Government announces new science and innovation campus to be set up at Harwell site

The Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC) is one of the largest multidisciplinary research organisations in Europe. It operates the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton; the Daresbury Laboratory, Cheshire, and the Chilbolton Observatory, Hampshire. The CCLRC manages fundamental research facilities in cutting edge science.

These facilities and programmes are operated on behalf of the UK's academic community and the Research Councils. The Government has recently challenged all of the UK's eight Research Councils with increasing the contribution they make to the economy through increased levels of knowledge transfer from their research programmes.

The CCLRC is renowned for supporting and conducting excellent scientific and engineering research. Perhaps less well known is its commitment to transferring the knowledge generated from the research programmes and facilities to the wider economy.

The CCLRC has ambitious and exciting plans for its future Knowledge Transfer programme. It will continue its successful exploitation of intellectual property through CLIK Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary, through spin-outs, licensing and trading. It will also focus on closer engagement with industry through promoting wider usage of its large facilities.

It is essential to create the right environment in which innovation and knowledge transfer can thrive. Perhaps the most ambitious and innovative aspect is the creation of multi-partner campuses, centred around its two major CCLRC sites.

Together with regional partners, a new national concept for the delivery of world leading science, innovation and knowledge transfer is being established. The Government recently announced that the Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus and the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus will be established at the Daresbury Laboratory and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory respectively.

This is an exciting prospect to develop a world class model for knowledge transfer, demonstrating better exploitation of public money and making a tangible contribution to the UK economy. The CCLRC believes that its complete knowledge transfer programme, including these exciting campus developments, will allow it to provide a step change and hence meet the Government's challenge of delivering increased levels of economic growth through innovation.

For more information visit the website www.cclrc.ac.uk This column is supplied by the Oxford Trust.