4 Sept 2025 Scaling Stories: how do you know when to step aside as a founder? You’ve started a business and thrown all your creativity and passion into building it into a successful start-up but then comes the inevitable running of the machine. Retaining the momentum of the company is a key part of that process but there comes a time in the journey of many a founder when the skills that built the company aren’t the skills needed to help it accelerate. Here, Mark Sanders, Sciopolis founder and CEO, explores how to know when this moment has arrived and how to take action . I recently stumbled across an article in The Standard entitled ‘ Want to Grow Faster? It Might Be Time to Replace Yourself’ and found a lot of truth in it. Many successful businesses go through phases where the leadership changes and that can often be the best move for the company, the customers and even the founder. The skills and energy needed to start a business are not always the same as those required to grow it. Starting out is about creativity, momentum and solving problems. Scaling is about discipline, systems and structures. There is honesty in knowing what you enjoy and what you’re good at. In my career, I have always gravitated to growth areas or new ventures, even within big organisations. I wanted to focus on the creativity of building something and learning. And if your passion is innovation and invention, you might not want to be involved in the detail, in the minutiae of how a business operates. This all becomes necessary as you grow but that doesn’t mean it drives your passion. A good example is my time at TDX. The founder was hugely innovative but didn’t want to run a large, complex operation. I came in to handle the parts he didn’t want to do, eventually becoming CEO. Once the business became multi-continental, I realised that wasn’t the environment that energised me and it was this self-awareness that led me to move on. It’s crucial to build a team around you that complements your strengths while staying open to feedback from trusted advisors or your board. As a founder, one of the hardest things is recognising when you might be the barrier to growth. It’s rare to wake up one day and think, ‘I’m the problem’. You have to deliberately structure your thinking, surround yourself with good counsel and be willing to act on what you hear. Liked Mark's blog? Read his next piece on the power of the right community to help founders thrive to discover more insights about Mark's approach to business .

16 July 2025 UK startups: brilliant at the baby stage, but what about adolescence? Today’s Life Sciences Sector Plan from the UK government is a bold step toward scaling innovation and transforming the NHS. We’ve long been world-class at nurturing early-stage science: these “babies” emerge in great numbers from our top universities—clever, dynamic spinouts that institutions are producing in ever greater and more refined numbers. But the real challenge, every parent will know, comes with adolescence. Once the highly nurtured babies are out of the incubator, where everything was provided, the growing teenagers now need more independence. They want to close the door, stop sharing, protect and build their ideas. But they still need support—plenty of it. This is where the UK’s growth opportunity lies: helping these ventures mature into impactful companies. You don’t jump straight from primary school (university incubator) to university (lab-enabled FRI leases with long commitments in great but expensive buildings). At Sciopolis, we specialise in that critical adolescent phase of startup growth. Our spaces are designed not just for ideation, but for assisted acceleration , where startups evolve into sector-shaping companies. They’re open, ready-to-occupy, cost-effective and deeply connected to universities and collaborative institutions. Crucially, they come with links to business-building contacts that help science companies not just build their R&D, but—concurrently—learn to build a business. We want to build more of these spaces, and fast. To hit the leading life sciences economy in Europe by 2030 target set by this plan, we can’t rely on new builds alone. We need to refurbish and rapidly activate existing spaces. This is a race we could easily lose to lengthy planning and lofty ambitions. The spaces we need exist today—we just need to make them science-ready, fast. Two more things we’re excited about in the Government Plan: 🔍 The commitment to unlocking NHS data. With up to £600M invested in building a world-leading health data system, the potential for breakthroughs in diagnostics and treatment is immense. We’ve heard it time and again at conferences: the UK’s uniquely unified health system offers a data advantage few countries can match. Yet we’ve struggled to turn that potential into tangible progress. One thing that gives us hope is watching Imperial’s new Schools of Convergence Science bring together health, tech, and AI to drive this transformation. No better place for convergence. 🏭 The renewed focus on manufacturing. In today’s volatile geopolitical environment, no country can rely solely on traditional friendships. The global trend is clear: rebuild and reshore supply chains. The UK has a real opportunity to lead here—by enabling science-based companies to scale not just their ideas, but their production, close to home. The UK has the science. It has the talent. Now it needs the infrastructure and urgency to match. Let’s not just aim to be first in Europe by 2030, let’s build like we mean it. Find out more about how Sciopolis supports the Government’s Vision Read the Government Life Sciences Sector Plan 2025

