A NEW organisation has been formed to create a science corridor within the Salisbury area to rival Oxford and Cambridge.

Former Salisbury Vision Board chairman Alex Tregellas recently created the Salisbury Innovation Accelerator (SIA) to collaborate with the large mainly public sector high-tech organisations which operate in the area, in order to realise their full commercial potential.

The SIA aims to produce more high paid jobs and bring more investment into the area. In the long term it hopes that the Salisbury area can become a world leading centre boosting the economy, local technology SMEs, schools and public services.

Sultan Meghji, SIA new technology partner, said: “There is tremendous untapped potential, both in terms of the people of the Salisbury region as well as decades of amazing scientific research and development. My hope is that SIA can make these assets a more direct benefit to the region quickly and cost effectively.”

The SIA aims to collaborate with groups such as DSTL, PHE, QinetiQ, Southampton Uni and Salisbury NHS District Trust to create more jobs and investment.

Nick Marsden, chairman of the Salisbury NHS District Trust said: “It is by working with firms such as SIA that the hospital will be able to take advantage of new technology in the future. These are exciting times and it would be wonderful to work with local organisations such as SIA to help realise some of our ambitions.”

Professor Iain Cameron, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southampton, added: "Building upon existing research programmes in vaccine development and genomics with PHE Porton and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust respectively, we look forward to the potential opportunities provided by the SIA to deliver world-changing technologies in the life sciences."

The SIA is looking to hear from people in the area who want to find out more as well as from specialists of all types who are interested in working with them.

Mr Tregellas said: “We’re of course interested to hear not only from technical specialists but well as others who can support innovative new companies, such as finance, legal and marketing professionals. I urge people who want to find out more about the SIA and what we do to visit our website at sinnac.com”.