Annual Report 2014-2015
UKSPA Chairman Dr David Hardman
explains why the UKSPA membership
remains a key driving force in the UK’s
knowledge economy.
T
he UKSPA membership now embraces
more than 100 locations, spanning
incubators, innovation centres and
both small and large sciences parks. These
innovative, dynamic and responsive
ventures are a vital part of the lifeblood of
the future economy.
Whilst science parks have historically
largely been associated with universities,
with 70% still having direct or close
linkages, we are now witnessing the
emergence of sector-focussed locations –
large public sector specialist facilities are
opening-up; innovation campuses
associated with long established public
sector research establishments and private
sector research campuses.
It is appropriate that our AGM this year is
being held at the National Agri-food
Innovation Campus – York, which is home
to a lively mix of public and private sector
organisations. Anchor tenant, the Food and
Environment Research Agency (Fera), is
an Executive Agency of the UK
Government but the site also embraces a
range of other public and many private
industry organisations.
It is the aggregation of talent, technology
and access to funding around a supportive,
responsive and locally relevant
infrastructure that drives success. Highcost specialist facilities will attract tenants
that cannot support such facilities off their
own balance sheets but the draw for
entrepreneurs is the culture of the location;
the very fact that relocating to the site
enhances their chances of delivering their
commercial aspirations.
This is about management; about
members delivering to meet local business
needs; actively understanding clients by
being intimately engaged with local
economies; understanding and building on
legacy strengths and helping to create
complete innovation ecologies and as
such differentiating themselves from
business parks.
There are signs of the beginning of a trend
towards consolidation. Such consolidation
must not break the local supportive webs;
in the same way as a national innovation
agenda requires local interpretation, so
management of multiple sites must blend
economies with local character.
The increasingly global nature of all sectors
of the economy, and as a consequence,
global connectivity, is an essential element
of all knowledge-based locations, so it is
encouraging to note the increasing number
of national Science Park associations
approaching Paul Wright and his team
wanting to collaborate. Members should
see this as an opportunity to build new
bridgeheads though UKSPA.
The UKSPA Board is focused on securing
Government recognition of the importance
of our locations and it was gratifying that in
his keynote address at the UKSPA 30th
Anniversary Summit, David Willetts, the
then Minister for Universities and Science
said: “I am in no doubt that science parks
are an important part of the research
infrastructure in the UKK But you haven’t
always been seen in that light, and it is a
matter of regret that over the last 30 years
you have had a sporadic and unreliable
Board Members 2014-2015
David Hardman (Chairman)
George Walker (Hon Treasurer and
Company Secretary)
Catherine Johns (Vice Chairman)
Paul Wright (CEO)
Patrick Bonnett
James Chaffer
Sally Ann Forsyth
David Lupson
Tracey Smith
Mervyn Watley
level of engagement from government in
both economic and policy terms. So, let me
start today by saying firmly that things have
changed. We know that you matterK”
We will continue to stress the importance
of our Members’ work to Greg Clark MP,
the new Science Minister, as well as to
George Freeman MP who has been
appointed the first Minister for Life
Sciences, and others in Government and
elsewhere.
But the Association cannot do this alone.
The additive value of connection can
readily be achieved by active participation
in our Association; in what is a ready-made
network of the like-minded.
So please engage - there is nothing new in
this plea - good associations become great
through the active participation of their
membership and, as we enter our third
decade of operation, UKSPA’s function as
a networking organisation has never been
more important.
