The Future Towns Innovation Hub provides a collaborative industry-academic Centre of Excellence that amalgamates expertise, skills, and knowledge with cutting-edge research laboratories, conveniently accessible to local businesses and enterprises, to promote innovation.

The Hub strives to foster a conducive environment for innovative conversion of research into commercial applications, with the anticipation of contributing to the economic growth of the region and beyond. Located centrally within the University of Southampton’s Science Park, it is poised to leverage the innovation, technology transfer, and business growth potential that are inherent in the Park’s operations.

Aim

The Future Towns Innovation Hub seeks to transform and connect towns and built environments by bringing together industry, partners, academia and government to find answers that meet and respond to the challenges faced in the following areas of the environment:

  • Clean Growth: Low carbon heating; Renewable energy; Energy efficiency; Smart energy; Transportation revolution; Inefficient recycling and waste management; Environmental degradation; Excessive energy loss from buildings.
  • New Mobility: Automated Vehicles; Connected Vehicles; Electric Vehicles; Mobility as a service; reducing air pollution; solving the challenge of increasing obesity and inactivity in the young; advancing public transport links; solving congestion; increasing access for all; reducing commuter times; improving connectivity and mobility for vulnerable and isolated citizens.
  • Digital Connectedness: Data; Visualisation; Delivery; GP information systems; veterinary-farming interactions; AI.
  • Social and Environmental Wellbeing: Generating wealth and prosperity; sustainable use of resources; protecting and regenerating biodiversity; ecosystem services.

The space and facilities have been designed to inspire and optimise innovation, while collaborators – be they corporates, industry, partners, SMEs or academics will benefit from being part of this shared endeavour.

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