Three sign to Vanguard House
Three businesses have signed as first tenants at the £8.5m building at Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus in Halton.
The trio of companies, including Byotrol, Optimised Energy Solutions and Arcis Biotechnology, has each arrived from other parts of the Cheshire campus.
Hygiene technology firm Byotrol, which this year launched a number of co-branded consumer products, including an anti-microbial cleaning spray for Tesco, has taken 2,486 sq ft of office and laboratory space.
The space is in addition to its existing technical centre which continues to be based at the science and technology facilities council's innovations technology access centre, also at Daresbury.
Arcis Biotechnology, which has developed applications based on its patented surface protection technology, has moved to Vanguard House from the neighbouring Daresbury Innovation Centre after identifying that the new facilities will enhance research and development.
Optimised Energy Solutions, which specialises in complex electrical power systems, has integrated its entire operation at the new site, which will enable the company to further develop technologies.
The building was funded by the North West Development Agency and will be owned and managed by the Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus, which is a private-public sector joint venture between Langtree, the Science and Technology Facilities Council, and Halton Council, launched in 2004.
John Downes, chairman of Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus, said: "Vanguard House is the latest example of the campus' commitment to supporting the growth of high-tech companies through innovation and collaboration with a variety of organisations. It is the next step in our "Home for Life" philosophy for these high-tech businesses that is further supported by our recent success at securing Enterprise Zone status.
"The calibre of these three new additions reflects the impact that Vanguard House will have in providing an essential platform for cutting-edge enterprises, both from within and outside the Campus, to extend their networks and find new opportunities for development and investment."
Professor Colin Whitehouse, deputy chief executive of the Science and Technology Facilities Council and the original proposer of the new national Science and Innovation Campus model, added: "There are also several other companies in the final stage of negotiations for occupancy, and it is now clear that the Daresbury Campus has an extremely strong track-record of generating UK-leading annual company growth rates and sustainability. It is not a surprise that several national and international companies now wish to join the Daresbury success story"
Vanguard House is the third building in the joint venture portfolio, joining the Cockcroft Institute and Daresbury Innovation Centre.
Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus was one of 11 enterprise zones announced by the Treasury in August, following a successful bid submitted jointly by the two local enterprise partnerships of Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester.