UKSPA MEMBERSHIP
Full and Associate Members
3M Buckley Innovation Centre
Aberdeen Energy and Innovation Parks
Anglia Ruskin MedTech Campus
Babraham Bioscience Campus
Barnsley Digital Media Centre
Begbroke Science Park
BioCity
BioPark
Birmingham Research Park
Birmingham Science Park Aston
Bracknell Enterprise & Innovation Hub
Bridge Innovation Centre
Bristol & Bath Science Park
Brunel Science Park
Cambridge Biomedical Campus
Cambridge Science Park
Cardiff Business Technology Centre
CEME Innovation Centre
Charnwood Biomedical Campus
Cherwell Innovation Centre
Chesterford Research Park
Colworth Science Park
Coventry University Technology Park
Cranfield University Technology Park
Culham Innovation Centre
Culham Science Centre
Discovery Park
Edinburgh BioQuarter
Edinburgh Technopole
Elvingston Science Centre
European Marine Science Park
Exeter Science Park
Granta Park
Harborough Innovation Centre
Harwell Innovation Centre
Harwell Oxford
Haverhill Research Park
Heriot-Watt University Research Park
Hexagon Tower
Hillington Park Innovation Centre
Imperial College Incubator
Imperial West
Institute of Life Science
Keele University Science and Business Park
Kent Science Park
Langstone Technology Park
Leeds Innovation Centre
Lincoln Science and Innovation Park
Liverpool Innovation Park
Liverpool Science Park
Longbridge Technology Park
Loughborough University Science and
Enterprise Parks
Malvern Hills Science Park
Manchester Science Parks
Mansfield i-Centre
Menai Science Park
MIRA Technology Park
National Agri-food Innovation Campus
NETPark – The North East Technology Park
Newark Beacon
No.1 Nottingham Science Park
Northern Ireland Science Park
Norwich Research Park
Nucleus Business and Innovation Centre
Ocean Village Innovation Centre
OpTIC
Oxford Centre for Innovation
Oxford Science Park
Pentlands Science Park
Plymouth Science Park
Portsmouth Technopole
Roslin BioCentre
Sci-Tech Daresbury
Scott-Bader Innovation Centre
Scottish Enterprise Technology Park
Silverstone Park Innovation Centre
St John's Innovation Centre
Stanmore Business & Innovation Centre
Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst
Stirling University Innovation Park
Stockport Business & Innovation Centre
Stoneleigh Park
Surrey Research Park
Tetricus Science Park
Jim Duvall, UKSPA Membership
Manager, looks back at the key
Association activities over the last
12 months.
Our 30th Anniversary Year was dominated by our
Summit in Birmingham but the opportunity has
also been taken to relaunch our website as well
as undertake some significant research into the
impact of the science and innovation sector.
We have managed to sustain a healthy level of
membership and although we have had to say (a
hopefully temporary) farewell to one or two
Members, we have also welcomed the return of
some others and also welcomed the following
new Full and Associate Members to the
Association in the last year, including:
• NovaUCD (Dublin)
• Discovery Park
• Hexagon Tower
• CoLab (Letterkenny)
• Lincoln Science and Innovation Park
• Menai Science Park
• Silverstone Innovation Centre
• Transport Systems Catapult
We are also very pleased to recognise the
progression of a number of locations who have
now moved to Full Membership of the
Association. These are:
• No 1 Nottingham Science Park
• Edinburgh BioQuarter
• European Marine Science Park
• Stevenage BioScience Catalyst
Our Business Affiliates continue to play an
important role in delivering professional services
to our members – which in turn adds to the
diversity and value of our regular conferences.
They are an important part of the Association and
I am grateful for the contribution that these
companies play. A number of new Business
Affiliates have joined over the last twelve months,
including:
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Andrew Porter Ltd
Arup
Excell
Geddes Architects
GVA
Pringle Brandon Perkins + Will
Signature Solo
Members' Meetings and UKSPA Conferences
Our Members' Meetings continue to be well
supported, creating a positive learning
environment for both the new and the mature
park Members as well as for the wider network.
The meetings held over the last 12 months have
all attracted in excess of 100 members at each
event and the combination of networking, sharing
good practice, discussing current issues and
challenges in a supportive and relaxed
environment are well received by all who attend.
There was a diverse range of speakers and
workshops at recent Members' Meetings hosted
by the Wilton Centre, Edinburgh BioQuarter, and
the University of Southampton Science Park. The
aim is to create a mix of sessions and speakers
which will be of interest to all Members.
Operational issues are always important features
of our events and discussing good practice
alongside practical strategy really does benefit
those attending.
Members' Meetings are an enjoyable way of
networking with colleagues and further
information on future plans and presentations
from past events are all available from the
UKSPA website.
UKSPA MEMBERSHIP
UKSPA Communications
UKSPA Research
As part of its celebration of 30 years of science
park development, an up to date review backed
by evidence of the catalytic role being played by
science parks and technology orientated
innovation centres is being researched.
The main aim of the review is to develop an
evidence-based promotional document to help
secure greater awareness and acceptance of the
contribution of science parks and innovation
centres in the development of the knowledge in
specific local areas across the UK. The report will
be circulated to those directly involved in the
formulation and delivery of policy and strategies
relating to innovation, entrepreneurship and
economic growth of different parts of the
economy.