Back to Sciopolis 1 PORTAL WAY THE BUILDING AVAILABILITY FAQS LOCATION COMMUNITY INCUBATOR INNOVATOR STORIES NEWS & INSIGHTS CONTACT A DISTINCTIVE BUILDING Inspiring, affordable, fully-fitted lab and office space available. A dynamic grow-on space for innovative science and technology companies, in a new cluster supported by Imperial Incubator. Flexible, fully serviced CL2 labs and offices , complete with shared equipment, enterprise support and direct links to the Imperial network. Just a 3-minute walk from North Acton (Central Line) and 10 minutes from Acton Main Line (Elizabeth Line), it will provide a vibrant ecosystem with events, socials and short-term licenses, all at highly competitive rents. Arrange a Visit Labs Reception Cafe Offices Event Space Exterior Garden CAFE A buzzy, open-access reception area featuring a café serving hot food and coffee, comfortable seating and direct access to the event space—plus an outdoor terrace to enjoy your meal in the fresh air. EVENT SPACE Whether it’s a team talk, workshop, or after-hours social, our event space will seat up to 70 people,with a packed calendar of programmes and events to keep your team inspired and connected. Host an event with us LABS Our newly refurbished building features 24 fully fitted laboratories and modern offices all ready for immediate occupancy. Various sizes, flexible CL2 labs, from 40-120m2 See available labs and offices Arrange a Visit OFFICES & MEETING ROOMS Ready to occupy offices, with shared Boardroom, Meeting Rooms, Hot Desk Area and Training Rooms, so you only pay for what you use. See available offices GARDEN Tenants will have plenty of outdoor space to enjoy—from the welcoming front terrace to our hidden garden out back. Expect summer socials, coffee breaks and spontaneous catch-ups to spill outside when the sun’s out. RECEPTION Our reception is a welcoming space, perfect for spontaneous chats and chance encounters while queuing for coffee. Seamlessly connected to the event space, it’ll be the ideal spot to pause, connect, and feel part of the community. ICONIC BUILDING Our newly refurbished building is a standout addition to the area. Just a 3-minute walk from North Acton station (Central Line) and 10 minutes from Acton Main Line (Elizabeth Line), it’s perfectly positioned for easy commuting. MORE THAN JUST SPACE With shared services, onsite support from Imperial Incubator and trusted SME suppliers, plus community initiatives designed to support and inspire, we’ll help you build your business, keep your team engaged and attract top talent. Ready to occupy Labs Flexible Terms Cost Effective Fantastic Transport Links Common Amenities Imperial Linked Member- supported Ecosystem Services See Available Lab and Office Space Discover Our Community Arrange a Visit Supported by Imperial and part of a dynamic life sciences and deep tech community. Imperial Incubator, the university’s home for lab-based startups, will have an integral involvement onsite. Bringing over 20 years’ experience in helping early-stage, lab-based startups to grow, the Incubator team will contribute comprehensive technical, business and relationship-building support. In addition to providing hands-on assistance via a Lab Manager, Imperial Incubator will serve as a gateway to Imperial’s extensive capabilities including advanced equipment, prototyping facilities and research centres, complemented by a deep pool of academic expertise, skilled graduates and valuable industry contacts. How does Imperial Incubator help our members? PART OF IMPERIAL'S INNOVATION CLUSTER A dynamic life sciences and deep tech community. Imperial College London is playing a pivotal role in the regeneration of Old Oak, helping shape the area into a new district for deep-tech innovation and enterprise. Imperial’s investment in Old Oak includes the advanced manufacturing site Grapht Works , which sits five minutes away from our site. The implications for innovators are profound and unique for a London Zone 2 location, allowing them to move seamlessly from R&D to pilot space, and iterate without the commute. That's why an increasing number of innovative companies are choosing this area for their manufacturing developments. Benefit of R&D Adjacent to Manufacturing Site WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR OFFERING? Download our brochure for more information Download 1 PORTAL WAY Cookie Policy | Privacy Polic y All rights reserved. ©Sciopolis@OnePortalWay 2026 | Website designed by Jamin Design Home The Building Location Community Latest Insights Contact Contact +44 7943 980146 info@sciopolis.co.uk Follow us on LinkedIn >

