Investment and new jobs at Dorset Innovation Park

An extra 125 full-time jobs, plans for a new £2.6 million skills centre and big operational efficiencies have been reported by the company set up to manage and develop Dorset Innovation Park.

Dorset Innovation Park Ltd, which took over full management of the county’s only Enterprise Zone in July 2026, has announced a range of development, research and international partnerships to support new jobs and the park’s growth in defence, security and autonomous technologies.

Employment at the park increased by 125 full-time equivalent jobs over the past year, largely through business expansion and investment which the company and owner Dorset Council has helped support. Alongside this growth, the company has generated operational efficiencies valued at more than £500,000.

Plans are also advancing for a new Advanced Engineering and Defence Skills Centre at Dorset Innovation Park, being developed collaboratively by Yeovil College and Dorset Council.

Yeovil College is proposing around £2.4 million of Defence Technical Excellence College (DTEC) capital investment towards the new facility, alongside further investment of around £800,000 in specialist engineering and defence equipment, subject to approval by the Department for Education and Ministry of Defence.

Dorset Council is working with the College to explore additional co-investment and support for the development. The ambition is to create a permanent advanced engineering and defence skills presence at the park, providing full-time technical education, apprenticeships, adult training and employer-led workforce development to help build the specialist workforce required by Dorset’s growing defence and advanced manufacturing sector.

Several major industrial development opportunities are also progressing, as is Bournemouth University’s Security Operations Centre of the Future (SOCOF) at BattleLab. The facility would strengthen cyber security research and skills provision.

Dorset Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economic Growth and Strategic Assets Cllr Richard Biggs said: “Since the company began work in September 2025, our shared focus has been on creating the conditions for businesses to invest and grow. The increase in employment, commitment to new facilities and improvements to the park’s operation show that this work is producing results. Our responsibility now is to build on that momentum, connecting commercial growth with the skills and research capabilities needed to sustain it.”

The innovation park and Dorset Council are also partners in a project seeking to create a Global Autonomy Cluster. The £20 million initiative is funded through the Local Innovation Partnership Fund and led by Plymouth University.

Businesses at the park and across the surrounding region are preparing a capital funding request for a Multi Domain Autonomy Command and Control Centre within the programme. Proposals also include a drone corridor linking Dorset Innovation Park with Portland.

Alongside plans for a Maker Space to support rapid innovation, these proposals would expand the region’s drone and autonomy testing infrastructure, with the ambition of making Dorset the UK’s leading location for testing autonomous systems across land, sea and air. These capabilities would serve growing defence and civilian markets.

The enhanced testing capabilities will feature in a new Dorset Defence Prospectus being developed with businesses and partners across the county. Expected to be completed by the end of 2026, it will highlight a sector already contributing £437 million to Dorset’s economy and set out opportunities for further investment.

The park’s international links are also developing. In September, BattleLab hosted a major NATO event, bringing together more than 44 companies from 14 nations.

A visit by a University of Connecticut delegation is being arranged to explore collaboration with researchers and businesses across the South West around the UK, US and Australian AUKUS submarine programme.

Kevin Forshaw, Managing Director of Dorset Innovation Park Ltd, said: “This is an extremely exciting time for Dorset Innovation Park, with significant growth projected for next year. Dorset’s technological role in UK defence is not fully appreciated, and it is encouraging to be working with leading companies on the park and across the surrounding area to raise awareness of our contribution to the nation’s security and resilience. This, in turn, brings much-needed growth and high-value jobs to the regional economy.”