24 October 2018
Innovation Centre secures Sector Support Funding from SELEP
South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) has backed the development of an Innovation Centre at Kent Medical Campus.
Maidstone Borough Council has secured £156,000 from SELEP to contribute to the cost of design work required for a 30,000ft2 Innovation Centre on the NKEZ site at Kent Medical Campus.
The project is one of four bids which were endorsed by SELEP Strategic Board in September for SELEP’s Sector Support Fund, a fund designed to help bring forward projects that help grow specific industries, in this case innovation and healthcare businesses.
Christian Brodie, Chairman of SELEP, said:
“Supporting specific projects that can help unlock the growth potential of businesses in those sectors that are going to drive our economy forward is a key to the success of the LEP .
“The Innovation Centre project builds upon the Government’s support for the North Kent Enterprise Zone, which includes Kent Medical Campus, identified by Maidstone Borough Council as a key place for employment growth in the area.”
When complete, the Innovation Centre will offer small and medium-sized enterprises working in the life science, healthcare and med-tech sectors access to a combination of high-quality office accommodation and business support, providing a nurturing environment for start-ups and growing businesses.
Commenting on the funding, Councillor Martin Cox, Leader of Maidstone Borough Council, said:
“The UK is a world leader in life sciences and Kent Medical Campus provides the opportunity for Maidstone to become an important centre for the medical technologies industry in the South East.
“This grant is great news and a significant step towards bringing this vision to reality. The £156,000 Sector Support Fund grant that the Council has secured from SELEP will help to cover the design costs for the development of the Innovation Centre.”
Designs for the new facility will be finalised by the end of 2018, with a planning application then expected to be submitted to Maidstone Borough Council. Subject to planning approval, the aim is for the Innovation Centre to opens its doors in April 2020. The Council has also applied for European Regional Development Fund support towards the construction costs of the project, on which a decision is expected in the next few months.
ENDS
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