It was a pleasure to welcome Sir John Peace to Keele on Thursday 5 May, to tour our Science and Innovation Park and meet with some of the fantastic businesses that have made Keele their home.

Sir John is the Chairman of Midlands Engine; a pan-regional partnership that helps to drive economic growth in the Midlands, bringing together leading partners in industry, academia, and business.

He visited Keele to learn more about the pioneering development, which offers companies an environment in which to thrive by giving them access to an innovative research culture, combined with academic expertise and the University’s specialist resources. The Park is currently home to more than 50 tenant companies employing around 600 people across the site, ranging from recent start-ups through to multinationals.

Sir John met with tenants to hear first hand how the unique collaborative environment has allowed them to innovate and grow their businesses, and toured the facilities including our Smart Innovation Hub to learn more about the University's role in supporting regional economic growth.

He said: “It was a pleasure to visit Keele University to tour the Science and Innovation Park and meet with some of the Midlands’ leading businesses who now call Keele their home. This innovative project provides businesses with the opportunity to thrive in a research environment that is steeped in academic expertise and supported by the University’s specialist facilities. The Science and Innovation Park highlights the best of our region and how collaborative working to solve problems at pace can deliver transformative results for our region.”

Ann Pittard, Director of Engagement & Partnerships at Keele University said: “We were delighted that Sir John was able to spend time with us and meet some of the wonderful businesses and not-for-profits that are part of Keele's flourishing innovation community. Sir John was generous with his insights and expertise, and in his praise for what we've achieved at Keele. We came away with a stronger appreciation of how distinctive our achievements have been in contributing to the area's prosperity, and the visit certainly invigorated our sense of ambition for the future.” 

To find out more about the business support available through Keele University, or to join our Science and Innovation Park community, get in touch gateway@keele.ac.uk.