News from Peterborough City Council

A new innovation centre in the heart of Peterborough is to be opened in the next two months to support the growth of the city's hi-tech environmental technology cluster.

 

The city is home to the largest cluster of environmental technology businesses in the UK - 340 companies in total - and is now set to get a dedicated innovation centre and enterprise hub to enable it to develop and grow further.

 

The new Peterborough innovation centre is being created by a unique partnership comprising of the Centre for Sustainable Engineering (CSEng), the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), Opportunity Peterborough, Peterborough City Council, and UK CEED.

 

Phase One of the new centre is due to open at Peterscourt in City Road, Peterborough, next January. It will become home to between 20-25 early stage companies seeking incubation facilities as well as more established young companies in the sector. It will also support the development of 2,500 environmental technology companies across the region through a virtual enterprise hub network, which will operate from the new centre.

 

Together, the new centre and hub will support the creation of many new hi-tech companies and jobs in Peterborough and beyond. They will also help to raise skills levels in the region's environmental technology sector through the development of close links with the new Anglia Ruskin University campus in the city.

 

Whilst the centre is being funded and supported by EEDA, the city council, and Opportunity Peterborough, joint partners CSEng and UK CEED will be anchor tenants, acting as advisors and mentors to the start-up and young companies that move into the centre. In turn, this will help to promote knowledge transfer and develop intellectual property within the wider hub network.

 

Richard Ellis, chair of EEDA and co-chair of the Energy Efficiency Task Group, said: "The Stern Review highlighted that the environmental markets will grow exponentially over the next few years and as the home of the UK's largest cluster of environmental technology companies it is vitally important that we ensure the East of England does not miss out on the wealth of opportunities that will arise from this growth.

 

"This new enterprise hub will help to develop and grow this nationally important cluster and encourage the transfer of knowledge between companies working within the environmental industries sector across the region. It will create many new hi-tech jobs and businesses, boost our regional economy, raise skills levels and contribute to the major regeneration work currently underway in Peterborough city centre." 

 

Councillor John Holdich, Peterborough City Council's cabinet member for housing, regeneration and economic development, said:  "We want Peterborough's growth to be employment-led and, in particular, we want to encourage the creation of high-quality, high-skilled and high-waged career opportunities.

 

"The development of this innovation centre is therefore an important step in achieving our ambitions for Peterborough.  It complements the city's aim to offer more higher education facilities so that we raise the employment aspirations of local people, while also offering excellent levels of support for the growth of high-technology businesses."

 

Stephen Compton, acting chief executive of Opportunity Peterborough, the city's urban regeneration company, said: "This is a great example of how partnership working can meet the needs of the city and make sure that the city's future growth is driven by high skilled and high waged jobs. The new innovation centre will play a crucial role in developing the skills and enterprise culture needed for the further growth of our environmental technology cluster, already one of the largest in the UK today."

 

Guy Eames, of CSEng, said: "We are delighted to be a partner in the innovation centre and look forward to working with new entrants and start-ups. We have already been approached by groups wanting to use the facilities for workshops and training sessions. This will be another milestone for the EGS sector in the region."

 

Jonathan Selwyn, chief executive of UKCEED, said: "Having first identified the emerging environment cluster in Peterborough, UK CEED is delighted to be working with EEDA, PCC, OP and CSEng on this exciting initiative.  We believe that the launch of the Eco Innovation Centre, together with the relaunch of our cluster support initiative, and the holding of next year's Environment Expo, will galvanise the sector's growth and help demonstrate the region's leadership in this area."

 

The centre will be owned and managed by current landlords Peterborough City Council, but on a day-to-day basis will be operated by CSEng.

 

Phase one of the new innovation centre and enterprise hub will run for about three years and will be followed by phase two, which will see the centre and hub expanded to provide even more facilities and services for the environmental technology sector.

 

 

Notes:

 

About the East of England Development Agency:

 

The East of England Development Agency (EEDA) is the driving force behind sustainable economic regeneration in the East of England: Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. The vision for the East of England is to create a leading economy, founded on a world class knowledge base, creativity and enterprise to improve the quality of life for all who live and work here.  For further information visit www.eeda.org.uk

 

About Opportunity Peterborough:

 

Opportunity Peterborough is Peterborough's urban regeneration company - a private sector led organisation, funded largely by the public sector, which aims to secure regeneration of the social, physical and economic environment of Peterborough.  The funding partners of Opportunity Peterborough include Peterborough City Council, English Partnerships and the East of England Development Agency.

 

About CSEng:

 

The Centre for Sustainable Engineering is a national clearing house for information, expert analysis, practical application, knowledge transfer and commercial benefit in relation to sustainable technologies.