UKSPA Conference
The Autumn issue of IIS (available at
www.scienceparks.co.uk) and the UKSPA
website provide comprehensive coverage of the
July 2014 30th Anniversary Summit. This was an
ambitious event that delivered around 50
contributions to the conference, celebrated the
achievements of the sector through the Awards
Programme and also allowed delegates to
network in the commercial exhibition area and at
the enjoyable pre-conference experience day at
MIRA Technology Park.
UKSPA website
The delivery of the new UKSPA website has
provided a more attractive, intuitive website that
is now delivered across all devices (PC/Laptop,
smartphones and tablets). It will be developed
over the next few months to provide Members
with the tools to publish and edit their own
content.
The site features news, events and jobs – not
just from UKSPA but also from Member parks
and tenant companies. It is a useful way of
maintaining the profile of individual Science Parks
and we intend to carry through further
improvements throughout the year.
The Association published the 22nd edition of the
UK Science Park Directory this year, which
reflects the continuing growth of the Membership
over the last 12 months. The UKSPA periodical
Innovation into Success has also enjoyed similar
longevity. The periodicals and directory currently
reach more than 9,000 individuals at regular
intervals throughout the year.
We continue to produce our monthly enewsletters, and have had a very warm response
from Members regarding this publication, which
we try to release once every four to six weeks.
We have attempted to keep the articles short and
punchy, and have selected items that will
hopefully appeal to the majority of our
Membership.
The @UKSPA Twitter account continues to
reach new audiences and we now have more
than 1,000 followers. Whilst originally fairly
sceptical about the business benefits, we make
the effort to publish good news stories about our
Members and what is happening in the sector.
UKSPA projects
There are a number of projects and services that
we offer the membership. Two of these – UKSPA
ASPIRE and UKSPA CLARITY – continue to
gain momentum and further details about these
two significant initiatives can be found on the
UKSPA website. Space only allows me to focus
on one other current project – our Science Park
and Innovation Leadership Diploma.
Working in partnership with Ithaka, the
Association has developed the original UKSPA
Leadership Programme into a fully accredited
University Diploma whilst maintaining all the
practical features of the original programme. The
latest cohort brings together leaders of several
Science Park, Innovation and Incubator Centres
in a confidential environment to improve their
own leadership and management and provide
improved business support to companies in their
facilities. Individuals undertake four workbased
projects geared to improving their own capability
and providing benefits to their own business and
the businesses within their facility.
Finally, please do take time to visit the
www.ukspa.org.uk website to find out more about
our aims, activities and services and do not
hesitate to contact us for further information on
our activities and services.
www.ukspa.org.uk
The Bridge, Dartford
Transport Systems Catapult
University of Cambridge West Cambridge Site
University of Essex Knowledge Gateway
University of Nottingham Innovation Park (UNIP)
University of Reading Science Park
University of Sheffield
University of Southampton Science Park
University of Warwick Science Park
University of Wolverhampton Science Park
West of Scotland Science Park
Wilton Centre
Witney Business & Innovation Centre
Worksop Turbine
York Science Park
OV E RS EA S M E MB E RS
CoLab (Letterkenny, Ireland)
Dhahran Techno Valley (Saudi Arabia)
Jinan High-Tech Business Incubator (China)
NovaUCD (Dublin, Ireland)
Waikato Innovation Park (New Zealand)
Zhongguancun Science Park (China)
B US I N E S S A F F I LI A T ES
Andrew Porter Limited – Laboratory Relocations
ANGLE Technology Ltd
Arup
Bridge Fibre
Broadband Vantage Ltd
CAM-SCI – Developing the Knowledge Economy
Carter Jonas
CBRE
Compliance Control Ltd
Creative Places
David Leon and Associates
DTZ
essensys
Excell Group
Geddes Architects
Granby Martin
GVA
Haseltine Lake LLP
HOK
IBI Group
KJ Tait Engineers
Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH)
Marks & Clerk LLP
Mills & Reeve
Overbury
Oxford Innovation
Pascall+Watson
Pera Technology
Pringle Brandon Perkins + Will
ra Information Systems
Scott Brownrigg
Sheppard Robson
Signature Solar
SQW
Ten Alps Publishing
Turnberry Consulting
University of Cambridge High Performance
Computing Service
Webropol
Wright Hassall LLP
AF F I L I AT E M E MB E RS
Association of University Research Parks (AURP)
AURIL
BBSRC
Design Council
GAMBICA Association Ltd
GrowthAccelerator
Institute of Knowledge Transfer
Institute of Science and Technology
National Business Incubation Association (NBIA)
One Nucleus
PraxisUnico
Society of Biology
UK Innovation Forum
UKSPA CEO Paul Wright outlines some of
the key issues for the Association going
forward over the next 12 months.
