Hello and a very warm welcome to our 6th blog. Now 17 weeks into lockdown (some 119 days – not that I am counting), there is a further easing of lockdown and a new different normality emerging.
Continuing with my theme of introducing key innovation assets within Glasgow City Innovation District, this week’s spotlight is on the Technology & Innovation Centre (TIC).
The University of Strathclyde prides itself on being “the place of useful learning”, is the anchor institution within Glasgow City Innovation District and the development of TIC takes the university and its outreach into industry onto a whole different level.
Six years ago, the University of Strathclyde opened the doors of this flagship building some 26,000-metre square, 9 stories high with 105 labs and 750 desks. This building was designed to revolutionise how industry and academia collaborate, innovate and work together. Initially based around a number of key themes (energy, health, future cities and manufacturing), university departments, academic researchers as well as external companies work together on issues and problems - finding solutions to challenges that matter in areas of economic importance.
To children of the 70’s, this building could best be described as today’s equivalent of Tomorrow’s World. Futuristic but practical solutions to problems. Collaboration and innovation are very much at its heart.
As well as hosting university departments, the building is also home to a number of external companies, some of these named below :
Companies have been able to take space within TIC, in the adjacent Inovo building or co-locate in neighbouring premises and take advantage of the research capabilities available to them within TIC.
Research projects undertaken include:
There have been many success stories over the past five years including the spin outs of Dxcover and Screen in 3D. Dxcover has devised a revolutionary blood serum test for the early detection of brain cancer as well as other diseases. While Screen in 3D is using precision medicine to develop a lab-on-a-chip platform, designed to make the treatments of cancer more precise.
No mean feat in five years.
Such has been the success of TIC, the university is in the process of designing another building to complement the activities currently taking place within TIC.
We look forward to learning more about the exciting developments, solutions and spin-outs emerging from TIC – as well as watching the development of the next building.