The UK鈥檚 leading property provider for the science, tech and innovation sector is to create a 聽new tech hub in Birmingham.
Bruntwood SciTech have teamed up with Aston University and Birmingham City Council to announce plans for a new world-class innovation cluster within the Birmingham Knowledge Quarter.
Senior leaders from the three organisations presented the proposed masterplan for the new cluster – named Birmingham Innovation Quarter (B-IQ) – at the national property and infrastructure investment conference, UKREiiF.
The proposals cover 20-hectares around Aston University, including existing property assets and sites owned by the University and Birmingham City Council, such as the former Aston Science Park, and Bruntwood SciTech鈥檚 Innovation Birmingham campus.
Building on the strength of Aston University鈥檚 research and the 120-plus businesses already established at Innovation Birmingham, B-IQ is expected to become an internationally renowned tech and health innovation hub.
Formal JV vehicles are expected to be established between the three parties in due course as the triple helix partnership brings forward the masterplan, which will support the University鈥檚 2030 Strategy and growth plans. Aston University鈥檚 ambitious plans for growth over the next ten years will be driven by its strengths in science, technology and enterprise.
The masterplan outlines the ambition for a long-term mix of strategic development, covering commercial office space for the science and tech sector, residential (both private and student), hospitality and a number of new teaching and research facilities.
The masterplan forms part of the pledge made by Chris Oglesby, Bruntwood SciTech鈥檚 executive chair and Bruntwood chief executive, at last year鈥檚 Commonwealth Games to invest 拢1bn in the West Midlands over the next decade.
The partnership will draw on Bruntwood SciTech鈥檚 expertise in developing an 拢850m portfolio of regional innovation districts across the UK.
In the past five years, Bruntwood SciTech – a joint venture partnership between Bruntwood and Legal & General – has already committed more than 拢30m of investment into Innovation Birmingham, which sits immediately adjacent to Aston University, serving as the West Midlands鈥� largest digital and tech hub.
Within that investment is Birmingham鈥檚 first smart building, Enterprise Wharf, which is currently nearing completion, doubling the size of the campus by adding 120,000 sq ft of state-of-the-art office space.
Further improvements have also been made at the campus including an open plan kitchen and bar, events space for tech meetups and an impressive tech lounge.
Bruntwood SciTech is also committed to the growth of the city鈥檚 life science sector, working in a 10-year, 拢210m partnership with the University of Birmingham to deliver Birmingham Health Innovation Campus (BHIC), the first phase of which is due to open later this year, and is set to become a world-leading life sciences hub.
Announcing the plans on behalf of Bruntwood SciTech, Rob Valentine, Birmingham Director, said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e deeply passionate about the future of Birmingham and the role and potential scale the city has in driving the growth of the UK鈥檚 science and tech industries.
鈥淥ur history of creating, expanding and investing in innovation districts for the long-term, as we鈥檙e already demonstrating at Innovation Birmingham and Birmingham Health Innovation Campus, means we鈥檙e uniquely placed to support the ambitions of the city and its leadership, and the significant economic opportunity presented by the development of B-IQ.
Birmingham City Council leader, Cllr Ian Ward said: “Our city has a proud history of invention, research and development and the Birmingham Innovation Quarter will build on that tradition, becoming a space where globally-recognised innovation, the brightest talent and most exciting businesses and cultural institutions come together.
“This is an exciting new chapter as Birmingham strives to be a leading international city. It will generate significant investment, attracting the world鈥檚 brightest talent, while also creating opportunities in some of the city’s most deprived wards.”
Professor Aleks Subic, vice-chancellor and chief executive of Aston University, said: 鈥淭he strategic partnership with Bruntwood SciTech and Birmingham City Council aims to realise our bold vision within a new digital era, by creating a leading innovation cluster of international significance centred on science, technology and enterprise.
鈥淭ogether with our partners, we have articulated a compelling regeneration strategy that has digital transformation and innovation at its heart.
鈥淏-IQ represents an innovation ecosystem that will co-locate industry, business, entrepreneurs and start-up founders together with staff and students from academia, bringing digital cutting-edge research into a range of sectors 鈥� most critically the health tech sector. It will become the catalyst for foreign investment, for business transformation, and for skills, and in turn will create socio-economic impact across the region.鈥