16 May 07

Mr James Brathwaite CBE, Chairman of the South East England Development Agency, formally opened the new Institute of Advanced Technology and The Begbroke Centre for Innovation and Enterprise at Begbroke Science Park on 15 May.

Begbroke Science Park is unique amongst science parks in hosting university research laboratories alongside space for new high technology start-up companies. The two new buildings will provide an additional 5,000 square metres of laboratory and office space and could eventually see the number of people working at the site grow to over 450.

The Institute of Advanced Technology will enable Oxford University academics from many different disciplines to work together alongside their industrial partners. The new institute will help Begbroke build on its strengths in nanotechnology and materials science and expand into new areas such as energy and environmental research.

The Begbroke Centre for Innovation and Enterprise offers both Oxford University spin-out companies and external high technology firms office space and access to cutting-edge laboratory facilities. The new centre gives companies the space to grow and helps them develop with a range of support services including training in essential business skills.

'We expect roughly seven new research groups to occupy space in the Institute of Advanced Technology in the next six months,' said Professor Peter Dobson, Academic Director of Begbroke Science Park. He added: 'Its facilities will be ideal for multidisciplinary research and will include a supercomputer for use by University academics. The Centre for Innovation and Enterprise is already providing a supportive environment for high technology companies attracted by our close links to Oxford University and Begbroke's entrepreneurial culture.'

Begbroke Science Park is home to 20 companies, with two more that have outgrown the site but have moved to locations close by. The site was bought by Oxford University in 1998 and since 2002 a dedicated team has been developing an environment that nurtures high technology companies and supports knowledge transfer between business and academia.