ABOUT
MIRA Tech Park is Europe’s leading mobility R&D location for developing the latest automotive technology. It is a national centre of excellence and located in the middle of the UK automotive sector, providing access to over 40 major test facilities and the UK’s most comprehensive proving ground. MIRA Tech Park is home to over 35 global OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and specialist automotive technology companies. The purpose-designed campus creates a unique collaborative ecosystem, bringing together world-class facilities and skilled engineers, to provide a location for innovation and technological development.
Fuelled by a revolution in mobility technologies, future planned developments at MIRA Tech Park will see the site expand by up to 4 million sq. ft of new space encompassing R&D, office, and industrial facilities, enabling the cluster at MIRA Tech Park to flourish and grow its stature as the pre-eminent location for the future of mobility in Europe.
HERITAGE
Founded as the Motor Industry Research Association in 1946, MIRA was a Government partnership with industry to retain sovereign technical capabiities for passenger, commercial, and defence vehicles. The former RAF Lindley was chosen as the location for a research laboratory and proving ground for vehicle development in 1948 and has evolved in the heart of the Midlands to serve a global industry. MIRA Tech Park, as a subsidary of MIRA, received Enterprise Zone status in 2012 and was bought by precision measurement equipment manufacturer HORIBA in 2015. In recognition of creating a global R&D tenant base and accelerating UK growth, MIRA Tech Park received the Queen’s Award for International Trade in 2018 and UKSPA’s Setting the Pace Award in 2019.
Today, MIRA Tech Park has nearly 700,000 sq. ft occupied or under construction for tenants and has become a globally-recognised UK launchpad for vehicle manufacturers and enabling technology developers. MIRA Tech Park is the only commercial proving ground site across Europe that has developed a sustainable, long-term property offer to create a unique mobility cluster supporting established businesses, start-ups, and spin-outs.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
In 2024, MIRA Tech Park received the King’s Award for Sustainable Development in recognition for supporting the development of zero-emission vehicles using sustainable processes in a sustainable location. The site also has a Wildlife Trust Biodiversity Benchmark for its commitment to natural habitats including 26 acres of wild meadow, 150 bat and birdboxes, beehives, three acres of wetland, and tunnels for newts and hedgehogs. Investments in sustainable processes include the UK’s first VI-grade dynamic simulator reducing the need for physical prototypes and removing carbon and cost from the development cycle. New buildings all achieve at least ‘very good’ BREEAM certification and energy performance classification A or B and renewable electricity has been used since 2019. A range of waste recycling schemes are in place from construction materials to wood to clothes with a zero waste-to-landfill policy across the site.
Current work underway includes the construction of a 7MW solar array and green hydrogen production through electrolysis. In partnership with Severn Trent and E.ON, the South site will also see the UK’s first in-sewer heat recovery system installed. MIRA Tech Park has also committed to Planetmark’s science-based targets and at least a 5% carbon emission reduction every year.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
- £13m Centre for Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) support for ASSURED CAV Highway in 2019
- £2.5m CCAV support for ASSURED CAV City in 2019
- £2.5m Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council support for Low Carbon Innovation and Energy Hub in 2021
- £6.25m Leicester & Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership support for on-site infrastructure in 2021
- £2.2m West Midlands Combined Authority support for Passive Safety facility upgrade in 2022
FACILITIES & SERVICES
- MIRA Tech Park app available to tenants and their team members
- MIRA Tech Park Connect event calendar
- Onsite gym and fitness classes
- Onsite static and mobile catering outlets through Thomas Franks Ltd
- Lunch & Learn talks
- 38 bespoke engineering facilities for full vehicle and vehicle technology development
- High-power EV charging up to 300kW and hydrogen refuelling at 300 and 700 bar
- Tech Park Incubator launching in 2025
TALENT & INVESTMENT
MIRA Tech Park supports talent development through the onsite MIRA Skills Academy for corporate courses and MIRA Technology Institute (MTI) for accredited courses including apprenticeships, degrees, and Masters qualifications. The MTI is a partnership with industry, Further, and Higher Education. HORIBA MIRA also supports joint PhD research.
Since 2012, MIRA Tech Park tenants have raised over $22 billion in VC investment and collaborated on over £150 million in Innovate UK projects.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
MIRA Tech Park has outline planning for a further 900,000 sq. ft on the North of the site for ‘grow on’ R&D space and approval pending for 2.4 million sq. ft of advanced manufacturing South of the A5. The site will also open an incubator for start-ups in future mobility and related technologies in early 2025.