Local Growth Fund Projects
Three rounds of Local Growth Fund investment supported 30 projects that are enhancing the lives and skills of people in the county, enriching places, sparking enterprise and boosting connectivity in Oxfordshire.
By 2030, all Local Growth Fund projects will have collectively led to the creation of 9,700 new jobs, help the development of 1,800 new homes and enable at least another £850m of funding.
Below is a summary of all the individual projects that Local Growth Fund allocations have supported in Oxfordshire.
- Total Project Cost: £1.4m
- LGF Awarded: £1.4m
- Delivery Partner: Oxfordshire County Council
- Project Status: Completed
A series of new cycling and walking measures implemented in Bicester and Witney to boost healthier and greener forms of connectivity in two of the county’s major towns.
Measures put into place include improved connectivity into Bicester town centre – supported by off-road pedestrian and cycle facilities and reduced traffic speeds in Bicester – along with an active travel corridor in Witney implemented to follow the most commonly-used cycle route through Witney and connections onward to the main Witney-to-Oxford cycle route via the A40.
Project impacts by 2025:
- Promotion of Active Travel
- Improved Air Quality
- Improved Health
- Make the areas more attractive to live and work
- Total Project Cost: £5.9m
- LGF Awarded: £4m
- Delivery Partner: Abingdon & Witney College
- Project Status: Completed
The Advanced Skills Centre is a high-tech higher education hub dedicated to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) training, and provides a quiet space for all higher education students to work.
Engineering and computing students can make the most of the cutting-edge equipment and learning tools that are available. This includes a Haas Five-Axis CNC Machine located in the engineering workshop, along with advanced robotics equipment and 3D printers. An adjoining classroom is equipped with specialist engineering CAD software that links into the workshop.
The centre will address local, regional and national skills shortages in STEM subject areas by supplying skilled technicians at Harwell and elsewhere in Oxfordshire; and deploying the unique expertise and facilities available at and around Harwell as a learning resource for the rest of the UK, Europe and the world.
Project impact targets achieved:
- Increase technical skills provision in Oxford
- 1,058m2 of new learning floorspace
- 385 new learners assisted (in courses leading to a full qualification)
- 4 new jobs
- Total Project Cost: £6.5m
- LGF Awarded: £4.5m
- Delivery Partner: University of Oxford
- Project Status: Completed
A new centre of innovation to coordinate the interaction between key industry players, Oxford University, cryogenics companies, and end users (including SMEs) on the Harwell campus and at the Culham Centre for Fusion Research Campus.
Superconductors are materials with no electrical resistance which are vital for powerful new technologies in healthcare, large experimental facilities like CERN, quantum instrumentation and many other fields.
The Centre will help to train people with necessary skills in superconductivity which can be transferable to other relevant industries. The Centre is developing a series of experimental and testing facilities to allow easy interaction between academia and industry to solve relevant problems.
Project impact targets achieved:
- Increased industry collaboration in high-tech innovative sectors
- Boost Oxfordshire's international strength in applied superconductivity
- 13.5 new jobs
- 11 new learners assisted (in courses leading to a full qualification)
- Total Project Cost: £23m
- LGF Awarded: £9.5m
- Delivery Partner: Great Western Railway and Network Rail
- Project Status: Completed
Didcot Parkway is used by over three million customers every year. It is a key transport hub for Oxfordshire, offering quick and easy journeys to Oxford, Banbury, Reading and London.
This car park expansion has significantly increased the total number of spaces and included the construction of a connecting footbridge to the station. This will help 'unlock' significant economic opportunities across the south of the county, supporting the development of Didcot Station as a key gateway to the Science Vale high-tech cluster and the Enterprise Zone.
The station's new multi-storey car park and connecting footbridge on Foxhall Road will improve the experience for all users of Didcot Parkway station.
In total, the station now has a parking capacity of 1,800, an increase of 65%.
