The past 20 years have seen York make a marked move from manufacturing and industry to a knowledge-based economy, with science more recently at the forefront of the transformation thanks to the city’s high skills quota and award-winning university research base.

As one of six science cities in the UK, more than 17 per cent of York’s working population is employed within the knowledge-based economy, contributing more than £17,000 to the economy (GVA per capita) according to Centre for Cities.

A strong partnership between the expertise of the city’s universities and private enterprise has evolved into a strong core in biosciences, in particular environmental and biorenewable technologies, healthcare and medical industries, IT and digital and media arts and creative technologies.

Over the last ten years, the city has invested £800 million into its science and technology infrastructure, helping it today to host 500 science and technology businesses.

In 1992, global medical technology business Smith & Nephew laid the foundations for what is now York Science Park when it opened a research centre close to the University of York on its campus in Heslington.

The park has been developed over 21 acres and is now home to more than 100 companies in the science and technology sectors, from small start-ups to large, international corporations.

Research-led businesses involved in medical testing, wound care and medical transplants now join manufacturers of specialist equipment based on the science park and businesses which develop digital imaging technology, low-carbon technologies, software and much more.

York Science Park is also home to The Bio-renewables Development Centre, a pilot centre for industry and academics to work on new processes to convert plants and bio wastes, such as agricultural and food waste into chemicals, aims to scale up the research already being undertaken in the university’s Green Chemistry Centre and Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP).

Another cluster of science businesses is growing at Sand Hutton around the premises of Government agency Fera (Food and Environment Research Agency).

Fera’s scientists work internationally on the safety and sustainability of the food chain, investigating risks from pests, diseases and climactic conditions as well as working with large and small businesses on safe packaging and consistency and providence of ingredients sourced by food manufacturers.

Its high-security and high-tech laboratories have been opened up to private businesses which could benefit from collaborating with the agency and like-minded businesses.

Bids are currently being made for £50 million of funding to make York an internationally recognised hub in the bio-renewables industry.

The city is at the heart of a new project called BioVale, aimed at creating an “innovation cluster”

which will support business across Yorkshire and the Humber in finding new uses for bio-waste.

The five-year funding plans will see £20 million go towards a new science centre, which will be the home of BioVale, providing extended research facilities and industry accommodation for businesses in the field.

The scheme is being led the Biorenewables Development Centre, based at York Science Park, SCY (formerly Science City York), the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products and the Green Chemistry Centre at the University of York, and City of York Council.