EIT Welcomes Cowley Branch Line Announcement and Lays Out £10bn Science Investment Plan

The Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) today welcomes the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, giving the green light to the reopening of the Cowley Branch Line. 

Cowley Branch Line: Linking People & Jobs

EIT projects that it could ultimately employ up to 7,000 staff. The Cowley Branch Line will be crucial to making sure those employees can reach work easily with direct trains into London Marylebone Station as well as central Oxford. A new operational trainline will help to ease congestion and bring wider economic benefits to residents in South Oxford.

In addition to the central government funding of £120m announced today, EIT will participate with other local stakeholders to provide supplementary funding of £35m. A station will also be constructed at Littlemore by the Institute as part of its wider campus development. It will be designed by Foster + Partners, led by Lord Norman Foster. 

Ten Year Vision as Part of the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor

The news comes as EIT forecasts that over the longer-term it is due to spend more than £10 billion in the next 10 years on talent and science programmes. This means EIT will be able to augment its work on its four humane endeavours – health, medical science & generative biology; food security & sustainable agriculture; climate change & managing atmospheric CO2 and AI & robotics.   

At its Oxford campus, EIT will house a cluster of purpose-built labs:

• The Generative Biology Institute (led by Prof Jason Chin)
• The Plant Biology Institute (led by Prof Steve Kelly)
• The Materials and Devices for Life Sciences Institute (led by Prof Hagan Bayley)
• AI & Robotics Institute (led by Prof Chris Holmes and Prof Cecilia Lindgren)
• The Pathogen Project (led by Prof Gil McVean)

Recruitment is currently underway to search for the best scientific talent as these expand.

Last week, EIT unveiled plans for a significant campus extension at Littlemore by developing land on the western side of the Oxford Science Park. The main campus buildings will open in 2027.

Responding to the Cowley Branch Line news, Lisa Flashner, EIT’s Chief Operating Officer, said:

“We’re delighted to hear the Cowley Branch Line will be reopened to passenger traffic. It’s a great example of what can happen if government and the private sector join forces and both contribute to a common goal. It will help us attract world-class talent to EIT by linking up key innovation hubs with Central London via direct train services. It will also facilitate a closer alliance between EIT and Oxford University with faster journey times.”

Responding to the news of EIT’s planned £10bn investment over the next 10 years, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:

"This investment is a major vote of confidence in Oxford as a global hub for science and innovation and shows what can be achieved when government and world-class institutions like the Ellison Institute of Technology work together to deliver for our communities."

And on the Cowley Branch Line:

“By improving transport links and unlocking new opportunities for collaboration, we are laying the foundations for thousands of skilled jobs and pioneering research that will benefit working people across the country.”

Responding to the Cowley Branch Line announcement, Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, said:

‍“This investment reconnects people with opportunity – linking Blackbird Leys and Littlemore directly to jobs, skills and cutting-edge research across our innovation ecosystem. It’s good for inclusive growth, good for sustainable transport, and good for the UK economy. The Cowley Branch Line will stitch together our science parks, hospitals and new cultural spaces so that ideas, researchers and local residents can move more easily across our city – and out to London – every day. As Oxford accelerates initiatives like the Oxfordshire Strategic Innovation Taskforce, today’s decision is a practical step toward the inclusive, sustainable and fair prosperity we want to see for our communities.”

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