Expansion impact targets achieved:
- Significantly increase parking capacity to 1,800 spaces, improving the customer experience
- Increase accessibility to the south of Oxfordshire, Science Vale and Enterprise Zone
- Boost local economic growth
- Total Project Cost: £12.5m
- LGF Awarded: £8.2m
- Delivery Partner: Oxfordshire County Council
- Project Status: Completed
A package of junction and local road improvements to support growth in the Headington area of Oxford - a centre for medical research and the location of the BioEscalator at Oxford University Old Road campus.
The greater connectivity and accessibility of Headington from this project will reduce congestion and travel times, support jobs and improve the quality of life for people and communities.
The project is designed to make traffic, including buses, flow more efficiently on roads between Headington and other parts of Oxford. Segregated cycleways have also been created along many routes.
Although this is an original LGF project it also supports the Clean Growth Challenge set by the Government as part of the Industrial Strategy in September 2019. In addition, its completion is highly relevant to the introduction of OCC's active travel measures – a range of measures to support people getting back to work, school, shopping and leisure as lockdown restrictions gradually ease.
Project impacts by 2025:
- Greater connectivity and accessibility between Headington and other parts of Oxford
- Reduced congestion and improved traffic flow
- Improved facilities for cyclists
- Total Project Cost: £1.3m
- LGF Awarded: £1.3m
- Delivery Partner: Oxfordshire County Council
- Project Status: Completed
A package of construction works to support public transport and growth in Oxford City. Greater connectivity and accessibility of the city centre will reduce congestion and travel times, support jobs, improve quality of life for people and communities.
The improvements include creating additional layover space; additional bus stops, improvements to existing bus stops, relocation of the taxi rank and changes to traffic signals.
The works include:
- St Aldate's/Speedwell Street junction
- St Aldate's (south)
- St Aldates/High Street bus stops
- Cornmarket Street taxi rank relocation
- New Road additional bus stops and layover space
- Worcester Street/Park End Street/New Road junction signals and crossings
- Worcester Street/George Street/Hythe Bridge Street junction improvements for cyclists and pedestrians
- Real Time Information (RTI)
- Bus Stop infrastructure and information upgrade
- Thames Street/Old Grey Friars/Speedwell Street junction traffic light removal
- Bus lane enforcement
This is an original Local Growth Fund project and the completion of this project is highly relevant to the COVID-19 response and recovery.
Project impacts by 2025:
- Increased capacity and reduced delays for buses
- Bus stop additions and improvements
- Improved air quality
- Improvements for cyclists and pedestrians
- Replacement of out-of-date service information with RTI
- Decreased city centre congestion
- Increased service to the new Westgate development
- Total Project Cost: £150m
- LGF Awarded: £25.85m
- Delivery Partner: The Environment Agency
- Project Status: Ongoing
A comprehensive package of measures to mitigate the risks of damage to homes, businesses and transport connections caused by excessive flooding.
Project impacts by 2025:
- Mitigate the risk of future flood damage to homes, businesses and transport connections
- 4 new learners assisted (in courses leading to a full qualification)
- 17 new jobs
- Total Project Cost: £40m
- LGF Awarded: £35m
- Delivery Partner: Oxfordshire County Council
- Project Status: Ongoing
Support to expand the integrated public transport system along the 'Knowledge Spine', delivering major enhancements to the A40 strategic route between Oxford, the Northern Gateway and Witney, and connecting centres of innovation and economic growth with Oxfordshire's universities.
Project impacts by 2025:
- Increase connectivity along the knowledge spine
- Total Project Cost: £7.8m
- LGF Awarded: £4.5m
- Delivery Partner: Activate Learning
- Project Status: Completed
Development of a Technology and Innovation Training Centre in Oxford to address skills shortages across engineering, electrical, design, and emerging technologies.
This high-specification facility supports training in a wide range of technological industries, including construction, engineering, IT, computing and motor vehicle. These facilities enhance student experience, equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to go far in a range of exciting and fast-paced technological industries.
Project impacts by 2025:
- Increase technical skills provision in Oxfordshire
- Enhanced student experience
- 1,700m2 of new learning floorspace
- 145 new learners assisted (in courses leading to a full qualification)
- 8 new jobs
- Total Project Cost: £5.5m
- LGF Awarded: £5.1m
- Delivery Partner: Oxfordshire County Council
- Project Status: Completed
A sustainable transport scheme providing cycle and pedestrian routes to Milton Park, Harwell Campus and Culham Science Centre, increasing connectivity between Science Vale, residential areas, and the newly improved Didcot station by bike.
