Hitachi High-Technologies (Europe) has chosen the Sci-Tech Daresbury campus in Cheshire as its new scientific base in the UK.
The tech company, which is part of Japan’s Hitachi Group, is taking lab space in the campus’s newest building, Techspace One.
It will house their latest Electron Microscopes and Scanning Probe Microscopes in four dedicated microscope rooms. The new lab will have a special focus on collaborations, both with academia and industry, not only in the North of England, but across the UK and Europe.
Aerial shot of the campus
The Hitachi High-Tech Group handles a variety of products from scientific instruments and systems, electronic devices, to industrial machinery and advanced materials.
Mike Dixon, Nanotechnology Section Manager for the company, said: “Our aim for the new laboratory is to be a demonstration facility for our latest instrumentation as well as a collaboration hub where we can undertake a wide range of activities including fundamental research and method development.
“What really appealed about Techspace One was its strong impact and flexibility, allowing us to design the space in the way that works for us best. The move also means that we will be adding new staff to strengthen the company’s applications and technical team, and increasing our commitment to microscopy in the UK.
“Locating at Sci-Tech Daresbury puts us in the heart of the UK, offering opportunities to work with academic and industrial partners on the campus and in the region, as well as across the whole of the UK and Europe because of the excellent transport links.”
John Downes, group managing director of Langtree and board member of the Sci-Tech Daresbury joint venture company, added: “The Hitachi Group locating to Sci-Tech Daresbury is a significant milestone for the campus and our ambition to cement our position as a world-class hub for innovation and collaboration.
“Sci-Tech Daresbury is already home to the renowned EPSRC National Facility for Aberration Corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (“SuperSTEM”), and the arrival of Hitachi now adds a world leading developer and supplier of electron microscopes to complement that activity, bringing a wider range of techniques and skills to the campus.”
Sci-Tech Daresbury is a private-public joint-venture partnership between developer Langtree, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and Halton Borough Council.
Its Enterprise Zone status means tenants will be eligible for a number of financial incentives including reduced business rates over a five-year period if relocating before the 31st March 2018.
