Companions

UKSPA's Companions are individuals who, by their work with the Association and Science Parks in general, are elected to honorary membership of the Association. Professor John Allen Professor Allen graduated in Chemistry from King's College, London and was a university teacher of Biochemistry for some 20 years, with around 100 publications. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. In 1985, he became the first Chief Executive of Newtech in North Wales, which supported the development of over 200 SMEs and assisted in creating some 1,700 jobs over 10 years. Between 1993 and 2000, he was Chief Executive of Manchester Science Park. This profitable venture now has over 100 companies and around 1,300 people working in them. Professor Allen was twice Chairman of UKSPA. He was Chairman of Manchester Science Park between 2000 and 2006, and established Pythia Consulting to continue his consulting activities. He has undertaken consultancy on incubators, Science Parks, academic/industry links and knowledge-based SMEs in 36 countries around the world. In 2009 he undertook assignments in the UK, Ireland, Austria, Trinidad, Poland and Chile. He was the Founder-Chairman of the North West Innovation Network, is a Director of the Northern Ireland Science Park and on the Advisory Board of Science Park Graz. He is a Honorary Member and Governor of the Royal Northern College of Music. He was awarded a Visiting Professorship at the University of Manchester in 2000 for his work on Science Parks, incubators and academic/industry interactions. In 2004 he received a national award from UKSPA as ‘the person who has made the most outstanding contribution to the UK Science Park movement over the past 20 years’. Contact details: Castle View, The Underway, Halton Village, Cheshire WA7 2AJ; tel: 01928 566 247; email: allen@pythia.u-net.com. Dr Tom Broadhurst Tom Broadhurst was trained as a chemist and came to Manchester Science Park in 1986 as its second Chief Executive after spending 33 years working for ICI in jobs which ranged from explosives research to marketing and general management. In the next seven years he managed a fourfold expansion of the park from small beginnings and found time to be Secretary of UKSPA, acting as the Editor of the first UKSPA textbook on science park development and overseeing the incorporation of UKSPA as a company limited by guarantee. He also undertook, and greatly enjoyed, consulting work with science park organisations in South America, Thailand, Greece and Turkey in his time. On leaving the science park in 1993 Tom moved across the road to take a BA degree in art history at Manchester University and then transferred his attention to community work by starting up and running a local village hall for six years through a charitable trust and its management committee. He now hopes to find time to help a large garden to recover from twenty years of neglect. Dr Derek Burr After 20 years in industry, initially in research and later in management of new business ventures, Derek Burr became the first Chief Executive of Manchester Science Park in 1984. He was a founder member of UKSPA, subsequently serving as Chairman from 1990 to 1992. He moved to management of Birmingham Research Park in 1986, simultaneously starting Birmingham Research and Development Ltd, which became one of the UK’s most successful university technology exploitation companies. He led the establishment of the University Companies Association (UNICO) and was its Chairman in 1994-95. In 2000 Derek retired as Managing Director of BRDL and Birmingham Research Park Ltd, but, having initiated the Mercia (UCSF/ERDF) Fund on behalf of the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick, he continued to act as its Secretary until 2005. Ian Dalton Ian Dalton held various technical and managerial appointments in the marine technology industry (1956-68) culminating in R&D management. The latter activities included the development of some of the earliest industrial applications of computers to the design process (1957-58) and the subsequent development of integrated computer-aided design and production systems including interactive computing using dial-up wide area networks (1967) and real-time interactive graphics (1968). He joined Heriot-Watt University in 1969 to establish the first of its Technology Transfer Institutes, in this case concerned with the development of industrial processes utilising computer and micro-electronics technology and constituted as a wholly University-owned company operating entirely on fee earnings from industrial clients and licensees. In parallel with the above, he was appointed Director responsible for the development of the Research Park as a wholly owned, integral part of Heriot-Watt University. The Park became operational with its first tenant on-site in April 1971. In 1984, he was a founding member and the first chairman of UKSPA. In the same year, he was also founding member of the International Association of Science Parks and later served as its President. He has also served as President of the European Association for the Transfer of Technology, Innovation and Information and as a member of the Board of the European Business and Innovation Network and the UK Enterprise Panel. In 1996, he was appointed Managing Director of the Edinburgh Technopole charged with the planning, financing and founding of this major wholly-owned science precinct project of the University of Edinburgh. He retired at the end of 1999. As Director of the first research park in the UK and Europe, he has advised widely upon the planning, implementation, operation and management of science parks and technology transfer activities in over twenty countries. He has served as a University nominee director on the Boards of a number of spin-off companies and in a private capacity, he has been involved in the formation, investment and operation of several technology-based companies in which he continues to retain an active interest. He continues to act as a consultant in appropriate cases and he is currently a non-executive director of Tamar Science Park Ltd. Eifion Griffiths Eifion Griffiths was formerly Director of Business Services, where he was responsible for Development and the Management of the University of Swansea’s resources. During his 15 or so years at Swansea he was responsible for some major developments, including the redevelopment of the Student Housing Estate in a Partnership agreement with a