Businesses at Surrey Research Park attended a sold-out event to discuss the opportunities of innovation and knowledge transfer, as the University of Surrey sets out its commitment to play a bigger role in the commercial world.
At the breakfast briefing event held in the Park’s new café, Hub on the Park, Professor David Sampson, Vice-Provost, Research and Innovation of the University of Surrey presented his research and innovation strategy and invited the business community to collaborate with the University to drive innovation.
Business on the Surrey Research Park contributes over £1 billion to the local economy each year, employing over 4,300 people on site, with a number of the businesses starting life as research ideas in the labs or lecture theatres at the University of Surrey. The sectors on the Park include IT, software and data, life sciences and engineering and environment.
Professor David Sampson, Vice Provost, Research and Innovation of the University of Surrey, comments: “The Surrey Research Park is a jewel in the crown of Guildford. Collaboration is in the DNA of the University, and we’re committed to working more with local businesses to drive innovation and growth. Entrepreneurship is thriving in Guildford. Start-up success exudes from every part of the Surrey Research Park and our focus with this new strategy is to accelerate business growth further within the region by building new connections, establishing new opportunities by catalysing the potential of the two-way partnerships between academics at the University of Surrey and the Park community.”
Attendees included tenant businesses from start-ups to large multinational firms as well as local Councillors, Government bodies, Surrey Chambers of Commerce, funding enterprises and business support services, as well as a cross-section of academics from the University.
Roya Croudace, Growth Hub Director of Enterprise M3, a business-led Local Enterprise Partnership working with private and public sector partners, also presented. Roya highlighted how Enterprise M3 is working with Surrey Research Park, the University of Surrey and local businesses to help realise the full growth potential of Guildford. There are a number of European and national funding streams available to private, public and not for profit organisations through Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnerships.
Founder and CEO of the Surrey Research Park, Dr Malcolm Parry comments: “We’re committed to facilitating an environment of collaboration and business support, sharing resources between the University of Surrey and other businesses for everyone’s mutual benefit. The event was hugely popular and illustrated the appetite from all sides to collaborate and innovate in a vibrant community. Over half of Surrey Research Park tenants already work with the University and the feedback we receive from our tenant firms is vital in helping shape our resources and efforts to better serve the wider business community in the future.”
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To read more about the University’s Research and Innovation Strategy, please visit here.