Originally founded in 1946 to tackle the energy crisis and advance nuclear technology, today Harwell is home to a federation of leading science and technology organisations and facilities. The campus is a unique collaboration between the UK government, academia and industry working to accelerate progress on the key issues of our time — from clean energy to pandemic preparedness. The community includes publicly funded scientific infrastructure like the National Quantum Computing Centre and the Central Laser Facility, anchor organisations like the European Space Agency, and innovative private-sector organisations like Oxford Nanopore and Astroscale, alongside teams from 30 UK universities.

Harwell Science & Innovation Campus’s purpose has always been to enable breakthroughs — at scale — via science, innovation and collaboration. By creating a critical mass of scientists, shared knowledge and incredible machines, Harwell enables breakthroughs that change the course of history.
The campus is managed and developed by a group of organisations — the Science and Technology Facilities Council and the UK Atomic Energy Authority and a private-sector investor, Brookfield. It is investing significantly in the campus to add homes, facilities and more R&D space to enable sustainable growth and an even faster rate of innovation.

From the opening of the first Medical Research Council laboratory in 1945 to the launch of the Diamond Light Source Synchrotron in 2007 and the Health Tech Cluster in 2016, Harwell Science & Innovation Campus is rich in world-firsts and proud of its direct role in scientific leaps forward.

About the Harwell Energy Cluster

The Harwell Energy Tech Cluster comprises 80 organisations employing more than 1600 people on campus and directly links to a wider network across the UK. The Cluster is industry facing and helps to connect the significant science and innovation assets at Harwell to an innovative industrial ecosystem that spans the breadth of energy research, innovation and development and includes a cohort of high-growth SMEs. Furthermore, Harwell Energy Tech Cluster members work closely with the UK government and regulators on the design and implementation of policies, including incentives and environmental criteria. Informing consultations and providing strategic advice to diverse stakeholders on areas such as wind, storage, hydroelectric & solar PV, and sustainability best practice.

The Harwell Energy Tech Cluster provides a coherent focus for activities at Harwell that support the drive to net zero emissions. It plays a critical role in helping to deliver governments ambitions for growth and job creation in the low-carbon economy by bringing together UK public bodies, government, academia, finance, and industry to share knowledge, risk and develop partnerships that help tackle net zero challenges.  

By connecting different organisations, the Harwell Energy Tech Cluster supports development of cutting-edge net zero technologies across renewables, battery research, zero carbon energy storage, electrification, integrated energy systems, connected and autonomous travel solutions, digital and data services.

This development of new and disruptive net zero technologies leverages the dynamic research and innovation ecosystem at Harwell, which supports risk sharing and makes it easier to attract new investment. The enterprising culture and pool of highly skilled people on campus makes it an ideal environment to start-up and scale-up net zero businesses and for established companies to grow. Furthermore, access to multidisciplinary facilities, extensive capabilities and demonstration platforms enables innovative net zero technologies to gain economies of scale.

This development of new and disruptive net zero technologies leverages the dynamic research and innovation ecosystem at Harwell, which supports risk sharing and makes it easier to attract new investment. The enterprising culture and pool of highly skilled people on campus makes it an ideal environment to start-up and scale-up net zero businesses and for established companies to grow. Furthermore, access to multidisciplinary facilities, extensive capabilities and demonstration platforms enables innovative net zero technologies to gain economies of scale.

Harwell Living Laboratory. At 700 acres, Harwell is the size of a small town. It is a complex and ‘live’ community, it is home to unique facilities and a breadth and depth of knowledge and technical expertise that spans multiple disciplines. It’s highly skilled and collaborative community of engineers, technicians and scientists develop new and novel technologies and accelerate innovations through to validated solutions that work in the real world. Harwell campus is therefore an ideal living lab, and partner, to help turn ideas into reality.