By improving routes for cyclists and pedestrians, the project has made cycling a more attractive choice. It adds a key layer to the Science Vale transport network to encourage sustainable travel across the area for cyclists and pedestrians, who are going to benefit from improved facilities for many journeys, not just those to or from work.
The cycle routes cover a geographic area of southern Oxfordshire including Didcot, Abingdon, Wantage, Milton Park, Culham Science Centre and Harwell Campus:
- Wantage to Harwell Campus ("Icknield Greenway")
- Abingdon to Milton Park
- Didcot to Harwell Campus
- Didcot to Milton Park
- Abingdon to Culham Science Centre
- Didcot to Culham Science Centre
Project impacts by 2025:
- Increased green connectivity to the Science Vale
- Reduced congestion on roads
- Make the area a more attractive place to live and work, supporting future growth
- Total Project Cost: £1.9m
- LGF Awarded: £0.6m
- Delivery Partner: Oxford City Council
- Project Status: Completed
To reduce the risk and impact caused by excessive flooding for 108 households, 2 commercial premises and transport connections in Northway and Marston.
Project impact targets achieved:
- Mitigate the risk of future flood damage to homes, businesses and transport connections
- 5 new jobs
Local Growth Fund 2
- Total Project Cost: £0.6m
- LGF Awarded: £0.4m
- Delivery Partner: Activate Learning
- Project Status: Completed
The Care Skills Training Centres at the City of Oxford College gives a unique insight into careers in the health and social care sector.
The centre provides acute clinical and residential care facilities for simulated teaching and learning, offers a range of facilities and equipment (including state-of-the-art hospital wards, fully equipped home care rooms, emergency care centres, and fully immersive, 3D, VR learning spaces).
Project impacts by 2025:
- Increase adult health and social care training
- 500m2 of new learning floorspace
- 405 new learners assisted (in courses leading to a full qualification)
- 2 new jobs
- Total Project Cost: £8.4m
- LGF Awarded: £8.4m
- Delivery Partner: Oxfordshire County Council
- Project Status: Completed
The A40 Improvements Scheme upgrades the A40 between the A34 overbridge and the Wolvercote roundabout with a new Eastbound bus lane, dedicated cycle lanes and widened footways.
This scheme addresses the critical issues that are hindering growth of the ecosystem and release the pressure on existing infrastructure that is causing congestion, pollution and extensive commuting times.
The scheme will improve transport in the north of the city, and enable the Oxford North development which will provide business and research space and new homes.
Further, the Oxford North development enabled by this scheme will offer more affordable housing. This and the better connectivity will improve Oxfordshire's quality of life for residents and its attractiveness as a location, to attract top talent and encourage talent to stay.
While this is an original Local Growth Fund project, this scheme is highly relevant to the COVID-19 response and recovery.
Project impacts by 2025:
- Improved connectivity on the A40, reducing congestions and commuting times
- Improvements for cyclists
- Improved air quality
- Improved attractiveness of the area, increasing local growth
- Enable the Oxford North development scheme, providing more affordable housing
- Total Project Cost: £150m
- LGF Awarded: £3.5m
- Delivery Partner: Oxford City Council
- Project Status: Completed
Transport and site improvements to support the Oxpens development, which will provide much-needed office and research space and new homes in the heart of Oxford.
Project impacts by 2025:
- 1,000 new housing units
- 1,265 new jobs
Local Growth Fund 3
- Total Project Cost: £3.52m
- LGF Awarded: £2.17m
- Delivery Partner: Activate Learning
- Project Status: Completed
The tourism and hospitality industry currently supports 10% of all employment in Oxfordshire, contributing £2.17bn to the economy countywide.
The City of Oxford College's Hospitality Project will provide a specialist teaching area with 'realistic' working environments for the hospitality sector, in-line with supporting the growth of the visitor economy in Oxfordshire. This will have a major impact on both the hospitality and visitor economy sectors, as well as boosting tourism spend.
