Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc releases images of former Dundee plant’s new innovation hub

Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc (MSIP), a joint venture between Michelin, Dundee City Council and Scottish Enterprise, has released the first images of the innovation hub that will be at the heart of the “world-class Innovation Parc…for sustainable mobility and decarbonisation” the JV is creating. Construction will begin on the Innovation Hub in early 2022 with completion expected in 2023.

According to the MSIP, the project will be a place where businesses, researchers and challenge-holders can work together on developing, testing, and commercialising new sustainable and low-carbon products. Alongside the 1,200 square metre physical development, MSIP will deliver “an associated programme of innovation activity and will provide access to support programmes.”

The Innovation Hub will be located on the east side of MSIP, at the main entrance of the Innovation Parc. The facilities, which will include hot-desking, meetings rooms, event spaces, design workshops and a café, will be available to everyone working on the Innovation Parc and others that can benefit from what it offers.

Dundee City Council previously secured £3.5 million of funding from the Tay Cities Deal Industrial Investment Fund to support the Innovation Hub. Detailed design work is already underway, and the planning application has been submitted.

Colin McIlraith, Chief Operating Officer at MSIP said: “The design for the Innovation Hub provides a dynamic space housing a changing mixture of people, all aspiring to achieve the same goal of net zero. It’s also important to showcase our mission in everything we do, and we’ve worked hard to ensure that the design considers the environmental impact of the space, both in its development and in the future when it will be in use.”

An impression of what the interior of the collaborative space might look like (Photo: MISP)

Sarah Petrie, Innovation Director, MSIP said: “The Innovation Hub will be the focal point for MSIPs innovation activity and the place where the earliest stages of innovation and entrepreneurship are initiated.

“It’s a key part of the offer at MSIP and will be a driver for business formation and growth, harnessing know-how, expertise and entrepreneurial spirit – a gateway for new businesses and a stepping-stone for small businesses.

Craig Heap, Project Director at Holmes Miller, said: “…Crucially, sustainability is at the heart of the project, and every effort has been taken to minimise the environmental impact of the building, both in terms of its construction and its ongoing operation and maintenance, which includes its own green energy supply. Ultimately, the new hub will help inspire users and visitors and showcase MSIP as a modern, fast-moving, and ambitious collaboration, driving forward innovation in low-carbon transport and sustainable mobility.”