Companies are flocking to The Business Park @ Harwell, drawn in by the nearby Diamond Light Source. Only five units of 1,900 sq ft are left in the Terrace for rent, along with a building of 8,000 sq ft which will be built in the coming months.

The £250m Diamond Light Source synchrotron is one of the brightest sources of light in the world and will help research teams push back the boundaries of science.

It produces intense x-ray beams, said to be ten billion times brighter than the sun, that will allow scientists to study materials in unrivalled detail.

One such company was Newport Spectra-Physics which has a 40-year history of working in more than 70 countries to deliver innovative products and solutions in areas such as spectra-physics, lasers, oriel light sources and spectroscopic instruments. It is now in new offices on the campus near the Diamond.

Meanwhile, Merit Merrell Technology was involved with the building of the Diamond and is now establishing a new office to be closer to the facility.

The company specialises in installation, engineering and facility management in the high technology and complex industrial market sectors including the semiconductor, biotechnology, nanotechnology, pharmaceutical and healthcare markets.

Business development director, Chris Berriman, said: "Our involvement with the Diamond project has created a need for a new office to manage the expansion of our business in the South East.

"The new office in The Business Park @ Harwell will be a launch pad for our expanded operations. It is a perfect location for us because it is easy to get anywhere in the UK as the motorways and rail network are so close and there are four international airports within a 90-minute drive."

Emma Jewson, of agents Kemp and Kemp, said: "We are finding tenants who need access to state of the art facilities and expertise on a regular basis as a resource that they can pay-as-they-use because this is a much better use of their capital."