Theresa May welcomes £200million Cambridge Science Park and Biohub investment during Beijing visit
Trinity College is planning five new offices and research buildings and a state-of-the-art Biohub for the Cambridge Science Park in landmark venture.
A landmark joint venture between Trinity College and TusPark, the science park development body of Tsinghua University in Beijing, is to inject over £200million into a new phase of renewal and investment in Cambridge Science Park.
The money will build 350,000 sq ft of office/research space over five new buildings, including a ‘state-of-the-art Biohub’ - a first for Cambridge Science Park.
The Biohub will provide labs and offices for early stage companies and inventors working on a wide range of healthcare products and technologies, such as non-invasive diagnostics, new classes of drugs, novel surgical techniques and new ways of monitoring patients in their homes after treatment.
The agreement was signed by Sir Gregory Winter, master of Trinity College, Cambridge, and Tus-Holdings chairman Wang Jiwu, and was witnessed by the President of China Health Information and Big Data Association, Jin Xiaotao, and the UK’s Secretary of State for International Trade, Dr Liam Fox.
The agreement was welcomed by the Prime Minister, who has been visiting China for three days in a trip intended to build on the ties between the UK and China.
Speaking in Beijing, Theresa May said: “This collaboration between two world-leading institutes is an inspiring example of the many ways the UK and China can work more closely together.
“It’s also great news for investment in biosciences and research in Cambridge.
“The UK and China are both global powers with a global outlook and I’ve been using this trip as an opportunity to promote the UK’s innovative enterprises and discuss future research and trade opportunities for centres like Cambridge Science Park.”
Jeanette Walker, director of Cambridge Science Park, is among the business delegation that accompanied the PM on the visit.
The joint venture with Tus Park is part of Trinity College’s wider strategy for Cambridge Science Park and marks an important phase of renewal investment in the oldest part of it. Other elements of the collaboration will include academic exchanges between Trinity and Tsinghua University.
Trinity’s senior bursar, Rory Landman, said: “This landmark investment is great news for Cambridge Science Park and its resident technology start-ups. Together, the Biohub and the Bradfield Centre will increase the proportion of early stage companies on the park. This will strengthen Cambridge’s world-class position as the place to develop and grow deep technology businesses.”
The Bradfield Centre opened in July 2017, a collaboration between Trinity College and the Department for Business Enterprise and Industrial Strategy, which aims to foster growth and collaboration in the Cambridgeshire region’s ever-expanding technology cluster.
Cambridge Science Park
Cambridge Science Park was established 46 years ago by Trinity College which owns the freehold of the park. It comprises 150 acres, 1.7 million sqft of high technology and laboratory buildings, 6500 people at 90 companies, from exciting start-ups to some of the world’s leading hi-tech businesses.
Trinity says the Biohub will enable synergies between entrepreneurs in different sectors and novel applications of technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, imaging and machine learning.
Cambridge Science Park is home to companies such as Cambridge Consultants, Napp Pharmaceuticals, Jagex, Owlstone Medical, Grant Thornton and WorldPay.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by Philip May and the Secretary of State for International Trade, who headed up a multi-sector business delegation of 50 members, representing all corners of the UK and “sectors in which the UK excels”. It comprises the largest business delegation the Government has ever led.
Delegation list:
• Jane King, Chief Executive Officer, Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
• Gregory Hodkinson, Chairman, Arup
• Dr Andy Palmer CMG, President & CEO, Aston Martin Lagonda
• Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, AstraZeneca
• Jessica Butcher MBE, Co-founder & Non Executive Director, Blippar
• Dev Sanyal, Chief Executive, Alternative Energy, and Executive Vice President, Regions, BP plc
• Caroline Wright, Director General, British Educational Suppliers Association
• Evelyn Bourke, Group CEO, Bupa
• John Woodward OBE, President & Founder, Busy Bees Nursery Group
• Jeanette Walker, Director, Cambridge Science Park
• Sir George Iacobescu CBE, Chairman & CEO, Canary Wharf Group plc
• Lord Sassoon, Chairman (and Executive Director, Jardine Matheson Holdings), China-Britain Business Council
• Carolyn Fairbairn, Director-General, Confederation of British Industry
• Joanna Lavan, Managing Director, ConnectChina
• Nick Carpenter, Owner & Engineering Director, Delta Motorsport
TusPark
TusPark, through TUS Science and Technology (TUS S&T), is the largest owner and operator of science parks and incubation facilities in China.
• David Harland, Chief Executive Eden Project International, Eden Project
• Dr Kevin Lindsey, Managing Director, Far-UK
• Conrad Ford, Chief Executive, Funding Options
• Dr George Gillespie OBE, CEO, HORIBA MIRA
• Mark E Tucker, Chairman, HSBC Holdings plc
• Stephen Martin, Director General, Institute of Directors
• Professor Dr Ralf Speth, CEO, Jaguar Land Rover
• Ross McMahon, CEO, Kendal Nutricare
• Sally Preston, Founder and Managing Director, Kiddylicious
• Nikhil Rathi, CEO, London Stock Exchange Group
• Dr Jens Ludmann, Chief Operating Officer, McLaren Automotive
• Dr Ian Hudson, CEO, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
• Dan Vahdat, CEO, Medopad
• Brian McConville, Owner & Chairman, MJM Marine
• Andrew Henderson, Managing Director, NeMi Dairy
• Stuart Garner, CEO, Norton Motorcycles
• Robert McFarlane, Group Chairman & CEO, NPL Group
• Paul Priestman, Chairman, PriestmanGoode
• Jon Vollemaere, CEO, R5FX
• Hugo Spowers, Managing Director, Riversimple Movement
• Andrew Rooney, Managing Director, Rooney Fish
• Karen Betts, Chief Executive, Scotch Whisky Association
• Chris Fraser, CEO, Sirius Minerals
• Bill Winters CBE, Group Chief Executive, Standard Chartered Bank
• Sir Gerry Grimstone, Chairman, Standard Life Aberdeen plc
• Andrew Chaloner, CEO, Stream Bio
• Asher Bennett, CEO, Tevva Motors
• Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President & Vice-Chancellor, The University of Manchester
• Lesley Davies OBE, Chair, UK Skills Partnership
• Professor Dame Janet Beer, President (& Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool), Universities UK
• Heba Bevan, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, UtterBerry
• Neill Ricketts, CEO, Versarien
• Mark Dunhill, CEO, Whittard of Chelsea
• Jonathan Quin, CEO and Co-Founder, WorldFirst
• Douglas Flint, Chancellor’s City Envoy to the Belt and Road Initiative
