FEATURE
Belonging – Wilton Centre’ s longserving staff and occupiers develop a sense of loyalty and pride.
THE GOLDEN YEARS
Teesside’ s‘ best-kept secret’, Wilton Centre, celebrates 50 years of progress
For half a century, Wilton Centre near Redcar has stood at the heart of Teesside’ s story of influence and progress, driving impact in life sciences, technology and collaboration.
This year, the iconic research site celebrates its 50th anniversary, honouring a legacy that has shaped the region’ s industrial and scientific identity.
Once part of ICI’ s vast research empire, Wilton Centre has evolved into one of Europe’ s largest R & D hubs, home to more than 60 companies pioneering advances in clean energy, pharmaceuticals, sustainable materials and life sciences.
Pioneer Group, the UK’ s specialist in life sciences, community and venture building, is leading Wilton Centre into its next chapter, supporting the celebration of its past while shaping a future built on collaboration and shared purpose.
Family values For technical services manager Jon Lee, who has worked at Wilton Centre for 35 years, the site isn’ t just a place of work – it’ s home.
“ When you’ re at Wilton Centre, you become part of the family, part of the furniture – you grow up here,” Jon said.“ Thirty-five years later and I still love coming here every day.”
Jon’ s words reflect the enduring loyalty and pride felt by many of Wilton Centre’ s long-serving staff and occupiers:“ There’ s something about Wilton Centre – you love it. It becomes your life. It becomes your family. It’ s where inventions start and inventions grow. It’ s a proud place to be.”
That sense of pride runs through every corridor and laboratory on the site. Over the decades, countless developments at Wilton Centre have gone on to shape industries and improve lives.
These global discoveries also deliver local impact, with graphene developed by one of the centre’ s resident companies recently used by the local council to repair potholes in Middlesbrough.
A culture of collaboration For Chris Geary, associate site director and part of the Wilton team for more than a decade, it’ s the collaborative culture that sets the centre apart.
“ The unique thing about Wilton Centre is the cohesive and collaborative approach of the entire team, from accommodation to operations, finance, cleaning and security,” he said.“ It’ s a real people-focused and target-driven community.”
Chris believes the centre’ s strength lies in its diversity, both in the range of companies it supports and the people who make it work.
“ It is a best-kept secret – the companies in the Wilton Centre are some of the most innovative in Europe and, arguably, the world,” he explained.
“ From its legacy in manufacturing, it has evolved to lead in areas such as human and planetary health, and sustainable food sources. It’ s so diverse – it can suit and support so many kinds of companies.”
That diversity is matched by opportunity. Under Pioneer Group’ s leadership, Wilton Centre offers more than just office or lab space – it provides access to expertise, funding and growth networks.
“ Pioneer has a venture team that supports and invests in start-ups to help them grow,” Chris explained.“ They help small entities scale into pilot plant facilities. The economy and the world are changing, so we host regular events focused on sustainability, green tech and the circular economy – all knowledge that benefits not just Teesside, but Europe and the wider world.”
Future ambitions The 50th anniversary also provided an opportunity for Wilton Centre to look forward. For Toby Reid, executive director at Pioneer Group, the future is about building on that strong foundation.
“ Today, Wilton Centre is home to a diverse ecosystem of businesses tackling global challenges – from reducing carbon emissions to developing medical breakthroughs,” he said.
“ With new freeport-enabled facilities in development, the next 50 years will bring even greater opportunities for innovation and growth in Teesside.”
For more information, visit thepioneergroup. com / locations / wilton-centre
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