Plymouth University to manage Health and Wellbeing Innovation Centre

Plymouth University has been confirmed as the operator of the new multi-million pound international innovation facility focussed upon the health and wellbeing sector in Cornwall.

The Health and Wellbeing Innovation Centre (HWIC) is currently under construction next to the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust site in Truro, and is strategically located at the heart of a group of leading international health institutions.

The HWIC will provide laboratory and office space for new and growing companies in the sector and will have the potential to generate over 80 new jobs in the region.

Cornwall Council is leading the project, with almost £10 million of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Convergence investment. The 4,260sqm facility will be built to BREEAM Excellent standard (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), and is expected to be finished in late 2012.

The University, which is already operating the sister centres at Pool and Tremough, has signed a 25-year management contract for HWIC to deliver on behalf of Cornwall Council.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Wendy Purcell said: “Through the Health and Wellbeing Innovation Centre, we will pull together a truly multidisciplinary group to work on technologies and methodologies that could make a real difference to the people of Cornwall and beyond.

“The University is firmly committed to health and wellbeing, and with our sector leading expertise in enterprise, we hope HWIC will act as a catalyst for further economic development, replicating the success at Pool.”

The HWIC will take advantage of the great potential for joint working between the organisations already on site – Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust (RCHT), Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD), the European Centre for Environment and Health (ECEHH), and the Health Industry and Innovation Unit (HIIU) at the Knowledge Spa.

Professor Colin Roberts, Chairman of the HWIC Strategy Board, which is overseeing the development of the project, said: “I am delighted that Plymouth will be bringing their experience of operating environments that encourage business growth, along with Tamar Science Park expertise, to bear on this ground-breaking initiative in Cornwall. Their recent success in operating the Innovation Centre at Pool, together with their expertise in health sciences and technology, augurs well for the future of the HWIC both as a local focus of activity and as a beacon site for the UK as a whole.”

Chris Ridgers, Cornwall Council cabinet member for Economy and Regeneration, added: “This Centre is a very important part of the investment in innovation in Cornwall, particularly in the growing sector of health-related business. By being alongside the existing medical cluster at Treliske (including the hospital, the Knowledge Spa and the European Centre for Environment and Human Health) it demonstrates the importance of this sector to Cornwall.

“It will also help to ensure that the future of health and medical care in Cornwall is at the cutting-edge of research and innovation. In doing so it will help attract the very best medical professional, including those trained in Cornwall, to develop their careers in the Duchy."

The Pool Innovation Centre opened in July 2010 and has exceeded all forecasts, with nearly 40 businesses across a wide range of industries now using its facilities. In the first year of operation The second centre at Tremough is due to welcome its first clients in January.

Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Convergence Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: “This is the last of the three new innovation centres in Cornwall, which have received almost £30 million between them and is part of a portfolio of investments at Treliske that includes the Peninsula Dental School and the European Centre for Environment and Human Health. Their unique focus and the synergies between them offer a wide range of high quality research and business support facilities all designed to strengthen our economy.”

ENDS