Exeter Science Park Centre

What Exeter Science Park Centre does

Exeter Science Park Centre is a publicly-owned STEMM-focused (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) science park established in 2015 on a 28-hectare site adjacent to M5 Junction 29 in Exeter, UK. The park is owned by a consortium of public-sector stakeholders — Devon County Council, the University of Exeter, East Devon District Council and Exeter City Council — and is governed to support the growth of STEMM businesses in the South West peninsula. It currently hosts approximately 45 businesses supporting around 750 jobs, against an outline planning envelope of 822,000 square feet of commercial development.

The core product is purpose-built commercial real estate for STEMM occupiers, comprising office space ranging from 330 to 8,500 square feet alongside specialist laboratory facilities, complemented by the voco Zeal hotel (IHG's first net zero carbon hotel, opened January 2025), a conferencing and events venue, and a café/hospitality offering. Tenants span diagnostics (Diagnexia), SaaS (Joiin), telecoms and networks (Modern Networks), cybersecurity (Securious), biotech (HyphaPRO, INNANO), construction (Morgan Sindall), training technology (Aardvark EM, Cineon) and other technical firms.

The business model monetises through three principal revenue streams: (1) commercial property rentals to STEMM occupiers across office and lab stock, (2) serviced land sales to developers building out the masterplan, and (3) venue-based income from the hotel, conferencing facility and café. The park reports an annual GVA contribution exceeding £50 million and targets a headline figure of 3,500 on-site jobs by the late 2030s. Core operational staffing is lean at 10–12 employees, and the entity is currently seeking £150–200M of investment to fund its next development phase. Leadership is in transition, with Lindsay Lucas appointed as incoming CEO in May 2026, replacing retiring CEO Dr Sally Basker in July 2026.

Name

Exeter Science Park Centre

Legal name

Exeter Science Park Limited

Website

https://exetersciencepark.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Exeter Science Park Centre is a publicly-owned STEMM-focused science park near Exeter that leases office and laboratory space, plus hotel and venue facilities, to roughly 45 technology and life-sciences businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Exeter

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Commercial Property Rental: Revenue from renting office space (330 to 8,500 sq ft), laboratory space, coworking desks, and flexible workspace to STEMM businesses. Serviced offices and labs are offered with various lease terms from short-term flexible arrangements to longer-term commitments.
2. Development Land Sales: Sale of commercial development land and build-to-suit opportunities for bespoke building developments on the 28-hectare site. Outline planning permission in place for 822,000 sq ft of development.
3. Conference and Event Venue Hire: Revenue from hiring meeting rooms, conference spaces, and event venues including The Dome (100 theatre style), Atrium, and various meeting rooms with capacities from 5 to 200 delegates.
4. Café and Hospitality Services: Onsite café operating as both an amenity for tenants and revenue-generating hospitality service for visitors and event attendees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Exeter Science Park operates a STEMM-focused science and technology park providing serviced offices, laboratories, coworking space, conference and meeting room hire, and development land for bespoke builds. The park is supported by ancillary amenities including an on-site café, a 142-bedroom net zero carbon hotel (voco Zeal), and a gym, alongside business acceleration support through the SETsquared Exeter partnership.

