Incubation: from lab to launch

It is now operating at 95% capacity, but that has not slowed momentum. The Park is focusing on growth, outreach, and deeper integration with the University of Birmingham’s innovation ecosystem. 

Over the past year, activity has centred on expanding opportunities for tenants and strengthening ties with the wider innovation community. Recent arrivals include Delta.g and EvoPhase, fast-growing spin-outs supported by Enterprise. Existing tenants are thriving, with several securing fresh funding and expanding their teams.

Established members have notched significant progress throughout their tenure, including immunology innovators, Celentyx. “Celentyx have been at the Research Park for a long time, in a 500 square foot lab, and plans are in place for a larger space here at the Park to be converted into a laboratory, with them involved in the design process,” says Ms Reynolds.

Other successes include 4T2 Sensors, which provides sensors and data analytics for industrial processing, and NovNat, a transformative technology that captures water from the atmosphere. Both companies have have achieved seed funding and NovNat have now moved on from the Park into their own manufacturing space.

Cultivating talent is a crucial part of Enterprise’s success, and recruiting promising apprentices helps set the stage for the Research Park’s future workforce. Apprentice Jack Wheeley won the “Apprentice of the Year” award before becoming a full-time staff member, and he is now training the next apprentice. “Working in a rich environment like the BioHub, he’ll have been in contact with a diverse range of companies doing different kinds of work, which will have given him a real advantage,” says Ms Reynolds.

The BioHub, a biomedical incubator and accelerator, recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary with an event bringing together tenant companies to celebrate the lab’s achievements. “The idea is to inspire the scientists of the future,” says Ms Reynolds. The BioHub has been shortlisted for “Innovation Champion of the Year” with results expected in November. Its labs also earned Green Impact sustainability accreditation, crucial for companies seeking grants from funders like the Wellcome Trust and Cancer Research UK. It is now a hub for medical research in the West Midlands.

“We’re engaged in important networking activity and efforts to coalesce the innovation ecosystem of the region,” says Ms Reynolds, who serves as a director of the UK Science Park Association (UKSPA). Enterprise contributed to the formation of a Midlands-focused UKSPA group, and founded the West Midlands Regional Innovation Asset Network. International collaboration is also underway. A recent visit from tech scouts from the United States illustrated international interest in the Park’s technologies, and several companies followed up to collaborate further.