Search Results

22 Apr 2026 Lab to Manufacturing. Without the commute. Last month, Imperial College London inaugurated the Victoria Industrial Estate under its new name: Grapht Works . Names matter. Graft speaks to work, iteration, getting your hands dirty and staying close to the process. It also signals the coming together of things, the building of a new community. And for our tenants at 1 Portal Way , this moment is profoundly practical. What’s been launched next door (a five‑minute walk away)is pilot manufacturing capacity sitting directly alongside our ready‑to‑occupy labs and offices. In London, this kind of proposition is almost unheard of. A proposition that barely exists in London If you are a science or technology scale-up thinking about the next stage of your journey, which is likely to involve manufacturing - whether that’s imminent or still a year or two down the line - the usual London story is compromise. Labs in one place. Manufacturing somewhere else. Here in North Acton, there’s no compromise. At 1 Portal Way, you can be running R&D in fully fitted labs while your manufacturing sits literally 200m/ a “five-minute walk” away. Not in an industrial park beyond the M25, nor a train journey away. We’re talking about two sites designed to operate as one ecosystem- physically, culturally and programmatically: for founders and operators, this level of adjacency matters hugely. Why this matters? Manufacturing is iterative. Distance kills iteration. Manufacturing is not a fixed end state, especially at pilot and demonstration scale. It’s a process of adjustment, refinement, and correction. When your lab is far from your manufacturing site, iteration slows, small teams waste time travelling, decisions get deferred and changes wait until “the next visit”. Here, iteration compresses: you can walk from the manufacturing floor back to the lab. Adjust a process. Test it. Return. Adjust again. Several times in a single day if needed. That is not a marginal gain, it is a structural advantage. It means faster learning, tighter feedback loops, and better decision-making (especially for lean teams where every hour matters.) There isn’t a better place to do this in London There are very few locations in Zones 1 or 2 where manufacturing is even permitted. Fewer still (none?) where manufacturing sits directly alongside labs, offices, and an active innovation community anchored by a world‑leading university like Imperial College London. As far as we can see, nowhere else combines all of the following: Ready‑to‑use lab and office space where teams can refine and adjust their process. Adjacent manufacturing capability the kind where you can literally drive your forklift from one building to the next. A single, integrated community and programme , offering stage‑appropriate connections that accelerate thinking and reduce time to scale. Central London connectivity , making it easier to attract talent and maintain effortless commutes. A position within the Imperial and WestTech London ecosystem , giving companies privileged linkage to research, talent and translational infrastructure. For companies serious about scaling, this is a rare alignment of capabilities, location and ecosystem support. The successful launch of Grapht Works simply formalised what we already believed: 1 Portal Way occupies a genuinely unique position in London’s innovation landscape. Lab to manufacturing. Same day. Same community. Same momentum. Looking for Labs & Office space adjacent to advanced manufacturing? Check us out Want to find out more about Grapht Works? Brochure's here

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 .

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

25 Mar 2025 UK Life Sciences miss out on £15bn to global rivals By Mark Sanders, Chairman of Sciopolis UK Life Sciences are missing out on billions to global rivals: isn’t it time to act before it’s too late? The SCI report yesterday highlighted a competitiveness gap costing us £15 billion annually. Despite being identified as a key sector for economic growth, the UK is falling behind international rivals. Key findings from the report were: - The UK has dropped from the second to eighth place in global life sciences FDI - Clinical trials initiated in the UK have decreased by 8% since 2017/18. - Employment in life sciences has remained flat in the UK while growing by 20% in Europe. - The UK’s share of global pharmaceutical exports has dropped from 5.4% in 2018 to 3.8% in 2023. These findings are not encouraging and even less so in the context of the ambition for the UK to be a Science Superpower. My perspective is that we need to not only focus on the desired outcomes, but also the process and infrastructure to get us there. One positive way to react to this crisis would be for the government to focus on physical infrastructure that can retain and support innovators in the UK. Innovation Hubs similar to what Imperial has built at White City Innovation District - well connected, with density of researchers and industry, supported by the local authority as well as by a top university- increase the chances for innovators to attract investment, develop their ideas and make it through their commercialisation journey We need to quickly refocus on the needs of innovators and build places for them to come together, and robust networks that help them to connect the dots. This, of course, is in addition to the other measures suggested by the report, i.e. tailored incentives, streamlined regulatory processes etc. We can celebrate the UK at the forefront of life sciences invention, but we need to better sustain innovation through the other tricky phases too- including scaling and manufacturing. The risk of not doing it may mean losing the battle to other ecosystems that can cater for the entire journey. Read the full article here

