Space to grow
Published on 30 January 2024
Space to grow (and so much more)
For almost four decades, Milton Park has been providing a home for science, business and technology. From innovative start-ups and university spin-outs, to unicorn and global organisations making life changing advances, Milton Park provides ‘space to grow’ for current and future occupiers of all sizes.
Philip Campbell, Commercial Director at Milton Park, explains more: “Milton Park’s scale and single ownership enables us to support organisations whatever their size or stage of growth. In many ways it’s like a giant incubator which enables occupiers to expand and innovate. It’s a place where work and life really connect.”
Ross Hendron, Co-founder and CEO at Wild Bioscience, said: “…We were attracted to Milton Park due to its single ownership, creating a giant incubator with the flexibility for companies to grow. This, and the Park’s exceptional facilities, made it an ideal fit for our unconventional requirements that include a unique combination of laboratory and vertical farming capabilities.”
Space for the long-term
This long-term approach adopted by MEPC has led to what Milton Park is today – a friendly community of over 270 companies with more than 9,000 employees, becoming one of the largest science and technology parks in the UK. With sustainable growth and green travel at the heart of its 2040 vision.
When it comes to green travel, over half of Milton Park occupiers commuted sustainably in 2023. Employees benefit from free bike and ebike hire, a secure car share scheme, subsidised £20 annual bus pass and EV charging points. For quick links to Oxford, the direct bus service runs twice an hour. Didcot train station is just five minutes from the Park and Didcot Parkway to London Paddington takes only 37 minutes.
Having the ability to take long-term decisions enables the Park to serve the best interests of occupiers. For instance, the Park’s recent £7m infrastructure investment will give occupiers access to Milton Park’s enhanced green- power capacity, accommodating future demands with energy purchased by a green tariff.
Philip Campbell, Commercial Director at Milton Park explains further: “Our onsite team make a real effort to get to know our occupiers and their needs today and for the future. We forge long-term relationships with our occupiers, as we want companies to feel that Milton Park is their home-from-home. We feel privileged to work with some amazing people and to be able to facilitate world-leading science and technology.”
Space to grow into: Nebula
Breaking ground in 2024, Nebula is a £40m, 76,000 sq ft project consisting of seven new workspaces, with a mixture of office and R&D spaces for a variety of uses, including laboratories, workshops and storage, ideal for space companies thanks to the high ceilings and wide access doors. Featuring glulam wooden structural beams and targeting a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, Nebula has been designed to the highest standards and to be as sustainable as possible.
Space to expand into…
For companies with larger requirements, Milton Park has the space, infrastructure and agility to work with occupiers to design, build and lease new developments from scratch. The Park’s Local Development Order simplifies the planning process into a 10-day notification period so that your new building’s construction can start as soon as possible.
Space for all… including unicorns
Those who work at Milton Park enjoy many events from biodiversity walks, to street parties and ‘Meet the Bees’ events (to name a few), which enable people to connect with those from other companies on the Park.
Milton Park is privileged to be a home for companies of all sizes, including two unicorns (privately-owned start-ups with a value of c.£882m+), Immunocore and Exscientia.
Immunocore, a biotechnology unicorn company with roots at the University of Oxford, chose Milton Park due to its accessibility to academic hubs in Oxford and London.
Bahija Jallal, CEO at Immunocore, explains why: “Our UK headquarters have been in Milton Park for over 15 years. The location offers us the opportunity to be part of the healthcare eco system, with proximity to many biotech and pharma companies, as well as academic institutions in Oxford and London.”
Exscientia, a unicorn pioneering in AI drug discovery and development, chose to build its bespoke, cutting-edge robotics suite at Milton Park, and was recently presented with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation.
Andrew Hopkins, CEO at Exscientia, said: “We’re delighted to have chosen Milton Park for new laboratories as part of the next stage of our business growth. This new, state-of-the-art space is the ideal location for Exscientia as we bring more highly-skilled people into the business with the ability to deploy and continue to develop innovative technology to create new medicines and treatments faster and more efficiently, benefitting patients worldwide.”
Evotec, a leading drug discovery and research company and Oxford University’s fifth spin-out, chose Milton Park as the location for its purpose-built state-of-the-art biology laboratories, range of collaborative workspaces and meeting rooms, with a particular focus on sustainability.
Cullen Whyte, Facilities and Engineering Manager at Evotec, said: “I’m really proud to work in a location where there are so many excellent scientific companies helping to discover new therapies to address unmet medical needs. Our collaborations with providers in the local area have significantly helped to develop our drug discovery processes and move us forward as a company.”
Large or small, occupiers at Milton Park can take advantage of the flexibility on offer and space to grow, allowing them to venture beyond the sky and reach for the stars and who knows, they might turn into unicorns.
