One of Europe's leading science and technology centres has celebrated its 23rd anniversary.

Culham Innovation Centre in Oxfordshire marked its milestone with a champagne reception for past and present customers, many of which are leading figures in fusion energy and high tech engineering.

Based at the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA) Culham Campus near Abingdon, the centre has incubated over 150 early stage businesses since 2001, nourishing the growth of the fusion supply chain and the progress of world-altering technologies.

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Featuring flexible office and laboratory specifications, with built-in business support services, the centre has aided businesses that now collectively employ over 600 individuals.

Jo Stevens, managing director of Oxford Innovation Space, which manages the centre, said: "We are proud to have supported so many companies to start, scale and graduate from the Culham Innovation Centre over the last 23 years.

"Some of our most notable graduates such as Tokamak Energy and Reaction Engines are developing cutting-edge technology and creating substantial job opportunities.

"Our Culham centre demonstrates the integral role innovation centres can play in building communities of SMEs, driving local economic growth, and supporting the government’s ambition for the UK to be a science and technology superpower.”

David Kingham, executive vice chairman and co-founder of Tokamak Energy, said: "Culham Innovation Centre was the ideal location for the early growth of Tokamak Energy when the company emerged as a spin-out from UKAEA – it was the perfect place to start a bold, hard-tech, company."

The most recent addition to the community at Culham is Oxford Sigma.

Launched in 2019 by university classmates Jonathan Musgrove and Dr Thomas Davis, the advanced materials technology company initially offered consultancy services, but has now branched into technical development.

Mr Musgrove said: "Culham is the key place for fusion in the UK, so Culham Innovation Centre was the right place for us to be.

"An industry is not built just on one or two companies, but a whole supply chain and we at Oxford Sigma are part of the growth of that supply chain and this exciting sector."

Fusion, which offers potential for delivering secure, sustainable, low carbon energy in the future, operates on the same processes that power the sun and stars.

Across the campus, fusion energy technology operates at roughly six times the core temperature of the sun, marking it as the true the hottest address on the planet.

Tim Bestwick, deputy CEO of UKAEA, said: "The Culham Campus is developing rapidly as a global hub for the commercialisation of fusion technologies, and the Culham Innovation Centre plays a central role in this mission."

Active Needle, a medical device company on campus since 2016, is another success story, using its needle technology to enable more visible, precise biopsies and less painful drug delivery for patients.

Ian Quirk, CEO and founder of the company, said: "The local ecosystem is crucial to the success of a business and the Culham Innovation Centre is very well located for medtech start-ups."