Bruntwood SciTech Invests Over £4m to Support Liverpool’s Expanding Innovation Ecosystem

Bruntwood SciTech, the UK’s largest property platform dedicated to the growth of the nation’s science, tech and innovation sectors, has invested £4.3 million into its city centre innovation hubs across Liverpool, completing a series of refurbishments and upgrades as part of its efforts to foster collaboration, growth and provide state-of-the-art workspaces in the city.

The investment has been specifically targeted to help ambitious and high-growth businesses tap into the city’s innovation ecosystem, by providing companies of all sizes – start-ups and scaleups through to large corporates – with the infrastructure and support they need to succeed. Over the past year, this has helped encourage more businesses to locate to or grow in the city, with Bruntwood SciTech welcoming the arrival of over 20 high-growth businesses and supporting the expansion of another 10 in Liverpool.

Transforming Liverpool’s innovation hubs

Among the transformation works has been a £4 million investment into The Plaza, one of Liverpool’s landmark buildings in the heart of the commercial business district, home to over 70 digital, technology and professional services businesses. New health and wellbeing amenities have been introduced, as well as better, and a variety of spaces to foster collaboration. A new roof terrace veranda event space has also been added above the entrance, creating a unique elevated space overlooking St Paul’s Square, designed to complement The Plaza’s unique architecture and inspired by a bold 1960s design and colour palette. It is available to both businesses based in the building as well as for private hire.

Work has also been completed on the refurbishment of The Plaza’s seventh floor workspace, offering more opportunities for smaller businesses to join the innovation hub following an influx of demand for its stand out workspace, amenities and like-minded community, with the previous single occupancy 10,000 sq ft floor divided into smaller units. The new spaces have been fully fitted out and furnished, complete with office furniture, breakout spaces and newly fitted kitchens, ready for businesses to move straight in. 

At the nearby Cotton Exchange, the welcome experience has been enhanced with a new reception alongside a new contemporary breakout lounge called ‘The Library’. This new, quiet working space has been designed with high-quality furniture and character features to complement the existing workspaces in the Grade-II listed building, ranging from 200-5,000 sq ft.

The final investment completed has seen Cotton House, which is directly joined to Cotton Exchange, undergo a transformation of its last remaining available suite, transforming the 5000 sq ft space with modern finishes in line with Bruntwood SciTech’s well regarded workspace product, ideal for a digital, tech or innovation-led company. 

Accelerating innovation and growth in the city

These investments form part of Bruntwood SciTech’s efforts to continue supporting the development of Liverpool’s city-wide innovation ecosystem. The city’s innovation sectors are experiencing significant growth, positioning the city as one of the UK’s emerging hubs for technology and life sciences. Research from Tech Climbers in 2024 highlighted the city's strong growth, revealing that businesses featured in their annual list successfully raised £52.5 million in funding, representing a 110.6% increase over a 12-month period. This surge in capital reflects Liverpool's growing reputation as a centre for innovation, attracting businesses seeking to scale and thrive in dynamic industries. Bolstered by this is the Liverpool City Region Life Sciences Innovation Zone, part of the Government’s Investment Zone programme, which is expected to attract £800m investment and create up to 8,000 new jobs, signalling the city’s emerging role as a key player in the UK’s knowledge economy.

Throughout 2024 businesses of all sizes chose Bruntwood SciTech’s Liverpool innovation hubs as their new home, with a variety of flexible workspaces available suited to companies at all stages of their growth. Among the recent arrivals at The Plaza is Reputation - an AI-powered brand reputation platform - which Bruntwood SciTech has helped to strengthen its collaborations and relationships in the city. Similarly, national law firm, Slater and Gordon UK Limited located itself within the building to support its transition towards digitalising its services and enhancing the organisation’s agility. Alongside them is Aptia, a leading tech-led professional services firm specialising in healthcare and retirement, and the largest third-party pensions administrator in the UK. It recently chose to base its operations at The Plaza due to its connectivity, state-of-the-art amenities and proximity to the city’s talented workforce. This momentum has also been reflected at Cotton Exchange, with innovation-led businesses including Essential Digitals and Gardener Systems locating at the building for its prime location and adaptability.  

Bruntwood SciTech has also supported several businesses to expand and achieve their growth ambitions - including iCede Solutions Limited which has grown three times since locating at Cotton Exchange. 

Businesses joining Bruntwood SciTech’s community have full access to its city-wide network of newly refurbished workspaces, encouraging further collaboration, innovation and creativity. They also benefit from the company’s role within Sciontec - a partnership between Bruntwood SciTech, Liverpool City Council, Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Liverpool. In addition to Bruntwood SciTech’s innovation growth support, Sciontec helps enable businesses at The Plaza, Cotton Exchange and Cotton House access expertise and resources to support their growth. It also provides companies with access to Knowledge Quarter Liverpool’s (KQ Liverpool) business support programmes and innovation services, alongside access to research institutions including the University of Liverpool and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

Businesses forming part of Bruntwood SciTech’s community in Liverpool have the benefit of being connected into the company’s UK-wide like-minded network, made up of over 1,100 life science, tech and innovation-led businesses. They also have access to specialist business support including direct access to highly skilled talent, funding opportunities, research connections at universities across the UK, the NHS, mentorship and extensive collaboration opportunities. 

To celebrate the completion of Bruntwood SciTech’s latest investments in the city, it will be holding a ‘Spring Festival for Liverpool Innovators’ on 20th March, featuring the vibrant Mersey Makers Market. 

Tony Reed, Associate Commercial Director for Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Liverpool is emerging as a prime destination for high-growth and innovative businesses, and Bruntwood SciTech is invested for the long term into making sure that the city has the workspaces it needs to continue attracting these kinds of businesses. Our investments in The Plaza, Cotton Exchange and Cotton House will make sure our spaces continue to encourage collaboration and creativity, and our innovation growth support and interconnected partnerships in the city will help to continue creating a city-wide, fast growing innovation ecosystem. 

“Our Spring Festival for Liverpool Innovators will mark the completion of these works and celebrate the hive of innovation that Liverpool has become. The city offers a great opportunity for both start-ups and well-established firms, with its brilliant connectivity, access to vital resources, and world-class research institutions. Whether its companies in technology - including computer gaming, AI and robotics - life sciences or digital sectors, Liverpool offers a unique competitive advantage and it’s important that we continue to highlight this to encourage further growth within the region.”

CubicWorks managed the refurbishment works across all three workspaces.