On its fourth anniversary, Liverpool Science Park is still upbeat in tough times. Peter Elson reports

THE tallest city buildings are no longer cathedrals pointing towards a heavenly deity, but temples to Mammon.

Perhaps Liverpool Science Park (LSP) is hedging its bets, then, by nestling alongside the soaring piers of the RC Metropolitan Cathedral.

Poised for a 50% expansion, it looks like the prayers of the park's founders have been answered in recession-beating fashion.

Some £20m investment has been pumped in from EU and Northwest Development Agency funding. Now the two-block complex houses 35 knowledge companies, but the Park’s managers are already rattling their collecting tin for more.

As a tenant of the Archdiocese, the park occupies a prime position at the top of Mount Pleasant, in the city's attractive and historic academic quarter.

The Science Park is the precocious offspring of an unusual ménage-à-trois comprising Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), Liverpool University and Liverpool City Council.

This relative newcomer to the university district comes laden with great expectations.

Already the Park is promoting the concept of this area as the Knowledge Quarter of Merseyside's knowledge economy.

Eight years ago, it appeared blindingly obvious that a science park should be set up in a city of international academic status.

Although Liverpool Science Park is now celebrating its fourth anniversary this month, its establishment is 20 years behind Manchester Science Park.

“The founding partners believed that it was not right there was no thriving science park in Liverpool,” said Chris Musson, Liverpool Science Park chief executive.

“It was very far-sighted of the three partners to get involved in attracting sparky, new knowledge companies here.

“We’ve now two of the region’s best buildings for this purpose in the best part of town.”

LJMU vice chancellor Professor Michael Brown pitched the idea to the Government Office North West that Liverpool could accommodate a 500,000sq ft science park.

Musson feels close to the thinking that spawned the park and has powered its development. Musson took over as CEO from Dr Sarah Tasker three months ago. Prior to that, he was the Government Office North West’s Objective One operations director.

Musson said: “Most of the people and investments I dealt with over five years were Liverpool-based, so I feel very involved in the city.

“Liverpool Science Park is a fantastic project. In spite of this terrible recession, we’re on target in filling our second building, ic2.

“The key lesson is that you do not wait until a building is full before you expand to the next phase.

“You need both incubator and growing spaces. Growing companies want differently configured accommodation.”

The question now being asked is if there is a willingness among the three partners for a third building, ic3, to finish off phase one.

The first two buildings each have 40,000sq ft of space and a similar-sized third block would take the total to 120,000sq ft.

“That 500,000sq ft goal is where we should be and we’re discussing it with our partners,” said Musson.

“The model we used was that it would be an ‘easy in – easy out’ one.”

This ranges from supporting staff access – they can work on Christmas Day if they wish – to allowing companies to easily expand in situ.

Six months ago, the Liverpool City Region Multi-Area Agreement was instigated.

This pinpointed three sectors which power the local economy: development around the port, green technology and the knowledge economy.

“Obviously, we fit perfectly into the knowledge economy and should be benefiting,” says Musson.

“Public money comes in to make thing happen better and more quickly,” he claimed.

“We needed NWDA money so we could test our first buildings, before finally committing to our third one.”

NWDA is apparently poised to give a £250,000 development grant for ic3, scheduled to open in 2012.

“There’s not many people with £20m down their trouser pockets. Whereas this is what public money should do,” said Musson.

“We’ve been working closely with our partners over three months to submit bidding forms to the NWDA.

“I couldn’t give a definite answer as yet about the funding sources package, as it remains confidential.

“My job is to deliver this and maximise every source of possible investment.

“We’ve done very well in a difficult climate and tapped into a demand for bespoke, innovative, sparky companies.

“There are three or four distinct audiences we must attract and must ensure our selling reaches them.

"Our partners have taken financial risks to get this far and have the right to ask where it’s going.”

The NWDA is on LSP’s board, so it was fully aware of the Park’s progress, which therefore was not occurring in isolation.

“However, these are tough times for public sector bodies, so we need to make sure of what we’re offering quickly,” said Musson.

“The NWDA want to know how the Park will drive the knowledge economy on a wider basis.

“Yet we will only flourish if Liverpool flourishes. It’s no use in us getting bigger if other things around us start getting smaller.”

The Park has a gateway policy, whereby it is not simply providing office space for any newcomer.

Applicants must be in knowledge companies where “people use their brains in the knowledge business,” said Musson. LSP companies must be involved in IT, research and development, or attached to an academic institution.

He continued: “Bigger strategic talks are going on. We’re asking ‘What are our links to other compatible organisations?’

“These include top-rated organisations like Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Wavertree Technology Park, or Mersey Bio. We’re already talking to other complexes like Daresbury and the Heath at Halton.

“It’s not about working in isolation. We’re a key component, but only one component.

“All 21st-century kit bits are here, so how do we work together?”

In such a specialist market, LSP management says a “huge effort” is being made to look both nationwide and abroad for new businesses.

“Our story needs to be told and it must be credible and the thinking joined up,” said Musson.

There is no rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester Science Parks, “as we’re different propositions,” he claims.

Already the UK’s second-fastest growing science park, the third building would make it the fastest.

“Our product is fantastic, but we must make money and stand alone commercially,” said Musson.

“We’re part of the attack brand, but we can’t have a Liverpool knowledge brand without wider backing.

“When we get funding for our third building, our partners need to demonstrate our ambitions. I want knowledge companies everywhere to realise we’ve got a five-star kit and we want five-star brains to fill it.”

peter.elson