Partner with Sciopolis to convert underused commercial property into a thriving Innovation Hub with rapid activation, ready labs and full operational support. ACTIVATE FOR SCIENCE Transform your commercial property into a thriving Innovation Hub We partner with forward-thinking landlords, universities and local authorities to convert, build, activate and manage spaces for science and technology innovators. WHY WORK WITH SCIOPOLIS? Pragmatic, cost-effective delivery Following our rapid diagnostic study, we design, build, fitout, launch and activate spaces quickly, with site openings possible within 12 months of signoff Ecosystem building Our “black book” of academics, industry and service partners ensures tenant success and increases retention, creating a pipeline for future developments Ready-to-occupy labs and offices Tenants move in without upfront capital expenditure, removing friction: this makes your property more attractive and accelerates occupancy Initial Masterplan activation Whether delivering a single building or an ambitious masterplan, the key is to begin activation early. Our hubs spark wider regeneration and kickstart clusters Operational excellence We don’t just fill space, we actively manage and operate our hubs to drive compliance, efficiency and community Have more questions? Read Our FAQs Download Our Brochure SCIOPOLIS DELIVERS END-TO-END DEVELOPMENT From concept to completion, we take on the technical and operational demands that set laboratory space apart from standard commercial property. Design & Build Expertise We deliver cost effective labs and offices, with thoughtful shared amenities, taking care of all the technical complexities Operational Support We manage operations - from lab compliance to community programming- so you retain full control of your property without the hassle Identity & promotion We create compelling propositions that drive occupancy, enhance the value of your asset and position it as part of a UK-wide innovation network Ecosystem creation We pull together the right mix of partners, events and networks to attract tenants and create a vibrant, place-based ecosystem WHY NOW? Demand for cost-effective, flexible, ready to occupy laboratory and office space is high among early-stage science and technology ventures. By partnering with us, you can: Activate underutilised assets or unlock new revenue streams. Establish an anchor building that sparks life in the cluster, sets the tone for a new district and validates the wider masterplan Tap into an emerging market of science and technology ventures. Enhance long-term value by aligning your property with one of the UK’s most strategic growth sectors. Read Our FAQs CAN YOUR PROPERTY BECOME AN INNOVATION HUB? Sciopolis is building a network of Innovation Hubs. If you own commercial property in or near innovation clusters, university towns or regional growth areas, we'd welcome a conversation about partnership opportunities. Schedule a rapid Feasibility Study to understand: Your site's suitability for conversion Estimated investment requirements and timeline Projected rental yields and occupancy rates Market positioning within regional innovation ecosystem Find out more about our Feasibility Study approach here Get In Touch CONTACT US Contact us to discuss how we can help you convert your existing space or build and activate new Innovation Hubs for science and technology businesses.

Five Things Every Life Sciences Founder Must Get Right - by David Montgomery Early-stage life sciences innovation is entering a period of extraordinary opportunity. Across biotech, MedTech, diagnostics and deep healthtech, scientific capability has never been stronger. Academic spinouts are forming at pace. Capital is more globally mobile than ever. Innovation hubs like Sciopolis are deliberately bringing talent, ready to occupy infrastructure and investors into closer proximity. And yet, most breakthrough science does not become a scalable company. The gap between invention and impact is not usually scientific. It is strategic. In our work with founders and early teams, we see the same inflection points arise again and again. The companies that navigate them well accelerate. The ones that don’t often stall - sometimes quietly, sometimes expensively. Here are five things every life sciences founder must consider early. 1. Who is actually buying this? And why? Founders naturally optimise for scientific novelty or technical performance. But markets do not buy novelty: they buy solutions to funded problems. Healthcare buyers are rarely the end users. Clinicians influence. Patients benefit. But payers, procurement teams, integrated care systems, or pharma partners control budgets. A powerful early question is not “Does this work?” but: • Who writes the cheque? • What line item does it come from? • What does success look like in their system? Companies that clarify this early design very differently, from evidence generation to pricing to geographic prioritisation. 2. Are you building with the end game in mind? Too many companies enter clinical development focused on a single regulatory milestone in a single geography. But clinical strategy, regulatory pathway, reimbursement positioning and commercial sequencing are not separate workstreams. They are one integrated design problem. A trial that secures approval but does not support reimbursement can destroy value. A regulatory shortcut that limits label expansion can constrain future markets. A local strategy that ignores global sequencing can cap valuation. The most successful founders think in systems. They design backwards from long-term scale. 