This project will benefit over 500 learners, turning around a trend of falling hospitality enrolment for 16 to 18-year-olds, and encourage greater industry support to drive curriculum development and industry experience.
Although this is originally a Local Growth Fund project, it is highly relevant to the COVID19 response and recovery.
Project impacts by 2025:
- Boost the tourism and hospitality industry in the county
- 982m2 of new learning floorspace
- 5.5 new jobs
- 451 new learners assisted (in courses leading to a full qualification)
- 120 short courses (e.g. 'Get Into Hospitality' for school children)
- Total Project Cost: £2m
- LGF Awarded: £2m
- Delivery Partner: RACE and UKAEA
- Project Status: Completed
Oxfordshire is at the heart of robotics and autonomous systems (RAS) activity in the UK. Public sector innovation in CAV has been mirrored with Oxfordshire County Council being the first UK local authority to include CAVs in the local transport strategy, and to have a dedicated CAV team (currently the largest in the UK).
This new facility, named 'Pit Lane' due to its resemblance of a Formula 1 garage, enables a growing range of organisations to come together at one location to develop and test technologies that are necessary if driverless vehicles are to safely enter the market.
Four purpose-built workspaces, each approximately 220m2 in size, provide CAV companies with the opportunity to work on two vehicles in the workspace with office accommodation above where technicians can analyse huge quantities of data generated from the cars.
Each unit contains high-end office accommodation on the first floor and a dedicated workspace below with both floors providing direct connection into a highspeed computer network. The workspace is large enough to work on and around the hardware and/or software of two vehicles.
A CAV Track Control Centre is located immediately adjacent to these CAV units, and acts as the hub for a site-wide fibre optic network that will link with dedicated 4G phone masts and wireless units, boosting V2V connectivity (the ability of vehicles to communicate with each other) and further enhance testing capabilities.
Project impacts by 2025:
- Further cement Oxfordshire as a UK CAV leader
- 960m2 workspace created
- 48 new jobs
- Total Project Cost: £0.78m
- LGF: £0.78m
- Delivery Partner: RACE and UKAEA
- Project Status: Completed
Phase 2 of the project will further improve the ability of RACE to host CAV trials. Specific improvements include:
- Construction of a new, fully data enabled vehicle storage facility
- Addition of smart traffic signals
- Purchasing a next generation AV-EV minibus
This will attract more companies to locate to the Culham site and additional companies to use the testing facilities.
CAV features heavily in the government’s urban strategy for how the UK will move around our towns and cities in the future. Oxfordshire County Council was the first UK local authority to include CAVs in the local transport strategy and to have a dedicated CAV team, currently the largest in the UK.
Project Impacts by 2025:
- Attract more companies to locate to the Culham site
- Enable additional companies to use testing facilities
- Total Project Cost: £1.5m
- LGF Awarded: £0.94m
- Delivery Partner: Abingdon & Witney College
- Project Status: Completed
Abingdon & Witney College's Oxfordshire Construction Skills Academy will give young people and adults opportunities to develop the skills needed to secure employment in Oxfordshire.
Oxfordshire's innovation in low-carbon technologies is world-leading, and Abingdon & Witney College's curriculum will reflect this: plumbing for renewable technology, electrical installation, carpentry and joinery.
It's hoped that this shift in curriculum will also reflect Oxfordshire's focus on capturing economic growth opportunities that emerge from the UK's ambition to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The practical teaching spaces will include specialist technologies to ensure that the students are receiving the relevant skills. Within the first five years of operation, the Oxfordshire Construction Skills Academy will:
- Deliver 400 apprenticeships
- Serve 240 full-time students
- Serve 300 part-time students.
The Construction Skills Academy will comprise three sites. This project will focus on its new Bicester site, with more development to come on their Abingdon campus in due course; the Witney campus already exists.
This means that communities, employers and the Oxfordshire economy benefit from the project.
