Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Links with business: the University's long tradition of supporting business and
industry through its research activities, its record for graduate employment
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by
creating a pool of well qualified and readily employable people has helped to raise
the profile of the university. The University's industry and business facing
philosophy has been important as this has helped the Park's development team to
promote the Park as a good location for accessing skills and technology.
Tenant company success: the success of the tenant companies themselves has
helped to raise the profile of the Park. The database of tenants that has been
assembled since 1986 has shown over 585
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tenants that have taken contracts on
the Park. The success of many of the Park's tenant companies has helped to raise
the profile of the Park and the University. This has been extended because the
global reach of products of the majority of the tenant companies and discussions
with a number of our major occupiers has revealed that in excess of 50 % of their
turnover comes from exports. Examples include the sale of computer games by:
Lionhead (subsidiary of Microsoft), IDBS the leading database software company
for pharma sector which has won a number of Queens Awards including for
export, SSTL which designs, builds, launches and sells satellites to governments
around the world, ReNeuron which sells stem cell products to the international
market, TMO Renewables which has developed, patented designs and sells
bio-fuel fermentation plant into the international market, and Detica which has
grown from 30 staff to in excess of 1,400 and has a turnover in excess of £200 m.
International promotion: the Park's management is active in promoting the Park
and its tenant companies through the UK's extensive national and regional inward
investment initiatives which is currently the managed through UK Trade Invest-
ment (UKTI).
Technology transfer (knowledge transfer)—success indicators:
One of the most difficult objectives to measure with any success is the level of
knowledge transfer to companies on the site. Initial measures were concerned with
the transfer of technology from the University to companies on the Park; however,
experience has shown that a number of the companies on the site have based their
business on technology that has been licenced from other sources such as research
hospitals, defence laboratories, corporate research laboratories, and by developing
business ideas from their own technology consultancy activities. This broader
reach of companies seeking technology and the wider scope of knowledge transfer
has increased the potential impact from this objective.
University spin—out companies: around 10 % of the companies on the Park are
spin-out enterprises from the University. This includes SSTL which is itself a £100
million business and employs in excess of 465 people.
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Perse Comm. Director of the Surrey Research Park 2012 after analysis of the contracts for
occupation.
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SSTL 2011 published accounts.
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