Shared social spaces contribute to open innovation. It is highly questionable if an atmosphere of social interaction and open innovation could be fostered at a site which is heavily constrained through noise, odour, insects, vibration and HGV traffic.
Open Innovation has become the 'best practice' approach to product and service development for R&D intensive businesses over the last ten years and Cambridge has become a global magnet for this activity, because of the opportunity to work alongside such outstanding research and R&D activity.
Not the only but the most recent and perhaps most notable example of the approach as it applies to Cambridge has emerged since the Draft Local Plans' evidence base was prepared. Astra Zeneca's announcement of a relocation of its HQ (2,000 employees) to the Cambridge Bio-medical Campus reinforces the substantial impact the 'open innovation' approach is having on Cambridge's R&D sector. The immediate further interest and commitment from other companies and organisations preparing to develop new operations on the immediately adjacent land at CBC and the allocated CBC Phase 2 is testament to the impact of the approach.