Project impacts by 2025:
- Increase number of young people and adults receiving skilled construction qualifications
- 1,405m2 of new learning floorspace
Major Local Growth Fund project will 'further enhance the county's construction sector'
- Total Project Cost: £7m
- LGF Awarded: £3m
- Delivery Partner: Satellite Applications Catapult
- Project Status: Completed
A new innovation centre in Harwell to provide a unique centre for satellite prototyping and testing, creating opportunities for the growth of highly-skilled jobs in the area. This will allow the growth of further business connections and opportunities for presenting full-sized, innovative prototypes.
Delivered and run by the Satellite Applications Catapult, phase two of DISC – located at Harwell Campus, near Didcot – sees the development of a new facility, providing businesses with a specific area for product prototyping and testing within the space sector.
The centre also aims to make access to this type of facility much easier for small businesses, providing signposting to finance solutions.
The centre is expected to support the creation of 187 jobs, becoming a 'networking platform' for innovative businesses, giving better opportunities to build collaborative partnerships and supporting the creation of new supply chains.
Project impacts by 2025:
- Increase capacity for prototyping and testing of new innovative products in the Space Sector
- Design and fit out of 800m2 facility
- 187 new jobs
- Total Project Cost: £2.89m
- LGF Awarded: £1.49m
- Delivery Partner: Earth Trust
- Project Status: Completed
Earth Trust, an environmental learning charity, champions accessible natural green spaces for all. This funding will enable the charity to build Earth Lab – a new, environmentally friendly education centre – and develop an existing barn into an Innovation Hub.
The buildings will be located at Earth Trust at the foot of the historic Wittenham Clumps in Oxfordshire. Work will begin in early 2020 and once completed will enable Earth Trust to further deliver its charitable objectives to involve people of all ages with the environment and climate change through access to natural green spaces.
Earth Lab will showcase a host of eco-friendly materials and features, incorporating natural building materials that lock up carbon. Designed to sit in harmony with the landscape, the construction comprises a timber frame, straw insulation panels, a rammed earth wall (using soil from the location), a green roof and the minimum concrete possible.
Earth Lab will provide flexible classroom space enabling Earth Trust to deliver STEM and art based environmental education, improving the skills and confidence of people of all ages. This development will offer significant opportunities to help bring people together, to discover what they can do to care for environmental ecosystems, vital for the future of our planet.
Earth Lab will double Earth Trust's capacity to engage young people and provide opportunities for bringing environmental science to life throughout the curriculum. The result will be a generation that actively values and cares for their planet.
Project impacts by 2025:
- 540m2 learning & commercial floorspace
- 83 new jobs
- 18 new apprenticeships
- Increase engagement of young people in environmental education
- 3,500 young individuals to annually take part in Earth School – delivering skills and better attainment at GCSE and BTEC
- Total Project Cost: £1m
- LGF Awarded: £0.5m
- Delivery Partner: The Henley College
- Project Status: Completed
This project will refurbish five key areas to promote STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) progression. This is set to have a major impact across several key sectors, including digital skills, engineering, and applied life sciences.
OxLEP is working to position Oxfordshire as one of the top-three global innovation ecosystems, highlighting its world-leading science and technology cluster, and to be a pioneer for the UK and our emerging transformative technologies and sectors. These have the potential to add up to £180bn to the UK economy by 2030.
To enable Oxfordshire to become a critical driver for UK economic-growth post-Brexit, OxLEP recognises the need to provide young people with clear pathways to develop the skills needed to secure employment opportunities created through our innovation ecosystems.
The Henley College Advanced Digital and Science Centre will enable 100 new learners to meet the need for skills in the STEAM subjects by employers of all sizes in Oxfordshire, as well as companies in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.
Project impacts by 2025:
- Increase in young people gaining the skills needed to enter Oxfordshire's innovation ecosystem
- 1,209m2 of new learning floorspace
- 100 new learners assisted (in courses leading to a full qualification)
- Total Project Cost: £2m
- LGF Awarded: £1m
- Delivery Partner: Abingdon & Witney College
- Project Status: Completed
A major new skills centre near Witney which provides a 'highly-technical' environment, supporting courses and research relating to livestock husbandry. The centre has been built to combine theory teaching spaces and a livestock area, capable of supporting the latest agricultural technology.
