3M Buckley Innovation Centre celebrates five years

As the 3M BIC turns five, it officially launched the Huddersfield Innovation and Incubation Project to enhance its technology offering to local business

THE University’s 3M Buckley Innovation Centre (3M BIC), which was one of the UK’s first business innovation centres, is celebrating its fifth anniversary this week, and has officially launched the Huddersfield Innovation and Incubation Project (HIIP) as it looks ahead to the future.

Set up as a one-stop-shop for business support and providing companies across the Leeds City Region with access to advanced technologies, the 3M BIC is celebrating five successful years this week.  To mark the milestone, it has officially launched the HIIP which has enabled the Centre to enhance its technology offering for businesses in the region, including x-ray, microscopy, metrology, metal additive manufacture, virtual reality and data analytics facilities.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of the University of Huddersfield, the 3M BIC was built as a business for business, providing access to high-quality technology and commercial support.  The Centre was funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Kirklees Council to aid regional economic development up until 2013.

It was officially opened on 21 May 2013 by the Duke of York.  Fast forward five years and the 3M BIC has accommodated 55 tenants, supported over 300 associate businesses and network members, and provided 20 placements for students from the University of Huddersfield, over half of which were employed by tenants, with many securing permanent roles.  The Centre has also invested over £4m in technology.

Huddersfield Innovation and Incubation Project

The HIIP has been funded through a £2.9m grant from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growth Deal – a £1bn package of government investment to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.

The funding has enabled significant investment in state-of-the-art technology at the 3M BIC to aid business growth.  Facilities now include: a self-serve digital “space” equipped with a range of 3D printers, virtual reality, 4K videography; a fully-supported metal additive manufacturing (AM) centre of excellence; an imaging suite equipped with optical, laser and electron microscopy equipment; metrology grade X-Ray CT; a visualisation suite for product design, animation, and business data analytics and High Performance Computing, plus a fully-equipped software training suite that can accommodate 18 delegates.  

Professor Liz-Towns-Andrews, CEO of the 3M BIC, said: “The concept for the 3M BIC was to create a state-of-the-art centre for the co-location of spin-in companies alongside the University of Huddersfield.  It was all about breaking down those barriers between industry and academia.  We’ve created a one-stop-shop where businesses can innovate, collaborate, and help facilitate local and regional regeneration, as well as transfer knowledge with universities, such as Huddersfield.

“Its innovative approach directly impacts the growth of tenants and network members, as well as the regional economy.  Any profits get ploughed back into the Centre to improve its offering to other businesses, and thanks to funding, such as the HIIP, we have been able to grow our offering significantly to ensure we remain at the forefront.

“Looking to the future, we are hoping to engage with more micro businesses in the region, as well as streamline our business support triage system in response to customer need.”