Barclays and Cranfield University have announced a partnership to establish the first Eagle Lab dedicated to aviation technology (‘AvTech’). It is based at the University’s campus.
From December, the co-working and innovation space – one of the first cross-industry collaborations to accelerate the development of AvTech – will open to help aviation entrepreneurs to scale and grow. Resident companies will benefit from business advice and mentoring from Barclays experts and access to specialists and facilities at Cranfield University.
Cranfield says the Eagle Lab is the first step in the University’s aviation, innovation and entrepreneurship project which will create specialist enterprise facilities and programmes at the campus to support start-ups and SMEs, particularly those with high-growth potential.
Scaling start-ups
The Lab will be tailored to the aerospace and aviation community, drawing on the University’s global research airport. Built on a former RAF base, Cranfield is one of only a few universities in the world to own and run its own airport, providing a unique facility.
The Lab will include over 60 desks laid out over two floors with a combination of private offices, meetings rooms, hot-desking and breakout spaces. The ground floor will be home to a fully stocked Maker Space, a facility to support rapid prototyping and product development with features like 3D printing and specialised AvTech equipment.
The launch of the Cranfield Eagle Lab follows the creation in April this year of a new business unit at Barclays called Barclays UK (BUK) Ventures. BUK Ventures has an independent mandate to deliver new customer experiences at pace and scale – ultimately driving growth for communities, business and Barclays – and is responsible for growing the Eagle Lab network.
Jon Hope, Head of Eagle Labs at Barclays, said: “New technology is rapidly transforming the aerospace and aviation industry, and we want to ensure businesses across the UK, large and small, can take advantage of and contribute to this huge opportunity.
“That’s why we’re excited to open a Barclays Eagle Lab at Cranfield University, helping entrepreneurs turn a clever idea into a thriving business by giving them access to world-class facilities and a network of potential clients, investors and mentors. Ultimately, we hope this Lab will help to stimulate and accelerate not just the local economy, but the industry as a whole.”
Professor Tom Stephenson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at Cranfield University, said: “We are delighted that Barclays is opening an Eagle Lab on campus, marking the first step of our ambitious aviation, innovation and entrepreneurship project, an intensive support package for aerospace and aviation entrepreneurs.
“The Government has rightly identified the potential of SMEs to develop the industry’s technologies of the future and at Cranfield we are determined to do all we can to support businesses in the region help realise their ambitions.”