3. Clinical performance alone does not drive adoption In healthcare, adoption is not linear. A technology can be clinically superior and still fail commercially. Why? Because: • It disrupts workflow • It shifts budget between departments • It creates unfunded downstream costs • It lacks a champion within the system • It generates data that no one is incentivised to act upon Understanding how adoption actually happens, in real institutions, under real constraints, is often the difference between pilot projects and sustained revenue. 4. Fundraising is about execution risk, not just technology Investors rarely lose money because the science was not interesting, they lose money because execution risk was misunderstood. Early decks often focus heavily on: • The mechanism • The IP • The unmet need But experienced investors are scanning for something else: • Is there a credible regulatory path? • Is the capital plan realistic? • Is the team capable of navigating complexity? • Is the commercial model scalable? Raising capital without a clear scale-up narrative is expensive and dilutive. Raising capital with one creates leverage. 5. Founder overload is real. And dangerous. Life sciences founders operate in compressed decision environments. Within months, they may need to make high-stakes decisions across: • Regulatory strategy • Clinical design • Health economics • Market access • Hiring • Financing • Partnering Most have deep expertise in one domain, usually science. Very few have experience building companies across multiple healthcare systems, regulatory regimes and funding cycles. The risk is not simply making a wrong decision, it is making a series of uninformed early decisions whose consequences compound quietly over time. This is where basing yourself in an ecosystem like the one Sciopolis is building can help. Innovation hubs such as 1 Portal Way in North Acton actively curate networks of experienced partners, bringing specialist expertise directly into the ecosystem through structured engagement, events and founder support. PM Life Sciences is part of this partner network: through targeted involvement in the Sciopolis ecosystem, it provides founders with access to hard‑won experience across regulation, reimbursement, clinical strategy and commercialisation. Strategic support at this stage is not about outsourcing leadership. It is about reducing avoidable error, stress‑testing assumptions early and giving founders clearer signal in environments heavy with noise. The translation gap, and how we can help Across innovation ecosystems globally, there is a persistent translation gap between academic excellence and scalable company formation. Brilliant science does not automatically translate into: • Investor-ready narratives • Global regulatory strategy • Reimbursement alignment • Credible commercial pathways Bridging that gap requires experience not only of innovation but of healthcare systems, regulation, market access and global execution. PM Life Sciences was founded by to work precisely at this inflection point. Drawing on deep experience across healthcare systems, regulation, clinical development and commercial strategy in multiple markets, we support founders and early teams to: • Clarify who their real buyer is • Design integrated regulatory and reimbursement pathways • Align clinical evidence with long-term value creation • Build credible investor narratives • Navigate complex ecosystems with confidence We work with biotech, MedTech and diagnostic companies at the stage where early strategic decisions shape long-term outcomes. Our focus is simple: To help innovators move faster, with fewer avoidable missteps and with a clearer line of sight to sustainable value creation. For founders within Sciopolis and across the wider innovation ecosystem, the opportunity is immense. But so is the complexity. Getting the early decisions right is not just helpful, it is compounding. Find out more: PM Life Sciences Consulting

30 Mar 2026 First Tenant announced: Ki-Hydrogen Welcoming Ki Hydrogen to 1 Portal Way A UK cleantech startup with breakthrough green hydrogen technology is set to call our North Acton Innovation Hub home from June 2026. This is what we built 1 Portal Way for. 1,500 SQ FT LAB & OFFICE June 2026 OPENING 55,000 SQ FT TOTAL HUB 24 TOTAL LABS AVAILABLE We’re really pleased to announce that Ki Hydrogen — one of the UK’s most promising cleantech startups — will be the first company to take up space at our new Innovation Hub at 1 Portal Way, North Acton, ahead of our June 2026 opening. Ki Hydrogen will occupy 1,500 sq ft of laboratory and office space, giving their team the room and infrastructure to progress into an engineering scale-up phase — all while staying connected to the Imperial College London ecosystem they grew up in. From a single bench to a fully fitted lab Ki Hydrogen’s journey is the kind of story that 1 Portal Way is designed to support and extend. The company originated within Imperial’s innovation ecosystem, beginning with a single bench at Imperial Incubator in White City. They then moved into dedicated lab space before being selected for the inaugural cohort of EarthScale — the Imperial-led programme supporting pioneering climate tech ventures advancing from prototype to commercial manufacturing — as well as Imperial Undaunted’ s accelerator. Their arrival at 1 Portal Way is the next chapter: a purpose-built hub where they can scale their technology without leaving the network that has supported them. “Sciopolis offers exactly the kind of environment we need as we progress into our engineering scale-up phase. Remaining within the Imperial and WestTech