Londonderry science park: Twenty-three tenants secured as facility opens

The Northern Ireland Science Park will officially open its Londonderry headquarters later on Tuesday.

Operators of the £12m North West Regional Science Park said 23 tenants have now been secured for the building.

The facility is based on the former military site at Fort George near the city centre.

The 50,000 sq ft park will house software, telecoms and digital media companies among many others. The anchor tenant is software company 8over8.

The opening of the park will cement a cross-border partnership with Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT) where work is already under way to extend its successful Co-Lab business incubator.

Dick Milliken, of the Northern Ireland Science Park, said: "The science park is about much more than just bricks and mortar and office space: It's about the people, the exchange of ideas, the sharing of experience and advice and the connections.

"One of the biggest challenges facing the north west is the drift of the most promising young people and entrepreneurs to other parts of Ireland and the world.

"These young people must be helped to build the companies within the region that will provide, and keep, the wealth for themselves and their peers. Today's opening is a key project in this ambition."

Planning approval was granted for the park in 2012.

The Department for Social Development NI is the owner of the NW Science Park site and provided funding of £1.1m. There has also been funding from the Department of Finance & Personnel in NI and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in Ireland.