Launched last year by Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, LCR Connect is a 212km full fibre, gigabit-capable network spanning the six local authority areas of the Liverpool City Region. It is a £30m Joint Venture 50% owned by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, in partnership with full fibre provider, ITS Technology Group and construction partner NGE, who are managing the build and roll-out of this transformational digital network.

Sci-Tech Daresbury is a science and technology location incorporating the world-class research and development assets of the STFC Daresbury Laboratory and the AI and supercomputing capacity of the Hartree Centre.

It is a key element to achieving Mayor Rotheram’s ambition to invest 5% of regional GVA on Research and Development (R&D) by 2030 – nearly double the government’s national target.

The campus identified that resilient, scalable high-capacity services are vital to underpinning its world-class facilities and supporting the growing demands of the businesses that are located on the site.

By connecting to LCR Connect’s scalable infrastructure, Sci-Tech Daresbury has not only immediately doubled its connectivity bandwidth for existing tenants, but it now has the inbuilt flexibility to upgrade its resilient, multi-gigabit connections at very short notice, delivering a solution that will support growth as the campus continues to develop.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region said:

“The past few years have shown just how important good quality digital connectivity has become in every aspect of our lives – nowhere more so than in business.

“Any successful, ambitious economy requires the modern, thriving infrastructure that will help it to keep pace in an ever-changing world. LCR Connect is a game-changer for our region, offering businesses access to the fastest internet speeds in the country, boosting productivity, and creating thousands of jobs and training opportunities in the process.

“I want our region to be known as the most digitally connected place in the country to grow a business. Thanks to the investments we’re making now, we’re already on our way to achieving that ambition – and it’s great to see world-leading organisations like Sci-Tech Daresbury joining us on that journey.”

John Downes, Chief Executive Officer of Langtree and director of Sci-Tech Daresbury said:

“Sci-Tech Daresbury is a site renowned both home and abroad for its state of the art facilities attracting innovative businesses of all sizes and stages of growth. World-class connectivity is critical to underpinning the needs of these organisations to support the demands of the often business-critical work they are undertaking which tends to produce extensive amounts of data that needs to be processed and shared quickly and securely. In tandem with our ongoing investment into new lab and office space, this milestone demonstrates that Sci-Tech Daresbury provides the infrastructure required for game-changing businesses to scale up and flourish.

“The full fibre solution is transformational, immediately doubling our capacity and delivering bandwidth that will grow with our requirements. Additionally, the ethos of LCR Connect as a private public venture aligns well with our own and means that local authority services will benefit from the returns it makes.”

Claire Delahunty, LCR Connect Ambassador at JV partner ITS Technology Group said:

“Connecting Sci-Tech Daresbury to LCR Connect is a significant milestone for the rollout of this digital highway across the six boroughs of the Liverpool City Region.

“By delivering a diverse network, LCR Connect’s rich fibre has ensured that the businesses on this national science and innovation campus can rely on their connectivity, whether that’s as simple as accessing emails, through to sharing complex data. Futureproof gigabit-capable services are also a vital factor in attracting new businesses, creating more opportunities, and ensuring future prosperity.”

Cllr Laura Robertson-Collins, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Deputy Portfolio Holder for Digital Connectivity and Inclusion, said:

“LCR Connect is a hugely important, transformational project and having Sci-Tech Daresbury signed up has real significance for the project’s progress.

“Delivering gigabit-capable connectivity will help businesses thrive, as we build back from the pandemic, creating good quality jobs.  It also creates huge potential for improving public services and educational opportunities.  As we build this crucial network we will also continue to work with partners to drive digital inclusion and ensure no-one is left behind.”

With more than 30% of the network already built, LCR Connect is on track to be completed next year. It will underpin economic growth, innovation, inward investment, and job creation. In fact, experts estimate that, with 100% full fibre coverage across the city region, the economic boost could be worth up to £1bn, creating thousands of local job and training opportunities.

Businesses across the city region are invited to register their interest by visiting Network Build | LCR Connect