A global design, engineering and project management consultancy involved in the HS2 project is moving a key team from its £450million transport division to Plymouth’s growing science park.
Atkins has been involved in some of the world’s most eye-catching projects including the 2012 London Olympics, the Burj al Arab hotel and the Channel Tunnel.
The company, which employs more than 19,000 people around the globe, is shifting a section of its transport division to Plymouth Science Park, in the north of the city.
A member of the SNC Lavalin Group, Atkins, which was founded in 1938, said its mission is to connect people, data, and technology to transform the world’s infrastructure.
The transport division is a £450million business with more than 3,750 highly-skilled engineers. The Railway Communication and Information Systems and Rail Consultancy team has relocated to Plymouth Science Park, a strategic decision to provide employees with more flexibility and to encourage more collaborative ways of working with other businesses in the area.
The team will work with clients across all major infrastructure sectors and bring deep technical expertise to some of the world’s most ambitious infrastructure projects.
Current projects include the Glasgow Subway, which is the first fully driverless Metro in the UK, and HS2, one of the most demanding and ambitious transport projects currently taking place in Europe.
Plymouth Science Park is welcoming Atkins to an already thriving community of engineering firms based at the park.
And it is just the latest in a raft of new arrivals in 2021. Recently the NHS SW Peninsula Transplant Service’s (SWPTS) stem cell transplant processing laboratory team chose the park, close to the Derriford Hospital site.
That arrival came hot on the heels of global tech firm Genese Solution, which moved its UK headquarters from London to Plymouth to support ambitious growth plans.
Other recent arrivals at the park include US-headquartered Ancora Software and digital design agency Knowthis, which arrived at the park’s special Formation Zone for start-up businesses.
In February 2021, pioneering drug firm Amprologix, a University of Plymouth spin-out, settled at the park, following the arrivals of data tech company Gathering Momentum and toothpaste research venture Modus Labortiries.
Andy Moore, mass transit signalling technical director at Atkins, said: “The move to Plymouth Science Park reinforces our commitment to offering our staff a more agile working environment. “The team based at the park will be contributing to a number of large-scale projects globally, around the UK, as well as in the local region to help accelerate delivery and connect communities in the area.”
Fay Davies, business development manager at Plymouth Science Park, said: “We are excited to be welcoming Atkins to the park’s thriving community of engineering businesses already based here. We look forward to seeing the team grow and contribute to the Park’s expanding business community.”
Originally named Tamar Science Park, PSP was incorporated in 1996 as a joint venture between the University of Plymouth and Plymouth City Council.
More than £30million of investment, including ERDF, SWRDA and HotSW LEP grants, have funded five separate phases of development since 1996.
The board of PSP comprises senior representatives from Plymouth City Council. including the elected leader of the council, and the University of Plymouth, plus three independent non-executive directors. The 25-acre campus is home to science and technology businesses involved in digital, creative, marine, earth and life sciences.
