Leading technology firm announces NETPark expansion

Pictured, from left to right, are Torquil Gundlach, SEEDS' Argonaut Programme head; Peter Chalder-Wood, SEEDS' head of strategic partnerships; Sara Williams, NETPark manager; Councillor Joe Quinn; and Christian Pape, Business Durham property director

A pioneering technology company at one of the region’s leading science parks has announced a major expansion.

Engineered graphene technology firm SEEDS will be moving into a new dedicated facility at NETPark, as part of Durham County Council’s £100 million expansion of the site.

Taking on the new unit will enable SEEDS to move from research development to commercial production, positioning the company to supply its advanced graphene technology to major international manufacturers across the global aerospace, energy, semiconductors, and automotive sectors.

The growth of industry-leading science and technology companies like SEEDS has been enabled by the expansion of NETPark, which now offers an increased capacity of more than 285,000 square feet of flexible, high-specification laboratory and advanced manufacturing space.

With the expanded site now fully operational, it is expected to create 1,250 skilled jobs on site and contribute £625 million to the local economy over the next decade.

Cllr Joe Quinn, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for planning, investment and assets, said: “SEEDS’ expansion at NETPark reflects the critical role County Durham plays in the UK’s advanced manufacturing landscape. We have outstanding, state-of-the-art space for laboratories and manufacturing facilities, ready now and unique in the North East.

“We are delighted to support SEEDS’ growth and would urge any expanding business looking for purpose-built, modern facilities to come and see the exceptional offer we have here at NETPark.”

SEEDS’ growth reflects the strength of NETPark’s innovation. Working alongside the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), Durham University and Business Durham, the company has transformed groundbreaking research into a commercially scalable process.

CPI has been a key partner in this journey, helping the company test and refine its ideas and providing the support needed to move SEEDS from early research into practical, scalable production.

The company’s partnership with Mitsui is also now helping to accelerate its commercial reach. SEEDS formally signed its agreement with Mitsui in November, and the collaboration is already enabling introductions to major microelectronics manufacturers and opening access to global markets that would otherwise take much longer to reach.

Jason Chehal, founder of SEEDS, said: “This expansion marks an important moment for SEEDS, as it allows us to move from research excellence to genuine commercial readiness. Over the past decade we’ve worked to understand how to engineer graphene in a way that solves real-world challenges, not just in the lab but at industrial scale. Moving into our new space at NETPark means we can now begin building the customer-specific systems that global industries are asking for, from microelectronics and energy storage to aerospace, automotive, IoT and even space technologies.

“We’ve reached a point where the technology is proven, the demand is clear, and the partnerships are in place. With CPI’s long-standing support, Mitsui opening doors internationally, and a world-class ecosystem here at NETPark, we’re able to accelerate into the next phase. What excites me most is that every reactor we build here can directly support a leading manufacturer somewhere in the world. It’s not just growth for our company, it’s an opportunity to demonstrate what can be achieved from County Durham on the global stage.

“This next chapter is about readiness, scale and impact. We’re proud to be expanding here, and proud that the work we are doing in the North East has the potential to influence the future of advanced materials worldwide.”