Liverpool Science Park gains £7.6m funding for ic3
CONSTRUCTION of Liverpool Science Park (LSP)’s third building, ic3, will start on site next year after it gained access to £7.6m worth of funding.
Liverpool Science Park’s owners Liverpool City Council, the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University agreed to underwrite a £3.8m loan to the company, which means that it can access a further £3.8m of European Regional Development Fund cash.
‘Innovation Centre 3’ will contain 42,000 sq ft of R&D offices and laboratories which will be marketed to the city’s life sciences and physical sciences sector. It will also offer purpose-built starter pods for young, knowledge-based companies and open innovation space for LSP tenants.
Chris Musson, chief executive of Liverpool Science Park, said: “Confirmation of funding for ic3 is a key moment in Liverpool Science Park’s evolution, and will provide world leading opportunities for our current tenants and for the region’s commercial knowledge economy. We would like to thank our partners for their continued support.
“We are answering a need and sending a clear message nationally to science-based companies that Liverpool is a high quality destination for commercial knowledge enterprise.”
Sir Howard Newby, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool and Chair of the Liverpool Science Park board, said: “Liverpool Science Park was created as the special purpose vehicle to support and drive forward Liverpool’s commercial knowledge economy and ic3 marks another exciting chapter in our long term plan.”
Detailed planning permission was granted for the four-storey ic3 building in October 2010. It will be built on a 1.4-acre site over the existing car park of ic1 off Mount Pleasant and will complete development on the Metropolitan Cathedral site.
A double-storey bridge will link ic3 to the existing ic1 building, with visitors being directed to ic3 via the current main entrance of ic1.
Construction should start in late Spring 2012 for the building to open in Summer 2013.