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

11 Mar 2025 Origin Public Consultation: see what is being proposed and have your say.

28 Nov 2025 London Spinouts: we are building space for you Spinouts continue to grow as a mighty Asset Class This month, spinouts have been everywhere , cropping up in reports, events, and the press. No longer niche curiosities tucked away in university corridors, spinouts are emerging as a distinct asset class, blending academic credibility with commercial scalability. Investors are beginning to treat spinouts not just as startups, but as a new category of investment, one that blends science, capital, and resilience. Across London, Europe, and beyond, spinouts are reshaping how we think about innovation and economic value creation. Three reports released in November underline the growing strength of UK spinouts: London’s Life Sciences: spinouts at the core The MedCity Life Sciences Companies to Watch 2025 Report, released at London's Life Sciences Week, revealed a striking fact: 56% of the highlighted companies are spinouts . This isn’t just a statistic, it’s a signal that Universities are proving to be fertile ground for commercial breakthroughs, particularly in life sciences, and spinouts are also a dominant share of London’s innovation pipeline. Additionally: 56% are spinouts : a dominant share of London’s innovation pipeline. The Knowledge Quarter & White City are where the majority are based Commercial traction : spinouts are attracting capital faster than traditional startups. Spinouts are not just participating in London’s Life Sciences ecosystem; they are defining it. Deep Tech 2025: spinouts as a superpower The Dealroom Deep Tech Report 2025 , in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering, dedicates an entire chapter to spinouts, and makes some striking points. Spinouts are not just numerous, they’re disproportionately valuable. While they account for 34% of deep tech startups, they represent 37% of total enterprise value, punching above their weight in terms of economic impact. Additionally: They make up 43% of the startups that raised $10 million+ funding . Photonics (64% spinouts) and Quantum (58% spinouts) are the deep tech sectors with the strongest academic ties.. Switzerland & UK dominate Europe’s spinout ranking The Dealroom European Spinouts Report 2025 reveals staggering numbers: deep tech and life sciences spinouts across Europe are valued at $398 billion , creating over 167,000 jobs . Additionally: UK universities (Oxford and Cambridge) claim the two top spots with three others in the top ten (UCL, Imperial and University of Bristol). Switzerland has three locations in the top 10. Value creation by spinouts is accelerating The UK leads for spinout value creation , followed by Germany, Switzerland and France Sciopolis: building the workspace London spinouts need At Sciopolis, we believe spinouts deserve more than recognition, they need space to scale and develop their ideas. That’s why we are building cost‑effective, ready‑to‑occupy lab and office spaces in London at One Portal Way, in partnership with Imperial - and soon in other locations. But this isn’t just about (or for) Imperial spinouts. We want the best biotech, quantum, cleantech, AI spinouts from across London’s universities — UCL, King’s, Queen Mary, Brunel and beyond — to come together in our hubs. By clustering talent, ideas, and capital in shared spaces, we are going to create an environment where spinouts can collaborate, accelerate and ultimately scale. Now is the time to act. If you’re building a spinout, or supporting one, or want to invest in the next cohort of exciting spinouts - join us at One Portal Way - opening in June 2026 Get in touch to bring your venture into our hub, collaborate with London’s brightest minds, and help shape the future of innovation under one roof.

