University of Warwick to support the delivery of healthtech campus at Arden Cross

The University of Warwick will help drive the delivery of a HealthTech Campus at Arden Cross.

Arden Cross is our 346-acre and £3.2 billion destination that will be a world-class environment for working, living, learning and leisure. With 3,000 new homes, up to 6 million sq ft of employment space and up to 27,000 new jobs, the first phase of the masterplan could be as early as 2025.

The Campus will form part of a wider Innovation District at the heart of the £3.2bn regeneration opportunity, facilitated by the HS2 Interchange station in Solihull.

The announcement follows an initial review of the potential opportunities, after the University signed of a Memorandum of Understanding with Arden Cross Ltd in 2022.

As part of the Campus commitment, the University has also signed a Statement of Intent with the Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council. This sets out how partnership working will maximise investment at Arden Cross and spread the benefits of the new Campus across Solihull and the West Midlands.

The HealthTech Campus will bring together the public, private, and academic sectors to foster an advanced life sciences cluster anchored by the University of Warwick.

It will partner with industry, clinicians, the NHS, Government, and leading researchers to define problems, design solutions, and bring new health technology to market. The Campus will allow the NHS to access technologies, which have been developed and harnessed in the UK.

The Campus will include a Digital Health Innovation Hub, which will provide start-ups and SMEs with access to the NHS and other healthcare providers for early-stage development and testing, trials, and evaluation. A Medical Technology Evaluation Centre will support the introduction of new devices and technologies into medical practice. Both facilities will benefit from the world-leading research and academic expertise from the University of Warwick in areas such as evaluative and data science.

Sitting at the heart of Arden Cross, the Campus will form part of a new community with homes, retail, public spaces, and wider employment opportunities. Muse, the national placemaker, has been named preferred regeneration partner by Arden Cross Ltd.

Stuart Croft, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Warwick, said:

“It will also add value to the NHS and UK healthcare sector. The University of Warwick is already recognised for driving innovation in life sciences. The new Campus will strengthen our world-leading education and research work. It will also help us leverage investment from the public and private sectors and build academic partnerships.

“Arden Cross is one of the best-connected locations in the UK and a great opportunity to create positive change. It will also play a key role in boosting inclusive and sustainable economic growth regionally and nationally”.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said:

“Arden Cross is set to become a global business destination which is why the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is investing in the infrastructure needed to support the wider location.

“As one of our region’s most valuable partners, the University of Warwick has been quick to recognise the enormous potential of working together at Arden Cross, demonstrating our strength as an innovation-led economy, alongside the ability of HS2 to attract and enable major investment.

“The HealthTech Campus at Arden Cross will be at the very centre of an innovation network – not just in life sciences, but in many of the UK’s most important and exciting sectors. That network will also help grow the region’s industries of the future to create a low carbon, high tech economy capable of offering well paid jobs and valuable opportunities to local people in the months and years ahead.”

Cllr Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, said:

“The University of Warwick has a strong pedigree in public-private-academic collaboration, and we welcome their investment in Solihull.

“We will work together to ensure the benefits of the HealthTech Campus, as well as wider investment and growth are spread across the borough and the region, leveraging the investment being in made in HS2.

“Part of the planned East Birmingham-North Solihull Levelling-Up Zone, we are laser-focussed on ensuring that Arden Cross delivers for all communities and will work with the University to maximise this potential.”

Maggie Grogan, Managing Director – Midlands, at Muse:

“The HealthTech Campus at Arden Cross will anchor a wider Innovation District, cultivating an advanced life sciences ecosystem in the heart of the country.

“Businesses and people attracted to the Campus will benefit from access to a new community and one of the best-connected locations in the country – with Birmingham Airport, the West Coast Main Line, strategic road network, and HS2 on the doorstep.

“The University of Warwick’s commitment to Arden Cross demonstrates how attractive it is as an opportunity, and the long-term value it can drive for the West Midlands.”

Ailsa Waygood, HS2’s Project Client for Interchange Station said:

“This is another great example of the investor confidence that HS2’s arrival is creating, which will benefit not just Solihull, but the whole West Midlands region.

“Interchange Station will be uniquely positioned with excellent local, regional, national, and international transport links, making it an ideal location for Warwick University to establish its new HealthTech facility. We look forward to working with the team as their exciting plans develop.”