The University of Leeds’ innovation hub NEXUS has welcomed the university’s business start-up service SPARK as tenants.
The £40m building, located on the University campus includes office and lab spaces, meeting and conference facilities.
It will see over 40 entrepreneurial students and recent alumni join the community.
The group of students and graduates have moved from the University’s Innovation Centre to take up residence at Nexus, and include a Kombucha tea producer, an award-winning ladder safety innovator, an R&D business providing computer-based digital engineering simulations and a developer of next generation 3D printed automotive and motor sport components.
The university hopes SPARK will the entrepreneurs access to advice and guidance from like-minded enterprising students, serial entrepreneurs and co-founders of companies.
They will also have access to the University of Leeds’ academic and research expertise.
“We’re confident that the move will have a huge impact on these early stage ventures,” said Kairen Skelley, SPARK’s head of business start-ups.
“Not only will they benefit from all that Nexus has to offer, including greater access to the marketplace and the wider business community, but they will also be able to reap valuable rewards by teaming up with fellow like-minded start-ups and SMEs”
Dr Martin Stow, Nexus Director, added: “We are delighted to be welcoming the next generation of innovators to the Nexus community.
“Ground-breaking ideas and new products are increasingly about shared expertise and collaboration and it’s precisely these trusted relationships that will be so advantageous to SPARK members, giving them real industry insights and guidance.”