Be part of West London’s growing science and startup community. We offer ready to occupy labs and workspaces, Imperial connections, peer networks, specialist support and programmatic activity for growing ventures. Back to Sciopolis 1 PORTAL WAY THE BUILDING AVAILABILITY FAQS LOCATION COMMUNITY INCUBATOR NEWS & INSIGHTS CONTACT WHERE INNOVATORS CONNECT AND GROW TOGETHER At 1 Portal Way, North Acton, you get more than high‑spec labs and flexible workspace. You join a brand-new community built around collaboration, shared learning and practical support - deeply connected to Imperial College London and surrounded by fellow pioneers shaping the future of science and technology. From curated events and peer‑to‑peer learning to targeted help from specialist advisors, everything here is designed to help you grow faster, solve problems earlier and feel part of something bigger. OUR MEMBERS Green hydrogen and biogenic carbon from biomass. Learn More Microbiome-based solutions for women's intimate health. Learn More Could you be our next member? Come for a Tour NOT JUST A BUILDING The building is only 50% of the story. It's what happens inside that matters. From peer support and scaling advice to talent attraction and marketing amplification, Sciopolis surrounds every member with the people, expertise and connections they need to grow faster and reach further than they could alone. Peer support From shared equipment rooms to open breakout spaces, our building is designed to encourage interactions. Our programme of activities brings founders, researchers and teams together. Scaling Support We have lined up a trusted network of service partners, covering all aspects of business building, who can step in quickly when you need help. Talent Attraction Finding the right people is one of the biggest challenges for growing ventures. Here you’re not hiring alone - you’re hiring with the support of a connected network, plugged into Imperial College. Marketing Support We actively champion the companies based with us, seeking out meaningful spotlight opportunities. Your success becomes part of the building's identity, and we are here to amplify it. Lab Support via Imperial Incubator Because we partner with the Imperial Incubator, your team has access to dedicated support that covers both lab operations and the business side of scaling. You benefit from an onsite Lab Manager who understands scientific workflows, compliance and day‑to‑day lab needs, while also connecting you into the Incubator’s wider network of mentors, advisors and commercial expertise. Learn More WHO ELSE IS IN NORTH ACTON? The neighbourhood around 1 Portal Way is rapidly becoming a West London centre for science, technology and advanced manufacturing. Designers, makers and R&D teams work side by side, sparking fast collaboration and innovation. And with Imperial’s White City campus close by and Imperial Grapht Works just minutes away, you’re surrounded by experts tackling major challenges in chemistry, biotech, climate, engineering and deep tech. Biotechnology & drug discovery Learn More Sustainable material from used coffee cups Learn More Creative and Makers Workshops - at nearby Republic of Park Royal Learn More Medtech & diagnostics Learn More Advanced materials & engineering Learn More Climate tech & Cleantech Learn More WANT TO JOIN THIS COMMUNITY? Whether you’re looking for lab advice, a great collaborator, a new hire or your next investor meeting, the network we create around you will make it easier. You bring the ambition. We provide the connections, support and space to grow. Get in touch 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 >

16 Sept 2025 Scaling Stories: how community can help founders thrive When launching a new business, there are a few key things you must consider: what you enjoy doing, location and building a high-performing team. Experienced founders will know that the latter is key to longevity. Building a strong community of people not only fosters a supportive and collaborative environment but it also means you are sharing the scaling journey with other people, which is so important and necessary when you consider how lonely it can be as an entrepreneur. There's the unseen part of being a founder or an entrepreneur. It’s the work you're doing when you're not in the office; the kind of things that tend to consume your mind. You'll find yourself sneaking stuff in an evening and a weekend because you've got to keep up with the pace of everything. Inevitably, that does mean you make sacrifices in your family life. Giving up time to work on getting ready for the week ahead or catching up on the week before. This is where you see the benefits of being near to people who are having a similar journey. As a founder, there is an expectation to know everything, but knowing that you don’t know everything and being willing to ask for help is a very powerful leadership move. What matters is having a supportive network around you. Whether it’s collaborating with your team to get the best out of them as part of the community or talking to a peer in another industry, who just happens to be in the same building about things you're wrestling with, is really helpful. The more someone feels they belong to a community the more likely they are to perform at a high level and the less likely they are to leave. It’s well documented that being a founder and an entrepreneur is a lonely gig. Not only is community vital for helping to combat that, it is key for fostering employee engagement and for boosting productivity. 👉 If you believe in growing in the right community, explore our locations and be part of something big, from the start.