Housing Association, a Sports Village in conjunction with the Sports Council for Wales and the creation of Technium, a Wales-wide research-led Science Park initiative. He is currently non-executive director of Hywel Dda NHS Trust, Gwalia Housing Group and retains his interest in the Higher Education and Economic Development sectors as a Consultant. Dr Christopher M P Johnson Chris Johnson, a Lancastrian, went to Selwyn College, Cambridge in 1950 to read Natural Sciences, taking Part II in Physics in 1953. After research in nuclear and particle physics in Cambridge and Oxford he returned in 1963 to Selwyn College, primarily to be Bursar. In 1970 he became Senior Bursar of St John’s College, responsible there for estates, investments and financial policy. He became particularly interested in property investment, in which the College had been involved since its foundation in 1511. Ownership by the College of land in Cambridge, influenced by Chris’s scientific training and interest in technology transfer, led to his visit in 1984 to Universities and Science Parks in the USA. On his return he set up a small group, including Bill Bolton, then in the University Engineering Department, Ian Purdy, an architect, and Walter Herriot, then a banker working with start up companies, to plan the St John’s Innovation Centre, funded by the College, which opened in September 1987 and houses start-up companies. Other buildings followed on the St John’s Innovation Park. The Innovation Centre continues to flourish, under the direction until he retired in 2008 of Walter Herriot, whose successor is David Gill. Chris retired from the Bursarship in 1991 and continued to chair St John’s Innovation Centre Ltd until 1994 and remains active in matters related to Colleges in Cambridge. Charles Monck Charles Monck is a recognised international Science Park expert, having been closely involved in their evolution in the UK and in overseas countries for the last 25 years. He played an active role in the setting up and early development of UKSPA, leading the first evaluation of Science Parks with Prof David Storey, which formed the basis of the book ‘Science Parks and the Growth of High technology firms’. He now provides a range of economic development consultancy services including the development and evaluation of Science Parks and innovation centres. In the UK, Charles has been involved in a range of market assessments and feasibility studies for new schemes such as BT Martlesham, Chesterfield, Colworth, Cranfield, Croydon, Hull, Imperial, Leeds, the Medway, Newcastle and Reading, as well as the evaluation of existing schemes including the Northern Ireland Science Park, NetPark, Liverpool and Sheffield. He has also undertaken a range of Science Park-related assignments in the Brunei, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Russia and Turkey. He first became involved in 1983 when he joined the government agency, English Estates, as their Science Park specialist, where he was involved in the development of over 10 Science Parks and innovation centres in England. After a period as chief executive of a UK inward investment agency, he moved into consultancy. He graduated in engineering from Cambridge and subsequently completed an MBA at Cranfield. Contact details: Charles Monck and Associates, Levens Hall, Lund Lane, Killinghall, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG3 2BG. Tel: 01423 566198, email: cmonck@charles-monck.com. Peter Russell Peter Russell was Director of Brunel Science Park on its opening in 1986. Before accepting the position, Peter was an Academic and was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics. Brunel is accepted as a centre of excellence and receives visitors from all over the world, and at least one science park in West Bohemia was set up on the Brunel model. Peter also gave papers China, Russia, Sri Lanka, Holland, the Czech Republic and Zimbabwe, as well as the UK. On his retirement from Brunel, after which he still works as a consultant for the Science Park, Peter was awarded a Fellowship of the University, as well as having one of the Science Park buildings named after him. Peter was on the UKSPA Executive for a total of 8 years, the last two as Chairman. When he was Chairman, the dialogue with Lord Sainsbury was opened, which helped in raising the profile of UKSPA and brought it into a new dimension. Peter was joint Editor of the Bible on Science Parks, 'Setting up a Science Park: the Planning, Development and Operations of Science Parks', published in 2001. Peter received an MBE in 2008 in recognition for his services to Brunel University and the community of Uxbridge and has received the freedom of the city of London. John R Turner John was born in 1934 in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire and educated at Wisbech Grammar School. After graduating with BSc and PhD in chemistry from Nottingham University, he spent two years doing research at the University of Rochester, NY, USA. He returned to England in 1961 to join the newly-formed Group Research Department of Laporte Industries, developing new products and processes to support the company's growth strategy. In 1963 he joined Pfizer Chemicals, first as Technical Advisor to the sales department then as Sales Development Manager responsible for introducing new products into the UK market. In 1966 He joined one of his customers, a small privately-owned industrial surface coatings manufacturer as General Development Manager and as Vice president of its North American subsidiary. In 1971 he joined The Steetley Company Ltd, first as Commercial Development Manager then as General Manager of its Chemical Magnesia Business, based in Hartlepool. He left Steetley in 1986 and became manager of the Mountjoy Research Centre, a science park attached to the University of Durham. In 1991 he combined his science park management with the position of University Industrial Liaison Officer. He represented Mountjoy at UKSPA meetings and owes much of his early knowledge of science parks to his colleagues at UKSPA. He spent a number of years on the Executive Committee of UKSPA acting as Treasurer and, in 1995/6, as Chairman. Since retirement from Durham University in 1996, John has undertaken a number of consultancy projects on science park development and technology transfer in western and eastern Europe, Egypt, the Far East and Brazil. John is now retired and enjoying an active life of walking, travel and wildlife field work.