London Oxford airport, the UK's fifth-ranked busiest business aviation airport, is pivoting to offer a prospective new centre for innovation and green tech with a proposed new R&D science park at its entrance. While focused on the burgeoning life sciences sector, it says the new facility would also appeal to new advanced air mobility (AAM) and urban air mobility (UAM) players and their affiliates, championing innovations in motors, batteries, composites, hydrogen, synthetic and alternative fuels, all of which are already evolving in the vicinity.

The planning hearing on the all-new research and development science park on land at the entrance to the airport in Kidlington is scheduled this week.

The estimated $43 million or more initiative will aid and encourage the incubation of innovation and tech start-ups and spin offs, typically from university-inspired projects.

The scheme proposes five new research and development buildings housed in a green campus environment, offering over 200,400 sq ft. It will feature a stand alone café facility within a generous new landscaped courtyard space. The science park will offer space for up to 17 tenants with units from around 7,700 sq ft up to 56,300 sq ft for a complete building.

In readiness, the airport has already embarked on demolishing some old buildings, including the former 1960s-era Oxford Aviation Services trainee accommodation block. The project will take an estimated 24 months to complete. Some of the positions will also have airside frontage, potentially more attractive for any aviation-related activities.

“While Cambridge has arguably been a frontrunner on courting many R&D enterprises and start-ups in the last couple of decades, Oxford has definitely caught up. It's very much the most vibrant, top choice city now for fostering innovation,” says head of business development James Dillon-Godfray. “This new initiative answers some of Oxfordshire's demand for high-quality, laboratory-enabled space for technology and life science companies to grow and thrive.

“The scheme will sit alongside similar developments right next door at the new Oxford Technology Park and Begbroke Science Park, further cementing Oxford's leading position in the life science and R&D research sectors,” he adds.

Furthermore, PWC has just highlighted that ‘Oxford has been the highest performing city in our Index since 2017’ in its Good Growth for Cities 2023 report.

The eVTOL sector is starting to knock on London Oxford's door, adding to Germany's Lilium through tenant operator Volare Aviation, which has 10 aircraft on order. Oxford already plays host to a sales office for Textron Aviation with its foray into electric aircraft through Pipistrel and its new eTextron brand. Last year PAL-V International, designers of the world's first genuine flying car took space at Oxford. The airport's largest resident, Airbus Helicopters, has embarked on the building of a brand new $62 million hangar, bringing together all its Oxford activities into one, single, environmentally-efficient facility.

Due for completion in 2024, coinciding with Airbus Helicopters' 50th anniversary, its new site will cover 14 acres. Parent Airbus is advancing with a raft of technological innovations too through its Zero Emission Development Centre in the south west UK as it works to introduce hydrogen-powered commercial flights by 2035.

On the sustainable fuel front, London Oxford airport is pleased to work with new start-up OxCCU, which is developing technologies to create synthetic fuels. To facilitate its research, the company is building a test facility compound adjacent to the airport's new $1.85 million fuel farm this summer.