London ecosystem — while gaining the space, capability and flexibility to scale our technology — is a major advantage. We’re excited to grow here in Old Oak and to contribute to this emerging innovation cluster.” Koji Muto — Co-founder & CEO, Ki Hydrogen Technology that matters Ki Hydrogen is tackling one of green hydrogen’s most stubborn problems: the enormous amount of energy required to produce it. Green hydrogen is an essential chemical feedstock to make clean fuels, but it takes a huge amount of electricity to make, which has always kept costs high. Ki Hydrogen has found a smarter way. Instead of using electricity alone, their process leverages abundant, non-food biomass: things like leftover wood waste, agricultural residue, and industrial side streams. The result is green hydrogen produced at a fraction of the usual energy cost. As a bonus, the process also co-produces biogenic CO₂, itself a valuable ingredient in sustainable aviation fuel and green methanol. So one process, two useful outputs, and a much more viable path to clean industry. Part of a growing cluster Ki Hydrogen’s arrival at 1 Portal Way places them at the heart of Imperial’s emerging Old Oak Innovation Cluster, part of WestTech London . They’ll be neighbours with companies including Solena Materials, based at Imperial’s nearby advanced manufacturing site, Grapht Works. “We’re delighted to see Ki Hydrogen continue to grow. They started with a single bench at Imperial Incubator and then moved into their own dedicated lab space. Now we are looking forward to partnering with Sciopolis at 1 Portal Way and to working with Ki Hydrogen again. Their journey shows exactly what WestTech London is designed to deliver: a place where a startup can launch easily, expand within a supportive community and begin pilot manufacturing locally.” Graham Hewson — Head of Incubation & Prototyping Spaces, Imperial College London Setting the scene for what's to come London has a well-documented shortage of affordable, ready-to-occupy laboratory space. Too many companies at a critical stage in their growth are priced out of the capital just as they’re hitting their stride. 1 Portal Way exists to change that: offering cost-effective, fully fitted CL2 laboratories and flexible offices, with no upfront capital investment required, embedded in an exciting, university-linked ecosystem. “Ki Hydrogen’s arrival sets the tone for what Sciopolis stands for: bringing together companies tackling the world’s most urgent challenges, and giving them the space, infrastructure and community support they need to scale and begin manufacturing in London.” Charlie Mitchell — CEO, Sciopolis If your company is looking for space to grow, we’d love to talk . Ki Hydrogen is the first member of our community, and it’s a lovely first. We’ll be announcing more tenants in the months ahead as we count down to our June opening. Discover our lab and office availabilty Download our Brochure ABOUT KI HYDROGEN: ki-hydrogen.com →

Sciopolis provides flexible lab and office spaces for science and tech ventures in London and Cambridge. Innovation hubs with CL2 labs, workspace solutions and ecosystem support REMARKABLE PLACES where science & technology businesses grow For Businesses For Landlords LATEST NEWS 3 July 2026 1 Portal Way: Open for Business! On July 2, we celebrated the opening of the building with our community. Now we can't wait to welcome you to 1 Portal Way, North Acton. Closer than you think. Read More Sign Up To Our Newsletter OUR LOCATIONS We are busy scoping out innovation sites in London and Cambridge, comprising of lab, office and event spaces. If you are looking for space, please get in touch so we can capture your requirements early. 1 Portal Way, North Acton Exciting opportunity for ready-to-occupy laboratory and office space located in North Acton, part of Imperial College London's new Old Oak Cluster. Learn More Book A Tour Sciopolis provides science and technology companies with the workspace and support they need to grow. We partner with landlords, universities, institutions and local government to deliver and operate Innovation Hubs for early‑stage science and technology businesses. Our well‑designed, ready‑to‑occupy labs and offices - complete with great amenities and flexible lease terms- allow companies to move in without upfront capital and focus on growing their business. In parallel with our space provision, and arguably more importantly, we also activate a powerful ecosystem that connects tenants with universities, service providers and other partners to help them overcome scaling challenges and increase their chances of success. Sciopolis is building a network of Innovation Hubs across strategic locations, initially focused in London and the Golden Triangle. ABOUT US WHAT WE OFFER TO SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY BUSINESSES We create cost-effective, functional and inspiring lab and office spaces, with shared amenities and event programmes to support growing science & technology businesses. Ready-to-occupy lab solutions Flexible service proposition Network connections Supportive community Find Out More Looking for ready-to-occupy lab and office space? WHAT WE OFFER TO LANDLORDS We support landlords, universities or local government who wish to create science and technology Innovation Hubs, by either converting existing sites or creating new ones. Our