Harwell Science and Innovation Campus

About Harwell Science and Innovation Campus

Harwell Science and Innovation Campus is the UK's leading science and innovation campus. It is a unique community of leading scientists, engineers, and innovators working together to solve critical global problems.

Originally founded in 1946 to tackle the energy crisis and advance nuclear technology, Harwell today hosts a federation of leading science and technology organisations and facilities. It includes publicly funded scientific infrastructure like the National Quantum Computing Centre and the Central Laser Facility, anchor organisations like the European Space Agency, private sector innovators like Oxford Nanopore and Astroscale, as well as teams from over 30 UK universities.

The campus fosters a collaborative environment where public, private, academic, and commercial organisations meet and work together on challenges including ageing populations, climate change, sustainability, space exploration, and energy technology. With over 7,500 scientists, engineers and innovators, 250+ organisations, and £3 billion of scientific infrastructure on 700 acres in Oxfordshire, Harwell is a powerhouse of research in energy, space, health, and quantum computing.

Mission and Goals

Harwell aims to enable breakthroughs at scale through science, innovation, and collaboration, applying theories to tangible solutions that advance society. Managed by the Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK Atomic Energy Authority, and private investor Brookfield, the campus is growing with significant investments in homes, facilities and R&D space to sustain innovation growth.

Harwell is committed to being the world's largest and most important location for scientific research, technology development and commercialisation, supporting startups, SMEs, and multinational companies. It is part of the Advanced Research Clusters (ARC) network, providing members with benefits such as free events, discounts and access to other ARC campuses.