Sheffield’s innovation ecosystem is growing, and the Sheffield Innovation Spine needs to be designed with the right spaces to support your company’s future. Members of our community have an opportunity to influence the development of office, lab, and innovation space in the city centre by submitting your growth forecasts to the Sheffield Innovation Spine database.
What is the Sheffield Innovation Spine?
The Sheffield Innovation Spine is a city-wide collaboration focused on ensuring Sheffield’s city centre evolves to meet the needs of innovation-led companies. Colleagues from Sheffield Technology Parks, University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield City Council, and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority are working together to gather data that will shape future investment decisions.
At our recent AGM, we welcomed Charlotte Thompson, Project Director, to speak about the Sheffield Innovation Spine and to tell our community why it matters, and why your involvement is crucial. You can watch her talk, plus a Q&A with Mel Kanarek in the video below.
By contributing your company’s anticipated growth and space requirements, you can help property developers and city stakeholders create the infrastructure that will allow your business to flourish.
Why your input matters
The partnership needs real insights from companies like yours to guide the creation of workspaces that meet industry demands. By sharing your data, you will help ensure that the right type of office and lab spaces are available in the right locations, supporting the continued growth of Sheffield’s innovation economy.
Your submissions will be stored in a secure database on the Podio platform and used to generate reports and dashboards for public and private sector decision-makers. Any data shared with third parties will be anonymised or aggregated to protect your company’s confidentiality.
How to contribute
We invite you to take part in this initiative by submitting information on your company’s future space requirements. The three-step process is simple and should take no more than 30 minutes:
Step 1: Your company information
- Company Webform – Submit this form once to create a record of your company and key contact details in our database.
Step 2: Your space needs
- Office Webform – Share your current and projected office space requirements. Submit this form 2-3 times, aligning each entry with key company milestones.
- Lab Webform – If applicable, provide details on your lab space needs by submitting this form 2-3 times in line with major business milestones.
To learn more about this process, please take a look at this presentation, which provides guidance on making a submission. If you don’t have exact forecasts, please provide your best estimates—you’ll have the opportunity to update your data every six months.
Get involved now
Please take 10 minutes to review the information, then make your submission to shape the future of workspace development in the city.
By sharing your insights, you’re not just supporting your company’s growth—you’re contributing to a stronger, more connected innovation ecosystem for Sheffield.If you have questions or would like to speak to a member of the Sheffield Innovation Spine team, please email participate@sheffieldinnovationspine.com.