focus is on pragmatic, cost-effective and speedy delivery, coupled with meaningful ecosystem activation. Design & Build Operational Support Ecosystem creation Identity & promotion Ready to turn your building into an Innovation Hub? Find Out More WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT We start from the tenants, not the building. We know what early-stage science and technology innovators need, and we build with their needs front of mind. Speed Speedy and cost-effective deployment, with site opening as early as 12 months from sign-off. Deep Expertise Networks Commitment We have the expertise to design, build, fit-out, tenant-activate and operate such spaces. Experience and connections gained from years in the sector allow us to create the right conditions for ventures to thrive. We are passionate about creating the right infrastructure to support UK Innovation. CONTACT US Landlord? Contact us to create and activate Innovation Hubs Businesses? Enquire about our exciting lab and office spaces Get In Touch SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER

22 Mar 2026 1 Portal Way: we are on track to open in June We’re excited to share the latest progress at 1 Portal Way , as we move through the final stages of construction ahead of our June 2026 opening. With the building now nearing completion, the transformation is becoming clearer every week. A Fresh New Exterior Our façade is undergoing an exciting artistic transformation. In collaboration with North Acton’s Artist in Residence, David Samuel , and the Rarekind Studio team, the exterior is being reinvented with a bold black backdrop layered with molecular patterns and connecting streaks of colour: a visual expression of creativity, science and community coming together. Entrance Building Taking Shape With the entrance building now watertight, we’ve opened up the internal structure and begun forming the arrival sequence. The café and event space — open to the whole community — already feels like it will become a lively social hub. We will soon announce who we are partnering with to manage our exciting café! Floor is lava! Interior Finishes Underway This month marks the start of the “good bits”: Glazed internal screens are being installed to draw natural light deep into the building. Oak internal doors have arrived and are being fitted. Refurbishment and reglazing of original windows are close to completion. Event Spaces & Meeting Rooms available to book from June We are already seeing strong interest in our soon‑to‑launch event and meeting spaces. Designed to support everything from workshops and board meetings to community events, founder gatherings and product demos, these rooms will become an important part of the innovation ecosystem we are building. The main event space will host up to 80 people , complemented by a range of meeting rooms ideal for team sessions, investor presentations or collaboration days. With natural light, modern AV and direct access to the café and terrace, these areas have been crafted with flexible, future‑facing teams in mind. If you're exploring options for events, offsites or regular meeting space, you can preview them here: 👉 View event & meeting room details 👉 See full building specifications & availability Innovation in... every wall Following our January trial of sustainable construction technologies, we’re proud to have fully integrated BioTwin hemp‑based wall studs into the project, having met them via the Imperial Undaunted Accelerator. This net‑zero, bio‑based material replaces traditional metal studs in selected partitions — a small but meaningful shift in reducing embodied carbon and showcasing the type of innovation we want our building to represent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG-vLmJmrls A Garden for work+ breaks Our new landscape design has now been signed off. The south‑facing garden terrace — wrapped in mature yew hedging — will offer: Space for outdoor events — think summer BBQs.. Member‑only space for a relaxed coffee A canopy‑covered zone perfect for meetings in warmer months Private terraces are rare in commercial office buildings; this will become one of the most unique and cherished features here. Getting ready for first arrivals We’ve begun working with our first incoming tenants, shaping their spaces around their specific scientific and operational needs. With the building moving into its final phase of delivery, everything remains firmly on track for welcoming teams this summer. We will soon be announcing our first tenants — so watch this space. Are you looking? Are you searching for cost‑effective labs, flexible office space or an exciting event space in a well‑connected London location? 👉 Check out our availability Join us for a #TuesdayTour to experience the labs, the event spaces, the garden and the community that’s forming here. 👉 Book your tour — we’d love to show you around 📏 View the Floorplans 📕 Download our Brochure 👋See you next month for the next update

