Date: 3rd September 2010
Publication: BTP Exchange Newsletter Edition 24
The $13.5m high tech, eco building for 20 tenants opening at 88 Brandl Street, Brisbane Technology Park in early 2011 will be Australia’s first example of a new business model and part of a global network of science and technology parks.
Zernike Precincts is a new venture that brings together real estate and commercialisation expertise to build business communities around research and knowledge hubs - such as universities or hospitals - and nurtures them by offering business and investment support.
The global Zernike Group manages six science parks in Europe and Australia, including Brisbane Technology Park, works with 31 finance partners and 90 academic institutes around the world, and administers five investment funds.
The Zernike Precincts model will bring all this expertise together within a physical infrastructure to give tenants access to knowledge, markets and funds – the three core requirements for commercialisation.
Zernike plans to roll out the precincts nationally; it is already in talks regarding other opportunities in Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria and aims to start work on four precincts within the next three to five years.
The first example of the business model in practice - the new 3,400 sqm development in Brisbane Technology Park - will offer a mix of commercial and serviced offices ranging from 50 to 750 sqm for 20 companies.
It is designed to give high growth, science and technology based businesses the services, networks, flexibility and space they need to develop new products and expand.
The building will offer short-term leases, cutting edge, ready to go ICT infrastructure which doesn’t require any upfront investment by the tenants, and added value services such as marketing consultancy, meeting rooms and secretarial support.
Telco Spiderbox will install and support a $500,000 showcase of the latest Cisco solutions covering voice, messaging, video and desktop applications and offer data hosting, disaster recovery and fibre-optic broadband access through its own network.
The infrastructure and leasing arrangements will enable tenants to afford cutting edge communications solutions that would normally be out of their reach.
The building will have outstanding green credentials including highly efficient multiple zoned air-conditioning, solar hot water, rainwater harvesting, individual power metering, heat efficient glass, low energy lighting and thermal insulation.
Zernike Precincts Director Arnold Stroobach said the building and precincts would cater for businesses of all sizes but their design and culture was best demonstrated by taking the example of a PhD student about to leave a local university with a great idea.
“Imagine the student had invented some kind of groundbreaking technology, straight away he or she would need advice on intellectual property (IP), business mentoring and funding to transition into a business,” Mr Stroobach said.
“The start-up would then need to get its product to a marketable stage - so it will need a small office space, a handful of skilled staff, manufacturing or laboratory facilities, advice on commercialisation, and access to networks and new markets.
“Soon we would hope this business would start to grow rapidly so it will need flexible office and manufacturing space; short term leases and a variety of accommodation with telephone systems and other services which are affordable, set up and ready to go.
“Even more importantly, it will need to attract and retain affordable and qualified employees – so this is where the intangibles come in, ensuring the region is prestigious enough to avoid losing talent to other high-tech hubs and the lifestyle is attractive enough for all kinds of workers to want to live locally.
“Top notch technology, which benefits the local residential community as well as Zernike tenants, shops, cafes and transport links all play a part in this.
“This is where Zernike’s skill set lies; in ensuring all these pieces of the innovation and commercialisation puzzle are in place so IP, prestige, skills and economic benefit are retained and not lost overseas or even to another State,” Mr Stroobach explained.
Zernike was appointed Manager of Brisbane Technology Park in 2002 and has since worked with the Queensland Government to grow the Park from 24 to more than 90 tenants ranging from multinationals like Smiths Medical to early stage and start up companies.
Spiderbox, which will be providing all the technology for the new building, started off in a Brisbane Technology Park incubator. It now occupies 500 sqm on the park, and has changed its business model and established new revenue streams as a result of being in the cluster.
Zernike supports park tenants by bringing in trade delegations and organising regular formal and informal networking events to encourage them to find ways of working together, new technologies or solutions to problems, new markets or funding.
But Brisbane Technology Park Manager and Zernike Precincts Director – Operations, Gill Laird-Portch said the new business model would take this model further.
“Zernike Precincts represents the future of science and technology parks in Australia because we will be actively setting up Investment Networks and offering business support programs such as training in finance or business coaching for start-ups,” Ms Laird Portch said.
“The key to all of this is people – they are the most valuable asset and to compete successfully for the top talent against international technology and innovation hubs such as California, we need to make sure we have all the ingredients in place.”
Although Australia currently only has a handful of science and technology parks, the model is well-established in Europe and North America. Nearly 400 clusters across these continents bring investment into regions, create jobs, foster innovation and help local talent grow alongside multinational businesses.
Enquiries
Click here to contact Gill Laird-Portch, Manager Brisbane Technology Park
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