AberInnovation success celebrated
Less than three years on from receiving the keys to AberInnovation, we’ve carved a reputation for excellence in the bioscience, agri-tech, and food and drink sectors.
It’s a proud moment to reflect upon and an opportune time to celebrate reaching the milestone of over 100 R&D projects delivered at the science campus.
Hosting an event to mark the occasion, we welcomed over 80 local government and university linked stakeholders and heard from the Welsh government’s Minister for the Economy, Vaughan Gething who praised the achievement and important role for science and innovation in the region and in offering worldwide impact.
Professor Elizabeth Treasure, Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University, in her usual brilliant style, addressed the room, denoting the location of Aberinnovation and its important link to the work of the world renowned university.
She observed how the symbiotic relationship serves as a catalyst for the university’s engagement with industry. It now has a vital role in academic and entrepreneurial business alignment, that ensures the gaps in industry knowledge and research are fulfilled, both with energy and purpose.
Peter Ryland, CEO of the Welsh European Funding Office, also gave his thanks to everyone for the dedication given in driving research and business opportunities in Mid-Wales. He also said how special it was to have so many people attending in person after previous opportunities had been our overshadowed by covid, a sentiment which I certainly agree with.
Discussion panel
I also was really proud to introduce a discussion entitled ‘Looking to the Future - Navigating the changing funding landscape in a changing world’.
Given this event was held just one week after Innovate UK had signed a memorandum of understanding to support innovation in closer partnership with Welsh Government, it was important to share what this funding injection means in the context of local businesses in the room.
Our panel consisted of Dean Cook (Director, Place and Levelling Up – Innovate UK), Professor Iain Donnison (Head of IBERS, Aberystwyth University), Professor Iain Barber (Head of the Life Sciences Department, Aberystwyth University) and Abi Phillips (Head of Innovation, Welsh Government).
This support means we now need to continue to encourage more local businesses to be innovation active and to signpost them to our funding opportunities to help stimulate improved productivity and the creation of higher-value jobs.
The AberInnovation experience
Our guests were all treated to a tour of the facilities on the day and had the opportunity to meet many of our business tenants and colleagues.
Case study displays of projects undertaken here on the campus also brought the state-of-the-art facilities to life and gave a flavour of Aberystwyth as a ‘place’ of considerable expertise. It was a proud opportunity for all involved.
Special thanks go to everyone in the AberInnovation team for all their hard work since August 2020 and also for helping make the event such a success.
Keep an eye out for our next blog post where I will share our plans for the future.