17 Feb 2026 Not all labs Are "Chemistry Labs": but what is a chemistry lab? Over the last few months, thanks to the great work of the Royal Society of Chemistry and their #morechemlabs campaign, we’ve been digging deep into a surprisingly difficult question: what exactly does a chemistry founder need from a lab? Everyone talks about “lab space” for innovators, but almost no one talks about chemistry-ready lab space. And that distinction matters. Many of the “labs” marketed to early-stage founders simply aren’t suitable for real chemistry. They’re biology-optimised, infrastructure light and they rarely have externally vented extract to support a fume cupboard. They look like labs, but they often cannot safely support the workflows chemistry founders actually rely on. We’re trying to take a different approach. At One Portal Way in North Acton (Opening Summer 2026), we’re building 24 new labs intended to support a wide range of disciplines: biotech, cleantech, materials, chemistry and more. Every one of our labs includes an externally vented extraction duct from day one. This ducting is capable of supporting at least one 1500 mm externally vented fume cupboard. Not a benchtop accessory. Not a recirculating cabinet. A real chemistry fume cupboard, the bare minimum (we think! But please tell us otherwise) for anyone working with solvents, reagents, exothermic reactions or the everyday realities of synthetic chemistry. We’ve learned that this level of infrastructure is surprisingly rare . Many of the new commercial lab buildings and science coworking spaces simply weren’t built for it. Retrofitting is expensive. Duct runs are complex. Landlords don’t love the disruption. As a result, chemistry founders are pushed into spaces that look like labs but they often aren’t capable of supporting the work required to build real, defensible IP. We want to change that and remove the friction that slows early-stage innovators. As we’re finalising the buildout at One Portal Way, there’s still time to accommodate what chemistry founders consider essential : if you tell us what you need, we can hopefully factor it in. This means: no retrofitting costs, no extraction approvals, no “maybe in six months. If you’re a chemistry founder, please get in touch : tell us what “chemistry ready” means for you, so we can build it. Sciopolis - 1 Portal Way opens in June 2026 . (come have a look, we run tours every Tuesday)

5 May 2025 Our Monthly Update is here - April 2025 Despite Easter with all its chocolate and mini breaks, April has been a dynamic month for Sciopolis, marked by exciting developments that we hope to announce in the very near future. Our commitment to supporting early-stage science and technology ventures continues to drive our efforts and conversations, whether they are about sustainable construction materials or how to build ecosystems around our future sites. Key Highlights : 1. Creation of Innovation Hubs We are accelerating work on a major project in West London which we hope to announce very soon, and started filming around the area, as our previous experience taught us that “video says it better”. If you can see it you can, more easily, believe it. A nascent ecosystem requires some imagination, and capturing the key places and characters from the start – and then following them overtime – is what creates substantiation. Filming with an old friend - Panji Kaonga from Fabulr Studios The Origin project in Cambridge with The Crown Estate continues to move forward positively, with the BBC giving labs and farms coverage within the same sentence, for possibly the very first time. This month we have been appointed to conduct another Feasibility Study on a building in West London which we hope to announce soon. We discussed this in our most popular blog this year ( Can your building be turned into an Innovation Hub? ) and explained what we look at when ascertaining if a building or an area is suitable to host science and technology ventures. We also talked about how much we enjoy immersing ourselves in these projects and assessing them both from a real estate and ecosystem potential perspective. 2. Building Strategic partnerships We have been busy talking to old friends and selecting new partners to join our network of service specialists. These partnerships are crucial to ensure we can offer our members the resources they need, from science support to funding and talent, marketing and legal services. At the moment we are particularly focused on Sustainable & Cleantech solutions and figuring out how to use them across our sites. We covered this topic in our blog this month , where we launched our Sciopolis Cleantech Commission and invited innovative companies to get in touch with their ideas . We are actively engaging with makers and artisans in the Park Royal Design District to re-use materials, implement solutions and identify opportunities to pilot technologies: our friends at Blast Studio came in to show us their recycled-coffee-cups panels which would look great in a coffee area! We visited eXmoor Pharma and were very impressed with their setup and ventilation system, as we explore the need for more GMP Manufacturing in the UK. On this point, it’s worth highlighting the interesting GMP Facilities report from Constructing Science this month, which identifies a gap in the market for facilities dedicated to the production of clinical drug trials and personalised medicine. 3. Community Engagement We participated in several industry conferences and explored other Innovation Hubs to learn form their experience. Among our many discoveries, we discussed the importance of both pubs (Park Royal) & pharmacies (Dubai ) in the creation of a good ecosystem. This may be helpful for you to know as you emerge from the Bank Holiday: you were not at the pub, you were busy building an ecosystem! As we move into May, our focus remains on expanding our network, building strategic partnerships and supporting our community of innovators. Stay tuned for more updates and join us on this journey of growth and innovation! Follow us on LinkedIn

