UWE Bristol has named its flagship development in the West of England University Enterprise Zone as Future Works ahead of it opening next month.
The 4,100 sq m innovation centre will sit at the core of the zone – one of the first enterprise zones linked to a university in the UK. 
Building work started on the £16.5m project earlier this year alongside the Bristol Robotics Laboratory and a cluster of other incubator facilities on UWE Bristol’s Frenchay Campus.
The zone will promote university-business collaboration alongside access to specialist facilities, expertise and business support.
Future Works will include a selection of office, lab, meeting and co-working areas for companies specialising in robotics, life sciences, medical health and other hi-tech sectors. The space has been designed to accommodate companies throughout the various stages of their growth, from ‘rent-a-bench’ wet lab space to individual offices for up to 10 people.
Future Works opens its doors in mid-August and has already seen a strong level of demand from the local market. UWE expects it to build a regional, national and international reputation for growing companies in Bristol’s key sectors.
UWE has selected Oxford Innovation, which runs the largest network of innovation centres with more than 900 occupiers across the UK, to manage the innovation centre. 
Oxford Innovation managing director Chris Allington said: “We have huge ambition for Future Works. Its proximity to some of the best incubators in the country, the uniqueness of the managed lab space, and its location on UWE Bristol’s campus are just some of the ingredients that make this a rather special place.”
UWE pro vice-chancellor for research and business engagement, Prof Martin Boddy – who led the project for the university – added: “This will be much more than just a building. It will provide access to the sorts of facilities and expertise that would otherwise be out of reach for new and growing businesses.
“It will provide wet labs – currently a real gap in the market – it will promote collaboration and networking between businesses, university researchers, students and graduates and there will be dedicated business support and services from the university, Bristol Business School and partner organisations.
“It will complement Bristol and Bath Science Park, the Local Enteprise Partnership (LEP) Enterprise Zone and enterprise areas and the Engine Shed incubation centre at Temple Quay and Bath Innovation Centre – together these provide a fantastically rich and fertile ecosystem to support business growth and innovation across the whole city-region.”