Project impacts by 2025:
- New highly technical skills centre showcasing the latest agricultural technology
- 556m2 of new learning floorspace
- 172 new learners assisted (in courses leading to a full qualification)
- 3 new jobs
- Total Project Cost: £10.2m
- LGF Awarded: £6.2m
- Delivery Partner: University of Oxford
- Project Status: Completed
The project will create a recognised Innovation Quarter through the development of supporting University research facilities, incubation/translational facilities and commercial space, and graduate accommodation.
This will provide greater opportunities for employment, attract investment, and stimulate growth and regeneration in Oxford.
Osney Mead Industrial Estate was an under-used and unattractive industrial site in a prime location immediately adjacent to the West End of Oxford City centre. The project will transform the industrial estate into an innovative and attractive place accommodating a range of mutually reinforcing activities and uses:
- provide expansion space for currently-constrained University activity and research.
- provide opportunities for world-leading commercial enterprises to invest in Oxford and locate activity adjacent to University research activity.
- create a focus for entrepreneurs and founding businesses, in particular those spun out from academic research activity.
- improve access routes to the west of the city.
- provide accommodation for graduate students and early career researchers, reducing pressure on the heavily constrained Oxford private housing sector.
Project impacts by 2025:
- Redevelopment of an under-used area into an innovative and attractive centre
- Improve traffic flow in west Oxford
- 3,481 jobs
- 20,800m2 of research, incubation and commercial buildings
- 400 units graduate accommodation.
'OxLEP announces confirmation of major Local Growth Fund Project'
- Total Project Cost: £2.64m
- LGF: £0.87m
- Delivery Partner: Oxford Brookes University
- Project Status: Completed
The new Oxford Brookes Enterprise Centre will give companies access to lab spaces, experts and professional networks.
The centre will focus on health and life sciences and the digital technologies sector. It will provide premises for spinout and early stage companies with laboratory space, co-working space, meeting rooms and a multi-purpose enterprise space.
Associated research, business and professional support networks will also deepen collaboration and accelerate the commercialisation of new ideas.
Project Impacts:
- 74 jobs created through start-ups and company growth
- 17 start-up companies created from the Enterprise support programme
- 10 temporary construction jobs
- Total Project Cost: £4.7m
- LGF Awarded: £2.1m
- Delivery Partner: University of Oxford
- Project Status: Completed
Oxford Centre for Plant Science Innovation is an interconnected centre for research and development to address challenges in agriculture and forestry. The funding will establish a centre in Oxford city centre, delivering jobs and apprenticeships for Oxfordshire and enabling the creation of spin-out companies.
The project will enable the University of Oxford to deliver at least nine full-time jobs, three apprenticeships and nine studentships, as well as the creation of at least two spin out companies (creating additional jobs).
Project impacts by 2025:
- Research facilities for innovative R&D in Plant Health & Resilience
- Increase University spin-out creation
- 31 new jobs/apprenticeships
- Total Project Cost: £6.18m
- LGF Awarded: £1.93m
- Delivery Partner: Oxford City Council
- Project Status: Ongoing
These Oxford City Entrepreneurship Hubs will address the acute shortage of workspace for the local business community in Oxford City. Premises on George Street and Cave Street in Oxford City centre will be refurbished and redeveloped.
Oxfordshire is home to dynamic and creative industries including computer games, software development, cybersecurity, high performance computing as well as film and TV: over 3,000 digital and creative businesses are based in Oxfordshire generating £1.4bn to the UK economy each year. Social Enterprises?
The new 1,560m2 workspace will meet the needs of digital, creative and social enterprises; this in turn will allow a diverse range of business to start and grow in the City, which would provide a pipe-line for innovation-led growth for the City-region.
Project impacts by 2025:
- Increased availability of workspaces in Oxford City centre
- 1,560m2 new commercial floorspace
- 162 new jobs
- 25 new learners assisted (in courses learning to full qualification)
- 36 businesses supported
- Total Project Cost: £2.9m
- LGF Awarded: £0.53m
- Delivery Partner: UKAEA
- Project Status: Completed
Oxfordshire's 'innovation ecosystem' is world-leading, with robotics, power engineering and space science new and emerging sectors. Oxfordshire Advanced Skills (OAS')s pilot scheme will fit out lab space at the centre in Culham, and create a facility whose ongoing curriculum will be driven by industry experts.
