Collaboration on the Rise at Sci-Tech Daresbury

Companies operating from STFC’s joint venture project Sci-Tech Daresbury are forming valuable collaborations with both STFC and universities at a higher rate than ever according to a recent tenant survey. Data shows that interaction with STFC in the last year has increased with 48% of Daresbury companies now utilising services and/or expertise from STFC. This percentage is significantly up from 39% in 2013.

In addition 64% of those companies surveyed were collaborating with a university, compared with 55% in 2013. This represents the highest level of university collaboration to-date.The increase in university collaboration was driven by a strong growth in collaborative research, student placements and recruitment; and sales activities to universities.

Professor John Womersley, Chief Executive of STFC, said, “We work hard to minimise business failure and accelerate growth for high-tech SME companies located on our campus. We do this partly by promoting interactions and collaborations with and between companies, the science base of STFC and the universities, and regional and national business support organisations.

“Collaboration between companies on site is very important. This grew by 16% last year: there are now more than 140 collaborations underway between campus companies. The value creation delivered through collaboration is impressive and we are determined to keep building on it year after year.”

Overall, 77% of Daresbury companies reported that they had a collaboration with either STFC or a University, a big leap from 64% in 2013 and about one-third higher than the level reported in 2012.

The Universities of Liverpool and Manchester continue to be the most active with campus companies, followed by Lancaster, Cambridge and Oxford.

The total business value from collaboration for Sci-Tech Daresbury companies was reported to have increased from £4m to £5m, a rise of 25%.