Sharing Culham Science Park’s knowledge across the UK

Culham is the home of the Joint European Torus (JET), the world’s largest and most powerful tokamak and the focal point of the European fusion research programme. Around 350 scientists from Europe, plus more from around the globe, participate in JET experiments each year, co-ordinated by a programme management unit.

The tokamak at Culham is one of several types of magnetic confinement devices being developed to produce controlled thermonuclear fusion power.

However, the value of the groundbreaking science being done at Culham has to benefit the whole of the UK economy, not just the wider scientific community. How is that knowledge being shared across the country?

Rob Buckingham, Director of UKAEA and Remote Access in Challenging Environments (RACE), pointed out that there is a lot going on across the country. “The government is investing around £2 million every year into West Cumbria to work on decommissioning the Sellafield site. And we have been talking about Cumbria and Oxfordshire working together in the robotics space. While a lot of the work on robotics is indeed happening in the South East – because of the expertise that lies here, we are actively reaching out to make sure we are addressing markets across the country.”

Ahmed Goga, Director of Strategy at the Oxfordshire LEP, added: “In the space sector, Harwell is home to the largest space cluster in Western Europe. where more than 100 companies operate in the space sector. Their work is powering opportunities elsewhere in the country.”

He listed Westcott in Buckinghamshire, the spaceports planned for Cornwall and Scotland, along with manufacturing opportunities in the East Midlands, including at Leicester Science Park. He also cited the motorsports technology which is delivering huge changes in supply chains across the country. However he admitted that perhaps more could be done to highlight how the work in Oxfordshire is powering other regional economies around the country.

Another UK-wide collaboration is the recent opening of the UKAEA facility in Rotherham, said Tim Bestwick, Director of Business and Innovation at UKAEA. “The new facility will bring 40 skilled jobs to South Yorkshire, fostering collaboration with research organisations including the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and its sister centre, the University of Sheffield AMRC.

“This is mobilisation of collaboration on a national scale. The fusion challenge is far too big for one region alone to carry. It has to be on a national scale and a national endeavour.”

Oxford’s science parks aiming for closer collaboration

A panel session on the second day of the UKSPA conference included representatives from Oxfordshire’s science parks, including Philip Campbell, Commercial Director at Milton Park, Dr Elen Wade-Martins, of Oxford’s BioEscalator, Alistair Cory, Director at Begbroke Science Park and Piers Scrimshaw-Wright, Chief Executive at Oxford Science Park.

Philip presented an overview of Milton Park’s 2040 vision, which has the potential to bring the park’s total working population to 20,000. Milton Park, near Didcot, is one of the UK’s largest business parks. The 2040 Masterplan will make more efficient use of the existing 300-acre site, with 41 per cent of new space for creating world-leading labs. The plans will play a crucial role in assisting local authorities to deliver the Oxford Industrial Strategy and contributing to the area becoming a global leader in science, technology and high-tech engineering.

Oxford’s BioEscalator offers business and lab space for early stage businesses, supporting companies which are working on early-stage innovative science and have the potential for high growth.

The Oxford Science Park, which covers more than 75 acres, is home to more than 2,500 people and almost 100 companies, with state-of-the-art office and laboratory space. The Park is continuing its expansion plans with the proposed development of two new buildings on Plot 16.