The scheme aims to train 240 higher and degree apprentices, upskill 800 people through short courses, as well as 750 through e-learning, all during a four-year period. This will give young people the skills needed to secure employment opportunities in robotics, power engineering and space science.
Project impacts by 2025:
- Increase in young people gaining the skills needed to enter Oxfordshire's innovation ecosystem
- 800m2 of new learning floorspace
- 240 new learners assisted (in courses leading to a full qualification)
OxLEP-backed project supports ambition of Oxfordshire Advanced Skills' apprenticeship programme
- Total Project Cost: £2m
- LGF Awarded: £0.5m
- Delivery Partner: Prodrive
- Project Status: Completed
This project will create a new, high-tech, transient dynamometer centre for the testing and development of innovative propulsion systems and engines which use traditional electric, hybrid and fuel power. This will accelerate its development of the new generation of alternative-fuel powertrains and internal combustion engines.
Oxfordshire is globally renowned as a centre of science and innovation and a critical part of the UK’s iconic ‘Motorsport Valley’. Prodrive, which is based in Banbury and is the world’s leading motorsport business, opened its Powertrain Development Centre (PDC) in November 2019. The purpose-built facility represents a multi-million investment and was constructed over a period of six months.
The new PDC means that it can design bespoke engines, make a prototype unit to complete a full validation programme using its own advanced transient dyno and manufacture the powertrain in its own facilities. Its installation reinforces Prodrive's ability to develop the next generation of electric, hybrid and internal combustion engines for road and competition applications, while also strengthening the expertise and services that it offers existing motorsport and technology clients. The PDC was extensively used in a project with Aston Martin. Read how this collaboration resulted in wins at Le Mans 2020 here.
In early 2020 Prodrive was awarded the contract to design and manufacture cars to compete in the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia from 2021. The joint venture with Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company (Mumtalakat), the sovereign wealth fund of the Kingdom of Bahrain, is called Prodrive International. Prodrive International will manufacture and operate two rally cars specifically to compete in the top level T1 class at the Dakar Rally. Read the car specifications here. It will also produce other customer cars and offer a range of performance parts and body kits as accessories for clients.
The official backing recognised the relationship that Prodrive has established with the local community, being one of the region's largest and most high-profile employers. The launch of the PDC supports 23 jobs in the area.
Project impacts by 2025:
- Increase prototyping of innovative propulsion systems and engines for the next generation of vehicles
- 23 new jobs
- Designing and manufacturing two cars (top level T1 class) for the Kingdom of Bahrain Dakar Ralley team 2021
- Total Project Cost: £1,100,000
- LGF Awarded: £300,000
- Delivery Partner: The Oxford Trust
- Project Status: Completed
The Oxford Trust’s development of these class II laboratory facilities seeks to respond to the significant demand that has been seen in the last couple of years from science and tech start-ups and SMEs for lab space in Oxford’s world-leading life sciences cluster, centered in Headington.
After the initial completion of phase 1 of the lab development, the facility went on to secure £200,000 of additional Local Growth Fund support for the commencement of a second phase of its conversion of the dedicated high-spec laboratory facilities. Phase 2 saw the completion of the state-of-the-art facility in early 2022.
Now with a total of 18,000 square feet of laboratory and allied spaces, the Wood Centre for Innovation offers its clients access to state-of-the-art shared facilities for common equipment, including: liquid nitrogen, refrigerated storage, autoclave, ultra-pure water, dark room and an on-site lab technician alongside high-efficiency offices, meeting rooms and co-working areas.
Local Growth Fund funding has ensured that the centre can offer Grade A office space and class II laboratory facilities, which have since become inhabited by a number of biotech start-ups, focused on numerous specialisms and ground-breaking technologies.
Project impacts by 2025:
- Increase capacity for the local innovation ecosystem
- 148 new jobs
For more information, contact Sarah Watson Programme Manager for Major Projects
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