At the breakfast briefing event held in the Park’s new café, Hub on the Park, Professor David Sampson, Vice-Provost, Research and Innovation of the University of Surrey presented his research and innovation strategy and invited the business community to collaborate with the University to drive innovation in Guildford. 

He said, “The Surrey Research Park is a jewel in the crown of Guildford. Collaboration is in the DNA of the University, and we’re committed to working more with local businesses to drive innovation and growth. Start-up success exudes from every part of the Surrey Research Park and our focus with this new strategy is to accelerate business growth further within the region by building new connections and opportunities by catalysing the potential of the two-way partnerships between academics at the University of Surrey and the Park community.”

Attendees included tenant businesses from start-ups to large multinational firms as well as local Councillors, Government bodies, funding enterprises and business support services, as well as a cross-section of academics from the University.

At the event, Roya Croudace, Growth Hub Director of Enterprise M3, highlighted how Enterprise M3 is working with Surrey Research Park, the University of Surrey and local businesses to help realise the full growth potential of Guildford. 

Afterwards, Founder and CEO of the Surrey Research Park, Dr Malcolm Parry commented: “We’re committed to facilitating an environment of collaboration and business support, sharing resources between the University of Surrey and other businesses for everyone’s mutual benefit. The event was hugely popular and illustrated the appetite from all sides to collaborate and innovate in a vibrant community. Over half of Surrey Research Park tenants already work with the University and the feedback we receive from our tenant firms is vital in helping shape our resources and efforts to better serve the wider business community in the future.”

The Surrey Research Park contributes over £1billion to the local economy each year, employing over 4,300 people on site, with a number of the businesses starting life as research ideas in the labs or lecture theatres at the University of Surrey. The sectors on the Park include IT, software and data, life sciences and engineering and environment.  

Surrey Business Magazine’s Chamber Editor, Molly Enser, said, “As an attendee at this event is was fantastic to see the incredible work going on at the Research Park and seeing the clear links it has with the University also. It’s incredible to think that ground-breaking technology, medicine and general research is going on here, we at Surrey Chambers of Commerce are delighted to support the park and the businesses on it.”