Ploughshare Innovations relocates to a new science park at Porton Down
Ploughshare Innovations, the technology transfer office for the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), has relocated today to a new purpose-built science park at Porton Down near Salisbury
Porton Science Park
Ploughshare’s move to the Porton Science Park will benefit the site, the region and the wider UK economy. The company, which licenses defence and security technologies and creates start-up businesses, will now be able to support and collaborate with the other exciting new science and technology companies based at the science park. Ploughshare has already created 12 start-ups and has plans for more. Now, with the new Porton Science Park, it is envisaged those new businesses will also locate themselves in the park, which will create more local jobs and retain investment in the region.
The strong links Ploughshare has with the neighbouring Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), which is part of MOD, will provide a unique resource for the new science park tenants. Ploughshare has worked for many years with Dstl and understands the organisation, has excellent relationships with senior staff, and strong links with their world-class scientists and experts. James Kirby, CEO of Ploughshare Innovations said:
The new building is a state-of-the-art facility and we are looking forward to being at the heart of the science park, forging links with the other businesses here to help develop new technologies and grow prosperity for the region. Our move to Porton Down puts us closer to our main source of innovations, enabling us to maximise MOD’s investment in science and technology research.
As the commercialisation arm for Dstl, Ploughshare has a unique set of skills and experience in identifying new markets for novel defence and security-related technologies. The team includes professional commercialisation managers who are experienced in creating investible business plans and have already helped a number of organisations to improve their market position and gain commercial advantage. With their defence and security-related intellectual property portfolio, strong links with scientists at Dstl and across MOD, and their relationships with investment communities, Ploughshare brings a wealth of experience that is much valued by new start-up businesses.
Porton Science Park provides a science incubator and grow-on space for science and technology businesses for the region. Situated alongside the established research institutions of Dstl and Public Health England (PHE), it is in the ideal location to play a critical role in the strategy of Wiltshire Council and Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership to become a world-class cluster of expertise in the life science and defence technology sectors.