3 Apr 2025 The Times: Universities slash equity stakes in tech spinouts Last week, The Times reported that the average stake taken by universities in tech spinout ventures dropped to 16.1 per cent, a ten-year low, having been as high as 24 per cent in 2019 – based on a study commissioned by The Royal Academy of Engineering. I was very encouraged to see this statistic as I have, first hand, seen the tension that comes when a business wants to spin out from a university environment and the university wants to take a significant equity stake. Where businesses can be formed with relatively little capital and can be inspired by concepts that do not need access to significant physical assets to prove them then it doesn’t seem reasonable for universities to take significant stakes in the spin out. However, it seems entirely reasonable that universities should be rewarded appropriately for creating the environment for an idea to become a business and for enabling and supporting the early stages along with providing access to academic insight and supervision. I expect that a more proportionate approach will lead to more businesses being established, as the risk / reward trade off for founders who decide to take the leap to create a business is more favourable to them and I also suspect that such moves will encourage founders to look to the university to help (and therefore they will take a stake) rather than seeking to avoid it. In the long run, I believe this trend will lead to more innovation, entrepreneurship and therefore, one could argue, greater total returns for the university sector. Universities have a key role to play in nurturing and promoting innovation and translation into impact and this modernisation of the equity position they take in spin outs is, I believe, a positive move for all. Read The Times article here Follow us on LinkedIn

10 May 2026 Monthly Update: final sprint! As we speed towards opening the building in a month or so, many of you have asked us to keep you posted on progress. So here's what's been happening. The team is coming together Our site team is coming together brilliantly. Amy Bush joined us as General Manager, after years at I-HUB on the White City Campus nurturing and growing a great community there. Sandamali (Sandy) Dissanayake also started as our Lab Manager: working with Imperial Incubator, she will shape how our labs function day-to-day for the scientists using them. Construction is progressing at a furious pace Construction is never without its challenges, but the past few months have been a strong example of what good partnership looks like in practice: solving problems quickly and keeping momentum high. Completion in June is close now, and we're starting to see more of the building's personality emerge, from the evolving reception space to the bold exterior that reflects the energy of the future community inside. The next few weeks will see us finalise labs and offices and bring the reception to life. We can't wait. Old Oak: a cluster coming to life The launch of Grapht Works at Imperial College London's Old Oak cluster (5 minutes from us) is bringing together an impressive group of companies working across materials, energy and advanced manufacturing. We're proud that 1 Portal Way will not just sit adjacent to this community but work closely with it, creating a "R&D to plant in 5 minutes" offering that's very unique for London. A growing, curious community meets on Tuesdays Our Tuesday Tours have been busier and more interesting than ever. This month we've brought together mixed groups of founders, researchers, universities and future tenants — often combining visits to both 1 Portal Way and the neighbouring Grapht Works site. The result has been engaged, cross-disciplinary, cross-university conversations (and good step counts for everyone). From professors at the forefront of convergence science to founders just beginning their journey, the level of curiosity and urgency is unmistakable. This has been one of the most rewarding aspects of our last few weeks. The sun is shining on 1 Portal Way As someone put it: "the weather has been really playing ball with you guys." With brighter days, North Acton artist David Samuel was able to complete the exterior of the building in record time, and the scaffolding has come off. The exterior is revealing its full palette, bringing colour and identity to the site — a small preview of the vibrant, slightly rebellious and deeply connected community we're building inside. Finalists at the CN Awards We're flattered to be nominated finalists in several categories: Best Developer, Best Retrofit & Reuse, Innovative Workspace Design and Project of the Year. Bringing home one of these in the same month we open would be quite something. Check out CN Life Sciences, Tech & Research Clusters 2026 shortlist Want to join us? If you are looking for cost-effective lab and office space in London, look no further: One Portal Way If you would like to join one of our TuesdayTours, pls get in touch If you would like to partner with us to support innovators, just join our community