Historic industrial buildings in Swindon will soon be hosting boffins from the universities of Bath and Oxford – and playing a key role in the town’s technological future.

Plans for the next phase of refurbishing the Great Western Railway Carriage Works buildings running along London Street have been approved, and one of the tenants will be the University of Bath’s Innovation Centre for Applied and Sustainable Technologies.

The iCAST project is a collaboration between Bath and Oxford universities and while the £17m project is headquartered in Bath, its Innovation Room will be coming to Swindon and take up one of the Carriage Works' new units.

In it, scientists will come up with forward-thinking ideas for sustainable technologies, particularly looking at making new chemical technologies environmentally friendly and developing a true circular economy in the use of plastics – ensuring they are truly re-usable and recyclable.

The funding for iCAST is primarily from Research England, part of UK Research and Innovation, based in North Star.

Director of iCAST Professor Matthew Davidson, said: “We’re excited to house iCAST’s Creative Hub and academic gateway at the iconic Carriage Works, and hope to be able to lay out the plans in more detail soon.

“The Carriage Works is a fantastic location and space to showcase our capabilities and bring academic and industry partners together to deliver innovations in sustainable technologies. It will be the beating heart of iCAST.

“By partnering companies with the research expertise at the universities of Bath and Oxford, iCAST will accelerate scale-up of new technologies and build supply chains, jobs, investment and growth.

“Our ambition is for iCAST to become the ‘go to’ place in the UK for innovation in sustainable technologies, and the Creative Hub will be a key element of this success.”
The university is already advertising jobs to attract people to join the iCAST and is using the Grade-II listed late Victorian buildings as a selling point.

A jobs website entry reads: ““This is a unique opportunity to work with a large, dynamic team at the interface between academic research and industry need. 

“The Creative Hub and academic gateway being developed at the Brunel’s iconic Carriage Works in Swindon will be at the heart of our creative, collaborative and inclusive culture."

The website adds: “The Carriage Works are a unique, historic building within walking distance of Swindon station and the town centre. Built around 1876, as part of Brunel’s Great Western Works, the building was once the largest carriage works in the country, standing at the very forefront of Victorian industrial innovation.

“This off-campus location will provide a dedicated place where iCAST’s partners can work together on today’s industrial innovation centred on sustainability. Swindon has excellent railway connections to London, Bath and Oxford and it is situated in north-east Wiltshire, a region renowned for its outstanding countryside and its historic landmarks.”

Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for the culture, heritage and the town centre Dale Heenan said: “Since 2018, the council has invested more than £7m into the historic Carriage Works, next to Swindon railway station, and we secured £4m more from government two months ago. 

"Phase one saw the Workshed set up as a place for creative and digital start-up businesses and desk co-working space, Phase two saw the Cultural Heritage Institute established by the Royal Agriculture University, and now phase 3 is in full flow as our town bounces back from Covid. 

“This is truly an exciting collaboration with Oxford University and the University of Bath, and it couldn’t come at a more crucial time which will provide a much-needed boost to the local economy, shows faith in our commercial approach and protects our heritage.

Coun Heenan added: “Historic England and the council have an ambitious five-year plan for Swindon’s heritage which will see the Health Hydro restored to its full glory, and see progress on the derelict Mechanics to unlock the potential between the Outlet Centre and the town centre. The Carriage Works is an central part of the jigsaw that shows our long term plan for regenerating our town is working. “

Executive chairman of Research England David Sweeney, said: “We believe iCAST will make an important contribution to the government’s net zero agenda. 

“It is also a powerful demonstration that universities are at the heart of innovation led recovery in regions around the country, building a stronger R&D base through collaboration, excellent research and high performance commercialisation.”

The Innovation Room will be the second university facility to be hosted in the Carriage Works. The Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester has its Cultural Heritage Institute in  already-refurbished units in the same complex further up the road.