Product overview

Exeter Science Park operates as a science park and conference venue offering a portfolio of physical workspace and hospitality services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include flexible office space (from incubator offices to grow-on buildings), laboratory space for STEMM businesses, and coworking desks in The Hive. The park also provides development land for bespoke builds. Support services include conference and meeting room hire (with The Dome seating 100 and rooms up to 200 capacity), an on-site café, the voco Zeal Exeter Science Park net zero hotel (142 bedrooms), and The Engine fitness facility. Business acceleration support is delivered through SETsquared Exeter partnership, offering workshops, mentoring, and incubation space. The park targets science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) businesses seeking to grow within a collaborative community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coworking Space (The Hive) Flexible coworking desks located on the second floor of the Science Park Centre, designed for start-ups, entrepreneurs, and fast-growth STEMM businesses seeking community engagement without full-time office commitment. Includes dedicated desk and ad-hoc hot desk options.
• Office Space Serviced office space across the park, ranging from incubator offices in the Science Park Centre to grow-on buildings (Ada Lovelace, George Parker Bidder, Hedy Lamarr, Isaac Newton, and Alan Turing buildings), offering flexible space from 330 to 8,500 sq ft with bespoke build-to-suit options up to 100,000 sq ft for STEMM tenants.
• Laboratory Space High-quality EPC A+ rated laboratory space suitable for biotechnology, med tech, agritech, life sciences, engineering, and defence and security businesses, providing flexible laboratory space with access to business support.
• Development Land Commercial development land for bespoke and build-to-suit developments, with outline planning permission in place for 822,000 sq ft of R&D, office, and industrial space alongside conference, hotel, and retail facilities across the 28-hectare site.
• Conference and Meeting Room Hire Conference and events venue with meeting rooms at the Science Park Centre, including The Dome (100 theatre-style), Expo Space, Atrium, Knightshayes, Burgh, Lundy, and Lydford rooms with capacities from 5 to 200 delegates, state-of-the-art AV equipment, and on-site catering.
• voco Zeal Exeter Science Park Hotel Four-star 142-bedroom net zero carbon hotel operated by IHG's voco brand and managed by Valor Hospitality, featuring meeting rooms, restaurant, bar, gym, gardens, and EV charging; the first net zero carbon hotel for IHG, opened January 2025.
• The Engine Health & Fitness 4,000 sq ft gym and fitness suite partnership with LED Community Leisure in the Ada Lovelace Building, featuring a 55-station gym, group exercise studio, functional training zones, and medical-grade body composition analysis.
• SETsquared Exeter Business Acceleration Business acceleration services delivered in partnership with SETsquared, including workshops, seminars, mentoring, coaching, incubation space (The Hive), and peer networking, forming part of the SETsquared Partnership ranked 3rd leading start-up hub in Europe by the Financial Times/Statista.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports 750 jobs generating £50m+ annual GVA for regional economy
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NauteXe GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 July 2026NauteXe Global is developing the £150 million NauteXe Extreme Environment Centre at Exeter Science Park, featuring a 60m x 40m test tank with depths up to 30 metres for testing subsea, offshore wind, defence, and space technologies. The project is expected to generate £270 million+ in direct economic impact.
• SETsquared ExetercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSETsquared Exeter provides business acceleration services including workshops, mentoring, and access to investor networks. The SETsquared Partnership is ranked 3rd leading start-up hub in Europe by Financial Times/Statista.
• voco Zeal (IHG/Valor Hospitality)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner142-room net zero carbon hotel operated by Valor Hospitality under IHG's voco brand. First net zero carbon hotel for IHG. Opened January 2025 with meeting rooms, restaurant, bar, gym, and EV charging.
• LED Community LeisureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to operate The Engine gym facility in Ada Lovelace Building. LED operates 22 facilities across Devon and Somerset as a community benefit society.
• Devon County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor shareholder in Exeter Science Park Ltd. Responsible for economy, enterprise, skills and development strategy implementation.
• University of ExetercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor shareholder providing research partnerships, graduate talent pipeline, and academic collaboration opportunities for tenants.
• East Devon District CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor shareholder supporting economic development and regeneration objectives in East Devon.
• Exeter City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor shareholder supporting economic growth and development initiatives in Exeter.
• Exeter and East Devon Enterprise ZoneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with Enterprise Zone providing simplified planning and business location incentives across four complementary sites including Exeter Science Park.
• Tech South WestminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with regional tech sector organisation. Exeter Science Park is a member offering Tech South West hub pass members 10% discount in café, coworking, and meeting spaces.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Babraham Research Campus: Cluster of early-stage bioscience enterprises near Cambridge, offering lab and office space to life science startups. Comparable as a science park focused specifically on STEMM (especially biotech) tenants with public-sector / research-council ownership backing.
• Cambridge Science Park: The UK's longest-established and largest science park, owned by Trinity College Cambridge. Directly comparable as a STEM-focused business park offering office, lab, and grow-on space to high-growth technology and life science tenants, with planning for continued expansion similar to Exeter.
• Oxford Science Park: Privately-owned science park serving Oxford's STEMM ecosystem with office and lab space for startups through to corporates. Closely comparable business model — serviced offices, labs, bespoke build-to-suit — and tenant mix targeting life sciences, biotech, and deep tech.
• Edinburgh BioQuarter: Public-private life sciences campus near Edinburgh providing lab and office space for biomedical and health-tech companies. Comparable as a public-sector-backed science park with university/NHS anchors, bespoke development plots, and a STEMM-specialist tenant focus.
• Manchester Science Park: Regional UK science park operated by Bruntwood SciTech, providing office, lab, and coworking space to STEMM businesses. Comparable as a publicly-supported regional science park with strong university links and a similar mix of startup-to-scale-up tenant journey.
• Green Park, Reading: Mixed-use business park near Reading offering office space and development land to a range of corporate tenants. Comparable as a large UK regional business park with serviced offices, development land, and event/conferencing amenities.
• Silverstone Park: UK business and technology park at the Silverstone motor sport complex, providing office, R&D, and industrial space for high-performance engineering and technology companies. Comparable as a UK regional science/technology park with bespoke development land and STEMM tenant focus.
• Harwell Science and Innovation Campus: Large publicly-supported science and technology campus in Oxfordshire focused on space, energy, and health technologies. Comparable scale and public-sector ownership structure, with bespoke development land and large anchor facilities similar to Exeter's NauteXe-style investments.
• Warwick Science Park: University of Warwick-affiliated science park providing office space, laboratories, and business support to STEMM companies. Closely comparable mix of serviced offices, grow-on space, and university-linked STEMM tenant targeting, similar to Exeter's SETsquared partnership model.
• Surrey Research Park: University of Surrey-affiliated science park offering office, lab, and conferencing facilities to STEMM tenants. Directly comparable in business model (serviced offices, labs, conferencing, university-linked) and regional UK positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/exetersciencepk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCa4ULOJLpICGKU4j-8uh64Q
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/exeter-science-park-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/exetersciencepark
• Facebookfacebook.com/103431749710413

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Exeter Science Park Centre