Up to £7.5 million will be injected into a dedicated Innovation Zone for the sector in Merseyside.
It is hoped the expansion of Sci-Tech Daresbury will lead to 250 skilled jobs, 100 of which will be within office and innovation roles. Although proposals are currently being considered by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, confidence is high that the scheme will be approved.
The £7.5 million masterplan will include a 23,000 square foot building and second 60,000 square foot laboratory. These add to the existing Project Violet Phase 1, centred on 43,000 square feet of Grade A offices across three buildings, which was completed in 2022 and is now at capacity.
‘There’s a reason we’re shortlisted to be next year’s European Capital of Innovation – it’s the golden thread that runs through everything we do,’ said Steve Rotherham. ‘Sci-Tech Daresbury is one of the jewels in our region’s innovation crown.
‘It’s a place where world-leading research and cutting-edge businesses are helping to power our economy and put the Liverpool City Region on the global map for science and technology,’ he continued. ‘That’s why we’re continuing to invest to create hundreds of high-quality jobs, attract new businesses and build the kind of thriving, forward-looking economy that gives local people the chance to succeed.’
A separate £900,000 Health and Life Sciences Proof of Concept Fund is also being considered by the authority to offer additional support for the Innovation Zone as part of a £1.15 million initiative. Thus will involve backing between 12 and 20 consortiums over three years, six of which will receive £270,000 per year.
Image: Alex Davies / Unsplash
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