02/25/2011

Oxford’s new centre for science entrepreneurs

UK – A partly refurbished building in central Oxford is opening to provide space for science entrepreneurs. Science Oxford, a charity that supports education and business in the city, ultimately aims to demolish the building to create a science-focused public building to showcase new technological innovation from the Oxford area.

Last year, the renowned architectural firm Foster + Partners won a £30 million commission for the five-year project, which will see the 0.2 hectare site emerge to provide rentable space for start-up scientific businesses, conference facilities, as well as a digital planetarium, public plaza, café and shop.

Among the first tenants expected to move to the existing building is Pennsylvania and Oxford based Mirada Medical Limited, the software firm that focuses on medical software for advanced oncology imaging, launching its latest software fusion technologies, MR-PET Fusion, to support MR-PET and MR-CT-PET imaging at the 2010 RSNA, and recently its XD3 multi-modality image fusion analysis package as an option to users of Sectra PACS.
Designs for the centre are at a preliminary stage, said Chris Connell of Foster & Partners ‘Our intention is to create a striking contemporary addition to the city’s rich architectural heritage that symbolises and embodies the possibilities of science and the future of technology.’