13 Mar 2026 A Rare Sight in London: Real Vented Extract Capacity If you’ve walked past 1 Portal Way recently, you may have noticed something unusual on the roof: the 6 newly installed vented fume extract risers. It may not look glamorous, but in the world of chemistry‑led innovation, it is a major milestone for this site and something somewhat rare in London science space. It turns out that many of the so‑called lab‑enabled buildings being delivered across the city do not actually include any vented extract. While recirculating systems such as microbiological safety cabinets can, in some cases-and particularly in life sciences-reduce or even eliminate the need for vented extract, this approach often does not meet the requirements of organisations working across the broader spectrum of science, including chemistry, materials, batteries, and related disciplines, where true ducted extract is essential for safety, process integrity and regulatory compliance. Designed for Chemistry from Day One At 1 Portal Way, being a purpose-built space, we have intentionally taken a very different approach. From day one, we designed the building to support a broader range of science innovation, including chemistry. That means every lab has the capability to install at least one fully vented fume cupboard, or a range of equipment requiring ducted extract, from specialist enclosures to hydrogen storage solutions and other process specific setups that chemistry companies depend on. Occasionally there are workarounds to avoid installing vented extract, but anyone working seriously in chemistry knows they are rarely the right long-term answer. So instead of designing for minimum compliance, we have designed for the reality of how scaling chemistry companies operate. How many vented extracts is "enough"? Now, is one vented fume cupboard per lab enough? If you ask around, chemistry founders will almost always say they want more. However, we also find that there is often a practical and commercial reality for fast growing teams about the difference between what they would want in an ideal world and what they actually need and can afford on day one, which is often a lower requirement. At 1 Portal Way our facility enables you to rapidly develop your science in a ready-to-occupy space with one extract (at least), and then - only when the moment is right and you have proved your concept - you can either take more space with more extract or move into more bespoke space with all the vented extract you could want. For many, that staged path can be a far more sensible solution. We are building 1 Portal Way to support the companies who genuinely need ventilated infrastructure and who rarely find it available in London. With the extract stacks now standing proudly on the roof, the building is one step closer to delivering on that promise. Check out our available labs and office space

+44 7943 980146 info@sciopolis.co.uk sciopolis GET IN TOUCH Are you a landlord, university or local authority looking to create Innovation Hubs in one of your buildings? Or a science and technology business looking for inspiring and ready to occupy lab and office space in London and Cambridge? Full Name* Email* Who are you?* Add a message or tell us more about what you need* Send Request CONTACT OUR TEAM Charlie Mitchell Founder & CEO Adam Kelliher Founder & NED Mark Sanders Founder & Chairman Caterina Rigoni Marketing & Ecosystem Lee Harle Founder & NED Zara Davidian Operations

5 Nov 2025 Monthly Update Capital alone doesn’t scale Innovation: infrastructure does October brought fresh insights into the UK’s innovation landscape, with the Beauhurst x Parkwalk Advisors Spinout Report 2025 highlighting strong investor confidence in university-led innovation. We are delighted, if somewhat unsurprised, to see the investment market improving. However, capital alone doesn’t scale innovation. Without the right infrastructure, spinouts risk burning through funding on workspace fit-outs in disconnected locations, slowing progress instead of accelerating it. At Sciopolis, we’re working to create that infrastructure every day. Here’s how we did it this month: We deepened Lab supplier relationships at the Lab Innovations event in Birmingham, seeking collaborators, not just vendors, who understand that value goes beyond equipment.. Read more here We explored the future of labs at the Royal Society of Chemistry’s #MoreChemLabs workshop , asking what minimum viable labs look like, and who’s ready to build them. We joined the Innovate Cambridge Summit , where the message was: ideas need capital, but ecosystems need infrastructure. Cambridge is the second most invested innovation hotspot in the world and we need to spread its power to other clusters – like Manchester for example, which we visited this week We stood on the balcony at Old Oak Common , witnessing the scale of HS2 and its potential to supercharge connectivity for our future tenants at #OnePortalWay . We believe you don’t have to build everything everywhere: it’s smarter to connect the dots. We shared our reuse-first approach in our Sensibly Sustainable blog , showing how hyperlocal circularity can be embedded into innovation spaces: simple in theory, harder in practice We celebrated community-led placemaking at North Acton Square where artists and makers are already thriving, and scientists will soon join them at #OnePortalWay . We advanced the AI conversation , from Italian Tech Week to the Ealing AI Conference, exploring what AI infrastructure our tenants will need, which sectors are emerging (is robotics about to have its “ChatGPT moment ” ?) and how we should respond - with excitement, caution.. or both? One Portal Way: as we progress our new innovation hub in North Acton , we’re spending equal time on construction (things going well. Opening in June 2026!) and on building the network and service infrastructure for our tenants that can make a material difference to their scaling. Fancy popping in? If you ever fancy a tour or a nose around, we’re onsite every Tuesday, just get in touch. We have had fantastic feedback to our tours: once you see the scale of what is being built in the area and the innovation potential, the penny really drops. We look forward to seeing you there!