Daresbury Laboratory - 5G Ecosystem
The Client
STFC (Science and Technology Facilities Council) – UK government research agency with facilities at Daresbury Laboratory in the Northwest.
Two teams – the Campus Technology Hub and Hartree Centre – wanted to build a 5G innovation ecosystem
One goal: connect advanced wireless capabilities with high-performance computing to solve real industrial problems.
The Daresbury teams faced practical hurdles in getting their 5G ecosystem off the ground within nine months:
- Spotting which sectors would gain most from 5G adoption
- Making technical capabilities relevant to businesses
- Getting Northwest firms engaged despite limited awareness
- Building connections that would last beyond project funding
- Finding applications that matched both regional strengths and national priorities
We turned concept into action by:
- Mapping UK 5G projects to find gaps and opportunities
- Getting to the real SME needs through targeted conversations
- Running workshops that matched STFC capabilities to business requirements
- Bringing 40+ organisations together for practical discussions
- Finding connections to national priorities like the Clean Energy Mission
- Translating technical 5G potential into business-ready applications
Through their proactive efforts, the Daresbury teams achieved significant milestones:
- Gained actionable insights from key sectors including healthcare, manufacturing, energy, and agritech
- Developed clear engagement pathways for diverse participants, from tech firms to regional agencies
- Delivered a functional ecosystem architecture within a nine-month timeframe
- Attracted over 50 expressions of interest, converting into XX active projects
- Positioned the DL5GE initiative to address emerging opportunities in energy transition and industrial decarbonisation
Facing Similar Challenges?
Turn them into Opportunities with our Support
At Cambium, we work alongside organisations that are ready to lead change—whether through new technologies, collaborative ecosystems, or sustainable innovation. If you're exploring a similar challenge, our support may include:
- Mapping sector needs and identifying priority use cases
- Designing and facilitating engagement with industry stakeholders
- Translating technical concepts into actionable business propositions
- Aligning innovation programmes with policy and funding landscapes
- Structuring collaborative projects to deliver practical outcomes
- If you’d like to discuss your goals or challenges with a member of the Cambium team, we’d be pleased to set up a short exploratory conversation.
“Given the short timescale to design, build and start running our network, the initial input from Cambium was key to accelerating our ability to target and engage the right organisations.
They played a crucial role in building team alignment and planning engagement with our target audiences. This was key to securing a high level of engagement and the quality of the facilitated workshops gave us the clear and detailed knowledge of the business needs to optimise the design of our 5G network and data analytics facilities.
We now have active industrial partnerships that are delivering results, and a robust foundation to expand our work across the Northwest."
