Breakthrough Spring 2017 | Page 12

Advocacy

The world according to UKSPA and its members

UKSPA Nottingham Conference

Our evolving perspectives on local and national innovation and enterprise across the UK

UKSPA held its latest member conference in the Jubilee Conference Centre Auditorium at the University of Nottingham Innovation Park ( UNIP ) Jubilee Campus on 26 and 27 January this year . Nottingham ’ s Mark Tock and his colleagues pulled together the programme . The generous support of event sponsors , InnesEngland and Barker Brettell , saw participants networking over a delicious evening meal .

DAY ONE : Thursday 26 January 2017

David Hardman , UKSPA Chairman opened proceedings and invited Chris Jagger ,

Chief Estates and Facilities Officer for the University of Nottingham ( UoN ) to the floor to give an overview of the beautiful Jubilee Campus . Mark Tock , Operations Director for UNIP Management , then provided an update on the campus Brownfield Regeneration Initiative .

The University of Nottingham is described as the ‘ the nearest Britain has to a truly global university , with campuses in China and Malaysia modelled on a headquarters that is among the most attractive in Britain ’ by the Times Good University Guide 2014 .

UNIP is characterised by iconic architecture including the turf-roofed GlaxoSmithKline Carbon Neutral

Laboratory for Sustainable Chemistry and the tyre-shaped Ingenuity Centre ( IC ) and business incubator , developed as part of the University Enterprise Zone . The wider campus is also benefitting from further new-build investment in the shape of the Advanced Manufacturing Building and Midlands Innovation Energy Research Accelerator . Conference participants enjoyed several campus building tours .

Enterprise @ Nottingham Dr Susan Huxtable , UoN ’ s Director of Intellectual Property Management and Commercialisation , introduced the Enterprise @ Nottingham scheme . Based in the IC , the scheme brings together

12 | UKSPA breakthrough | SPRING 2017