The Park is home to significant sector clusters such as information communications technology, mobile phone technology, software which includes as strong cluster of synthetic environment companies which are involved in the computer games sector, biomedicine and biotechnology. It has been instrumental in the commercial success of many companies and has created the scope for significant transfers of technology between the University and industry.

Co-operation over many years between BOC Gases and the University's Chemical and Process Engineering activities resulted in innovative freezing techniques for the food processing industry. The Canon Europe Research Centre developed new products that sprung from technical assistance provided by several University groups, ranging from Material Science and Engineering to Music. Kobe Steel Europe had a major research centre on the site for many years and was involved in developing a safer train seat while genetic engineers, AGROL, who were once in the Incubator Centre, began the process of developing superbugs to turn agricultural waste into ethanol.

The Park supports a burgeoning computer software sector represented by a host of products and services.

Bullfrog, a computer games publisher grew substantially while on the Park, creating a number of highly interactive games. After moving away, one of the founders returned to the Park to establish a new computer games company, Lionhead Studios that published in 2001 one of the most acclaimed games "Black & White," to have been created He also has acted as a business angel supporting several other local computer games developers. In addition Canon Research Europe Ltd, part of the Japanese multinational, developed a new graphics package, known commercially as Render Ware that was commercialised through Canon's spin-out subsidiary, Criterion Software. These separate developments led to a cluster of computer games companies growing up in and around Guildford. They are active in what is now recognised as an important branch of computing, known as synthetic environments.

Other tenants put their energy into the business-to-business market place, including Pulse Train Technology (facilitating data collection with a computerised "pen" and clipboard"). Detica has an international reputation as one of the UK’s leading systems engineering consultancy. IDBS is a successful company that first established in the Surrey Technology Centre and is a major source in delivering world leading technology to support drug discovery technology through IT systems.

Examples of inward investment include the acquisition of both overseas and British companies that have grown on the Park. US inward investment company Monmouth Pharmaceuticals came to the UK in 1987 and was acquired by the UK pharma company Shire. The opposite occurred when the Canadian company Cognos bought Relational Matters that was grown in the Parks incubator, the Surrey Technology Centre and companies from Finland, Iceland, Sweden, France and the US have all also prospered in the "stimulating" business environment created by the Park.

Some of these companies have now moved away from the Park and continue to thrive in the region.

top