Plans for the flagship £4.75 million space at the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc in Dundee have been revealed.
The 1,200 sq m innovation hub will be a purpose-built facility on the former tyre factory site.
Construction of the £4.75 million hub, on the east of the site, is expected to begin in May this year.
The facility is to be completed by summer 2023.
It will allow businesses, researchers and challenge-holders to work together on developing, testing, and commercialising new products.
Alongside the development, MSIP will also deliver an associated programme of innovation activity and will provide access to support programmes.
Facilities will include hot-desking, meetings rooms, event spaces, design workshops and a café.
These will be available to everyone working at MSIP and others that can benefit from what it offers.
Dundee City Council previously secured £3.5m of funding from the Tay Cities Deal Industrial Investment Fund to support the plans.
Detailed design work is already underway, and the planning application has been submitted.
Robertson Construction was appointed in 2020 as the build contractor for MSIP’s wider transformation programme.
‘Ambitious but achievable’
MSIP chief operating officer Colin McIlraith said: “The innovation hub is a core part of the transformation programme, which is already underway.
“It brings everything else that we offer at MSIP together.
“The design provides a dynamic space housing a changing mixture of people, all aspiring to achieve the same goal of net zero.
“We’ve worked hard to ensure that the design considers the environmental impact of the space, both in its development and in the future when it will be in use.
“It’s great to be able to now share what the Innovation Hub will look like.
“It’s ambitious but achievable, which is what MSIP is all about.”
Innovation hub a ‘gateway’ for new businesses
MSIP innovation director Sarah Petrie said it would be the focal point for new ideas.
She said it was important that the space attracted and retained the best talent to stimulate ideas and collaboration.
Ms Petrie said: “It’s a key part of the offer at MSIP.
“It will be a driver for business formation and growth, harnessing know-how, expertise and entrepreneurial spirit.”
She said it would be a “gateway for new businesses and a stepping-stone for small businesses”.
Ms Petrie added: “It is vital that this space is an exciting, modern, fun, and accessible environment.”
