The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Harwell Ambitions to be World Leader as Science and Innovation Campus

06 October 2008

Harwell Science and Innovation Campus is aiming to be in the vanguard of global centres of science and innovation, the Local Stakeholder Group’s 64th meeting was told.

Steve Moss from UKAEA told the meeting: “We aim to be one of the world’s leading science and innovation campuses. Unique facilities like those we already have here provide unparalleled opportunities to world class organisations.”

It was the first time he had addressed the LSG since UKAEA and the Science and Technology Facilities Council signed a partnership deal with Goodman International Ltd in a joint venture to develop and manage the campus.

Dr Sally Ann Forsyth, Goodman International’s Director of UK Science Parks told the meeting her company was delighted to have been chosen for this joint venture.

“We aim to attract a range of major businesses, academic groups and start-up companies to the park. We are looking to produce a Masterplan for the development of the site including strategies for science and innovation, estate management, marketing and communications. A science park is more than just a collection of buildings. It is the people and their interaction that is important and our aim is to create facilities to allow this networking to happen,” she said.

Some members of the audience said it was crucial that as it expanded the goodwill of local people was maintained. One of the major issues was infrastructure and transport.

LSG Chairman, Cllr Terry Joslin said there was a tremendous partnership between the employers in the area and the local authorities and it had been announced that discussions with those groups on development plans to improve the infrastructure were underway.

The Science and Innovation Campus is already host to major scientific businesses and research organisations. The NDA Harwell site is only a small part of the total area. The work being carried out on the site is concentrating on being able to de-licence a major part which can then be handed over to the Science and Innovation campus.

Ken Heider, UKAEA’s Closure Director for the site outlined recent work on the site to help achieve this goal. He showed how they were dealing with waste through the use of a second waste retrieval machine and the new Waste Encapsulation Plant which is being commissioned.

“We are completing the Eastern Area Decommissioning Project including moving the Police Station further back from the main road so that the area can be de-licenced and handed over to the campus,” said. This work is being funded as part of the Campus Development.

The company is also working on its restructure and re-licencing UKAEA to the new company Research Sites Restoration Limited. This will aid the NDA’s competition process. It is expected the work will be completed in February 2009 subject to formal approval of the Regulators.

He said the company had been subject of a cost evaluation exercise undertaken by the NDA. This meant the company’s finances were examined by teams from inside the NDA and from a team of external auditors from the US.

Mr Heider said: It looks like we did well and our estimates are robust. There were also some examples of very good practice. There were also some learning opportunities for us.”

NDA’s Malcolm Barents updated the meeting on recent developments including the publication of the Annual Report and Accounts, the Health and Safety, Security and Environment Annual report and highlighted the publication of the draft Business Plan due in early November.

He then did a presentation of the Review of local arrangements for Site Stakeholder Groups which will see NDA Guidance to SSGs strengthened and for a more consistent approach.

Terry Joslin, thanked Mr Barents and commended the NDA website as extremely useful. He encouraged members to subscribe for NDA Web Alerts to keep up with developments.