A new multimillion pound science park has opened for business.

The Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst campus in the grounds of GlaxoSmithKline’s research centre in Stevenage announced its first tenant this week. The company, Aptiv Solutions, has taken space in the park’s ‘incubator building’ - part of a complex of laboratory, office and networking areas on the 60,000 square feet site.

The specialist in clinical trial design is the first of what SBC hopes will be many small companies on the site working collaboratively on discovering and developing new drugs. Talks are ongoing with “a range of interesting tenants”, while the site will play host to a busy year of conferences and events, a spokesman said.

Martino Picardo, SBC chief executive, said: “Everyone in the team is delighted we are open for business, and many thanks are due to everyone associated with the delivery of the facility. We are really pleased that our first occupant is a quality company like Aptiv Solutions, and are very encouraged by the discussions we are having with other potential tenants.”

The �38m development is funded by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, GlaxoSmithKline, the Wellcome Trust, East of England Development Agency and the Technology Strategy Board.

It is the UK’s first open innovation bioscience park.