Aviation innovation at IWM Duxford to boost economy of Cambridgeshire
- Heather Fearfield
- Sep 21
- 3 min read

Future investment in Cambridge as a world-class science city and region will be a central topic of discussion at our 'Global Tech Cities' conference hosted by the Cambridge Science Park this month.
Senior leaders from Cambridge City Council, Wellcome Genome Campus, and the Cambridge Growth Company will be debating the factors that will keep the city region competitive on the international stage.
This week Henry Boot announced that HBD, the group’s property investment and development arm, has been appointed by Imperial War Museums (IWM) and Gonville & Caius College, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, as development partner for Duxford Av Tech.
Henry Boot states:
'The 25-acre site is located 8 miles south of Cambridge city centre within the economically significant Oxford-Cambridge Arc, offering excellent transport links with access to Junction 10 of the M11.
'The project totals 435,000sq ft with a gross development value of £162 million and is set to create an aviation technology campus that will be at the intersection of academia, industry and government, dedicated to developing low and zero carbon aircraft technology at IWM Duxford. HBD is targeting high sustainability credentials for the new campus, including BREEAM Excellent and an EPC A+ Rating.
'Duxford Av Tech is projected to deliver significant economic, environmental and social benefits, including 1,200 new jobs and an estimated £64 million in additional gross value added to the Cambridgeshire economy. The next step will be to prepare detailed development plans and engage with partners with the aim of submitting a planning application before the end of the year.
'This scheme expands on HBD’s innovation capabilities, following recent approval for the first phase of £1 billion Golden Valley scheme in Cheltenham, which will create approximately 1 million sq ft of prime commercial space, including IDEA, the 160,000sq ft National Cyber Innovation Centre, as well as 576 residential units of various tenures.'
Cambridge Science Park has been consulting the public on its future shape after a new investment and development phase was announced to take place of the park. The hub attracts smart, ambitious, like-minded entrepreneurs and investors from both Cambridge and around the world; co-located in scalable, state-of-the-art facilities; immersed in a collaborative, entrepreneurial culture; and connected to other investors, partners, mentors, advisers and potential customers.
The Bradfield Centre - where Future Cities Forum is being hosted for its discussion event - has been purposely designed to encourage the collision of ideas and to spark creativity. The Centre benefits from being part of the Cambridge Science Park’s 6,500 strong community. The Park is currently home to over 100 companies ranging from successful spin-outs from the University of Cambridge to multinational corporations.
Cambridge enjoys a vibrant science and tech ecosystem, benefitting from a world class university to produce ideas and products that have literally changed the world
One of those spin-out companies which is attending the event, is Mimicrete, an advanced materials science company, founded in 2021, developing novel self-healing concrete. The technology was developed via a doctorate within the University of Cambridge’s Geotechnical and Environmental Research Group in the Department of Engineering.
Self-healing concrete solutions work to heal concrete cracks as soon as they open up, mitigating further cracking, subsequent structural issues and the need for repair and early replacement. This technology can both lengthen concrete lifetime and reduce the need for overengineering, repair and/or replacement. This in turn reduces the amount of concrete used and related carbon emissions and lifetime structure monitoring and maintenance costs. Biomimetic self-healing concrete helps the construction industry to improve the sustainability and durability of concrete structures.
Mimicrete says:
'We have developed a self-healing concrete system based on a vascular network containing a healing agent. Our technology requires no manual intervention post-installation. It increases the strength of the concrete on day one and more than doubles its lifespan. The need to monitor and maintain infrastructure is reduced. The extension in lifespan reduces the volume of concrete utilised in the overall built environment, in turn reducing the negative environmental impact of construction itself. Mimicrete helps the “world’s most destructive material” to become significantly more sustainable, without total reinvention of the product or supply chain.'
Below: part of the IWM / Imperial War Museum Duxford - courtesy IWM

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