a particular problem with AI, or they want to use it for something and the risk is it might not be the right solution to the problem “Some people just want to use AI because it’s at the peak of a hype curve and end up investing in something that's actually not going to generate value to them.”

There is significant opportunity, however, to use AI to address some of the challenges facing the property space. Focus in the right areas will

Right Simulations from 80 Charlotte St, Arup's newest London offices

view a demo OF NEURON Use the code to watch a video demo of Neuron, Arup's next gen smart building platform

help accelerate organisations’ ability to deliver value.

“We've got some very large challenges in the property space.

There's a massive and rapid change in user needs, which means there has to be a significant increase in flexibility.

“With AI you can use information on how a space is currently being used to create models of buildings, for example.

And you build in parameters that change rapidly to generate ideas.

“The concept of generative design is quite interesting because you can optimise for different types of user needs and also do it on a much larger scale, which also enables people to think about things like social or environmental preferences, which are obviously becoming increasingly important, rather than how do we design something so that it meets basic requirements to cost.

“Also you can change things quickly. That's the other point with the concept of generative design: you can experiment more rapidly than you would be able to historically. So not only are you able to think about lots of different parameters but also to make changes more quickly.

“I think there's a big point around efficiency in the space as well, at a time of high interest rates and rising costs causing huge problems.

“You can design or operate buildings more efficiently, so we're

seeing massive increased interest in optimised control electricity and heating in buildings to try and drive down costs.

“At the same time there's a huge increase in sensor data available in all the systems that we're applying. That’s a big change right across construction, across design, across operations. That increase in available data makes this significantly easier to derive value from.”

But again there is a note of caution. “Part of that is making sure we're collecting and using the right data. As an observation, we are just generating so much data it can be overwhelming, “Another point is that storing data has a very high energy costs.

As a society we have to think about balancing the proliferation of this technology and the proliferation of the scale of data that we're generating, with our ambitions in areas such as net zero.”

Writing in Forbes last year, Arvin Patel, a senior executive at Nokia, said: “Each data centre powering AI requires the same amount of power as a small city, and the AI industry worldwide may consume between 85 and 134 terawatt hours of electricity each year by 2027—or as much power as Argentina uses annually.”

Caro continued: “It really gives an indication of the scale of those energy costs.”

Issue 24 | ukspa breakthrough | 53

trends Sizeable skills gap

One major area organisations will have to tackle is their sizeable skills gap when it comes to utilising AI. “Leveraging AI requires a shift in operating model. Organisations are having to kind of rethink their whole structure, what skills they need to be bringing in.

“In a space which has historically not been incredibly digitally driven, that creates quite a lot of uncertainty. People are going through a lot of change already, trying to address net zero, managing rising costs, interest rates, the fact that ways of working are changing and we need to be delivering a better user experience.”

AI will also have a major impact on the ways organisations work across the science park community. “How people do their jobs is going to change massively through AI. And that creates even more unknowns about what types of spaces you might be needing in the future.

“The science park community are drivers of innovation in the country, so this is an opportunity for the community to be leading the way in the adoption of AI across the whole property and infrastructure space.

“We also have to be comfortable in experimenting and admitting when it doesn't work. I think that's really important because in this space we're all learning as we go.

If something doesn’t work, we learn from it and take those learnings into the next thing.

“That's not a natural state of mind for people who work in property or the broader infrastructure sectors. We are used to traditional large-scale long-term waterfall delivery projects (the traditional approach to project management that involves a linear sequence of stages) where you typically know that they're going to work by the end.

“We’re going to have to shift to a more agile way of working and more agile way of thinking.

Acceptance of things not working is a big mind shift for people.

“But there is the risk of becoming irrelevant if we don’t adopt AI because someone else will be using it to solve the problem, drive efficiency and do things 54 | ukspa breakthrough | Issue 24

Above Neuron is an innovative console that integrates insights into the built environment with emerging digital technologies into a single platform

Below Projectgpt in Arup's Fuse an all-in-one platform for project data management

cheaper. And that will put some organisations at risk.”

Human in the loop

While AI can crunch enormous amounts of data, decisions remain in human hands – including the decisions on what data is fed to the AI. “Organisations will need someone to guide them on the right way to use AI. The property space is highly technical, highly regulated and quite high risk. You need domain expertise and AI expertise in order to actually generate value from AI. “User centred design must be core to development. Without it, there is the risk of developing or implementing systems that don’t give you what you need.

“AI is not replacing people’s technical expertise. In fact AI

requires that expertise for it to be applied properly. We talk a lot about ‘the human in the loop’.

AI can automate systems, but the human in the loop is really important, particularly when you're working in highly technical and regulated spaces.

“You can design systems in such a way that ultimately the domain expert makes a decision.

But it's enabled by AI and there's massive efficiency there.

“So with asset inspection people have had to go out and inspect everything themselves.

That's time consuming and costly.

But now there's opportunities to use video and LIDAR data and computer vision algorithms.

“And we've got multimodal AI as well able to process and integrate multiple types of data.

We can bring in data from other documents, sort through and present identified issues to someone so that they can make a decision about whether they need a targeted inspection or an engineer to come out and fix it.”

The rate of change and development in the AI space is huge. “We are only at the beginning, and every organisation will need to adapt to stay relevant.

“As innovation hubs, there is an opportunity for the science park community to lead the way in the property space for the use of AI, to demonstrate the value it offers the sector.

“The use of AI in property provides an opportunity across the community to collaborate, explore and test innovative ideas. It will also offer additional proof – if any was needed – of the science park community’s critical role in the UK economy as a testbed for developing technology.” n

Caro has recently moved on from Arup to join JMAN group to focus on working with private equity funds and their portfolio companies in the infrastructure and sustainability spaces deliver value from data and AI.

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