Since 1984, UKSPA has encouraged the
development of Science Parks, innovation
centres, innovation-led Incubators and other
supportive environments across a wide
range of technology and knowledge sectors
in the UK.
Today UKSPA is at the heart of a dynamic
network of more than 100 locations that
provide the innovative environments where
4,000 companies operate, generating
around 75,000 high-value knowledge
economy jobs.
Our members provide aggregation points for
technology entrepreneurs and start-ups,
alongside other growing and more mature
technology businesses. Such innovative,
dynamic and responsive ventures are a vital
part of the lifeblood of the future economy in
the UK, but it should be noted that we are
increasingly engaged in relationships and
projects with international partners as
successful global collaborative activity is
increasingly important to both our members
and their tenants.
This report is being drafted after we have
emerged from the deepest recession since
the 1930s, and I am pleased to say that
even during the darkest periods of the last
six years, the UKSPA membership has
grown in size and stature, our brand is well
recognised and has high value with our
government, academia and business
partners.
Increasingly we are encountering massive
investment in the innovation infrastructure in
countries overseas that none of us would
have considered possible only a few years
ago. UKSPA will continue to play a part in
developing international relationships and
partnerships across the globe and we have
particularly strong connections in countries
as geographically diverse as New Zealand
and Ireland.
So science and innovation has played, and
will continue to play, a vital role in UK
economic recovery. It is interesting to see
the increasing emphasis that national
politicians as well as all the Local Enterprise
Partnerships have placed on the strategic
importance of supporting innovative, high
technology and science-based firms with the
potential for future growth.
Finance matters
Over recent years we have seen significant
turbulence in the economic landscape with
ever increasing pressures on organisations
to increase efficiency or to reduce costs, but
in the last year or so we have seen an
increase in membership, new assets being
developed, new joint ventures being formed,
and more high-growth firms than ever
investing in facilities at our member sites
throughout the country. This is good news
indeed.
The Association’s finance position is
relatively stable and yet again we were able
to avoid increasing subscriptions for
membership. Increased membership has
meant that, with tight budgetary control, we
are in a position to expand our staffing
levels as well as improve the Association’s
financial reserves.
Celebrating 30 years
As you will read elsewhere in this
publication, our 30th Anniversary Year was
recognised at the ICC in Birmingham – one
of the UK’s top conference venues – which
was a fitting location to hold our
celebrations.
We were excited about the range and
calibre of the Conference speakers; an
international line-up that represented the
private sector, government and not-for-profit
organisations working within our sector. We
worked for several months to put together a
Conference agenda that we hoped would
be both educational and inspirational. The
positive feedback that we have received
about the event has been extremely
gratifying.
This milestone year allowed time for mature
reflection about the current state of our
sector, and what it might look like in 10
years’ time. The continued growth of
UKSPA over recent years gives a certain
amount of confidence for the future; but we
must not be complacent.
Promoting the sector
The (then) Science Minister’s words of
encouragement to the sector – and the
Association – at the 30th Anniversary
Summit provide the foundations for future
contact with the new ministerial team at BIS.
We will continue our advocacy work and the
Summit provided a useful opportunity to
engage with Government, Opposition and
major stakeholders such as Phil Smith,
Chairman of Technology Strategy Board.
Developing partnerships with the other key
organisations represented at the Summit will
also feature in our activities in the run up to
the General Election.
Our research into the impact of the sector
will also provide valuable evidence and
insight into the achievements of the Science
Park and innovation movement. This will
ensure that the strengths and the
contribution made by our sector is
recognised.
Developing our services
We will continue to consolidate existing
services and deliver new products. The last
year has seen improvements to our
communications, the delivery of wellreceived products including UKSPA
CLARITY, completion of reviews under the
UKSPA ASPIRE framework, establishing
the UKSPA Professional Development
Diploma alongside our increasingly wellattended Members’ Meetings.
Over the last few years we have strived to
retain the primary purpose of the
Association, one that promotes the vital
sense of ownership by our Members. The
executive team work first and foremost on
behalf of our Members, and we have a
'members first' attitude, which I trust shines
through when our Members need our
support.
I am constantly heartened by the feedback
we receive from Members about the value
of the Association in terms of information
provision, networking opportunities and of
course the opportunities we take to promote
our work both within the UK and overseas.