'Gamechanger': Leeds Innovation Village scheme set to bring 4,000 jobs to city ambitions outlined

The broader Innovative Village is set to become “a go-to destination for science, research, technology and innovation which is expected to create 4,000 jobs and bring £13 billion in economic benefits and development potential of 1.5 million square foot of Leeds city-centre land”.

The Old Medical School redevelopment will bring together clinicians, researchers, entrepreneurs, investors and industry “to collaborate, innovate and commercialise new ideas that improve patient care and drive economic growth”

Deb Hetherington, SGI’s Director of Innovation Ecosystems, is leading the development of the hub’s ecosystem, including the partnerships, pipeline and programmes that will support innovation from concept through to real-world application.

She told The Yorkshire Post that it is an "unbelievable” project which will make a “huge” difference for Leeds which she said is trailing behind other big cities like Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool when it comes to having dedicated innovation space.

"If you have a place where you can deliver and congregate activity, it is so powerful for a city and for a region,” she said.

"I did a best practice review of square footage of innovation space across the UK earlier this year and Leeds is dreadfully below the average.

“Every city really has a knowledge quarter or innovation park. Leeds really struggles with that.

"We need space that will bring innovation to the fore.

"Whether it is spinouts from universities, whether it is start-ups that need growth space, whether it is industry specialists in health innovation who want to have a base here in Leeds but don’t necessarily need an entire building, for businesses to take advantage of the innovation assets we have here.

"Those assets include the largest teaching hospital trust in Europe who are so open to working with industry and want to commercialise innovation, both bringing it out of the NHS and then taking it into the NHS to improve patient outcomes.

"We desperately need that as a country and Leeds is incredibly well positioned to do that.

"We just need the spaces for them to be able to create and develop that innovation.

"I’m not saying this lightly, it will be a gamechanger for Leeds. That village is going to be huge.”

SGI purchased the Old Medical Village site from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust earlier this year.

The 130-year-old building, steeped in medical history, was home to one of the first provincial medical schools in England and up until recently housed the pathology services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals.