Search Results
79 results found with an empty search
- New Tenant: P.Happi joins 1 Portal Way | Sciopolis
12 May 2026 New Tenant: P.Happi joins 1 Portal Way Second Tenant announced: P.Happi® A pioneering UK women’s health startup is bringing microbiome-based manufacturing to our North Acton Innovation Hub from July 2026 — a different sector to our first tenant, but the same story of science moving from research into scale. We’re delighted to announce P.Happi ® a pioneering UK women’s health startup developing microbiome-based products, as the second company to take up space at our new Innovation Hub at 1 Portal Way, North Acton. P.Happi ® will establish laboratory facilities at 1 Portal Way to scale the production of its patented microbiome-based active ingredient, Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus (B.Y.M. ® 1405) a naturally occurring bacterium at the heart of the company’s consumer health range. The move marks a critical step in P.Happi ® ’s evolution from research-led startup into a manufacturer capable of supporting more women with its intimate health solutions, while remaining embedded in the Imperial College London ecosystem. “P.Happi ® ’s journey is a strong example of how science-led ideas can progress from early research into real-world impact. Chiara founded the company within the Imperial ecosystem, and it’s exciting to see P.Happi® now taking the important step into manufacturing at Sciopolis. This is exactly the kind of transition we aim to support — enabling talented founders to stay connected to Imperial while gaining the space and infrastructure needed to scale responsibly.” Graham Hewson, Head of Incubation & Prototyping Spaces, Imperial College London From lived experience to a manufacturing-ready company P.Happi ® was founded by Dr Chiara Board , a scientist-turned-entrepreneur with a PhD from Imperial College London. The company began from a lived problem rather than a piece of technology: a frustration with the lack of innovation in women’s intimate health, where recurrent issues such as UTIs are too often managed with short-term interventions rather than approaches that support long-term microbiome balance. Founded within the Imperial innovation ecosystem and supported by Imperial Incubator, Imperial Enterprise Lab and the WE Innovate programme, P.Happi ® has since raised backing from leading investors including Mithril Capital, Calm/Storm, Firstminute Capital, Active Partners and SOSV. Its products are now sold at Boots and Pharmacy2U. After amazing reviews, and the company selling out of product, the next chapter is scaling its manufacturing. From its lab at 1 Portal Way, a small team will produce the active ingredient powder that sits at the core of P.Happi ® ’s product range. Producing on site allows the company to scale responsibly, maintain quality, and reduce reliance on a single external manufacturing partner. “You can have great innovation, but if it stays on the bench it never reaches people who can benefit from it. Frustrated by my own health journey, our mission has always been to bring meaningful innovation into women’s health and empower women with solutions they can easily access and use to better support themselves. Manufacturing is the step that turns science into impact. Being able to manufacture at Sciopolis, in a space that fully understands how scientists operate and is backed by Imperial, gives us the confidence to scale production without unnecessary risk or disruption, and to support more women with their intimate health.” Dr Chiara Board — Founder, P.Happi ® Why manufacturing is the missing middle The UK has world-class science, but too often it gets stuck at the bench. Scale-up infrastructure and commercial translation are where things break down, and that’s exactly the gap we are aiming to close. For a company at the production stage, the requirements are practical: cost-effective lab space that fits the margins of a scaling business, shared equipment that reduces capital outlay and a stable home that won’t disappear in twelve months. With Imperial College London behind 1 Portal Way, Sciopolis offers the kind of long-term commitment that matters when you’re housing critical equipment and planning a production run rather than a pilot. As Chiara says: “I can’t afford to move equipment around - there’s always a risk something breaks. Knowing that Imperial is behind this gives me the confidence that the space won’t fold or vacate next year and we have a home to continuously produce and grow. Staying part of that great ecosystem matters.” Part of a growing cluster P.Happi ® ’s arrival places them inside Imperial’s emerging Old Oak Innovation Cluster , part of WestTech London. They join Ki Hydrogen- our first tenant, announced in March- as part of a community of up to 30 science and technology scale-ups that 1 Portal Way is designed to support. The cluster also includes Imperial’s nearby advanced manufacturing site, Grapht Works , a 9.6-acre industrial estate situated 5 minutes away from 1 Portal Way, that is being repurposed for prototyping and pilot-scale manufacturing. The proximity allows tenants to move easily between laboratory and office space at 1 Portal Way and larger production facilities a short walk away. Different sector, same challenge Where Ki Hydrogen is tackling clean energy and P.Happi ® is advancing women’s microbiome health, the underlying challenge they share is the same: getting from research into reliable, repeatable production without leaving London or the network they grew up in. That’s what 1 Portal Way is built for: 55,000 sq ft of fully fitted CL2 laboratories and flexible offices, with shared amenities, a café, and direct connections to Imperial Incubator’s support and network through an on-site Lab Manager. No upfront capital investment, and the stability of a hub developed in partnership with Imperial College London. “P.Happi’s arrival demonstrates the breadth of innovation Sciopolis is designed to support. While operating in a very different sector to our first tenant, the challenge is the same — supporting ambitious science-led businesses as they move from innovation into manufacturing. Sciopolis exists to enable that transition in a stable, cost-effective environment that allows companies to grow without leaving London.” Charlie Mitchell, CEO, Sciopolis More to come: want to join us? We’ll be announcing more tenants in the weeks ahead as we count down to our June opening. If your company is looking for space to grow, check out our available labs and office space in North Acton and please get in touch . To come and have a look, pls contact us to get onto one of our TuesdayTours ABOUT P.HAPPI®: P.Happi® | Microbiome protection for your intimate area
- 2026 is here! 5 things we look forward to | Sciopolis
5 Jan 2026 2026 is here! 5 things we look forward to As we step into a new year, we can’t help but feel a sense of momentum: 2025 was a year of strong foundations, 2026 will be the year those efforts take shape, quite literally. Here are five things we’re most looking forward to in the year ahead. 1. Opening our first hub (June 2026) This coming summer marks a major milestone for Sciopolis: the opening of our first innovation hub in London’s North Acton. More than just a workspace- with 24 labs, 29 offices, event space and a café -it’s a physical expression of our mission to create cost-effective places where innovators can thrive. We are so excited to see it come to life and can’t wait to welcome the businesses who will make it their home! 👉 If you’re a venture looking for lab and office space in London in the next six months, take a look and get in touch for a tour : One Portal Way 2. Announcing our first tenants: who will they be? Later this year, we’ll reveal our first tenants: who will they be? A biotech improving human health, a cleantech driving net‑zero innovation, or a quantum or advanced materials company transforming industry? Our laboratories are designed to welcome a wide mix of scientific disciplines , so we expect innovators from across sectors and universities (not just Imperial) to be working side by side. One thing is certain: whoever steps in first will be ambitious, impact‑driven and ready to scale. For now, however, who's stepping into our building site at night is this foxy pioneer.. 👉 Venture looking for space? See what we offer to innovators across our hubs (foxes not part of the offering) 3. Introducing our strategic partners Over the past 18 months, we have been cultivating relationships with organisations that don’t just talk about innovation: they deliver it. In 2026, we will proudly unveil our strategic partners and ensure our members have access to the expertise, resources and connections they need to thrive. Our first question to everyone is simple: How will you help our tenants? What problem do you solve for them? These partnerships will be a cornerstone of our innovation network, supporting not only One Portal Way but also future Sciopolis hubs. 👉 If your organisation provides services that support innovators and you would like to join our network — or simply learn more about what’s involved — you can read more in our Service Partners Brochure here 4. Revealing our next location(s) Our first hub in North Acton is only the beginning. This year, we’ll also confirm other locations as part of our mission to create a network of hubs that connect strategic innovation clusters across the UK. By building a network of science‑led workspaces, we’ll accelerate collaboration, promote research exchanges, share insights and amplify impact. We believe it’s time to collaborate across geographies, universities and sectors. 👉 If you’re a landlord , local authority or university ready to activate your site for science we’d love to talk. Get in touch to explore partnership and activation opportunities 5. Embedding sensibly sustainable solutions In a challenging economic climate, we remain focused on reusing and on trialling practical, financially sustainable solutions , not passing the cost of greenwashing on to our tenants. In 2026, we’ll continue turning Sciopolis buildings into active showrooms: real‑world environments where innovators can test, showcase and refine their technologies. 👉 We’re always looking for cutting‑edge sustainability technologies to embed and showcase across our buildings: if this sounds like you get in touch and let’s explore how your innovation can come to life inside a Sciopolis hub. We wish you all a productive 2026!
- British Land To Turbocharge Massive Life Sciences and Innovation Drive | Sciopolis
18 May 2023 British Land To Turbocharge Massive Life Sciences and Innovation Drive
- Made in North Acton: 300 prosthetics a month. Meet Koalaa. | Sciopolis
1 PORTAL WAY THE BUILDING AVAILABILITY FAQS LOCATION COMMUNITY INCUBATOR NEWS & INSIGHTS CONTACT Back to Sciopolis Made in North Acton: 300 prosthetics a month. Meet Koalaa. Before you move into 1 Portal Way , it helps to know who your neighbours are, not just the people who will live beside you, but the people whose work is shaping what this area is becoming. One of them is Sanish Mistry, a designer at Koalaa, a company reinventing what prosthetics can be and who gets access to them. Koalaa builds soft upper limb prosthetics that can be fitted instantly, sent through the post, and produced at scale. Their mission is simple: make prosthetics accessible to anyone in the world who wants one, regardless of where they live. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRhwIqh4XUo The story began at Imperial. Koalaa’s founder, Nate, was a mechanical engineering student when he met Alex Lewis, a quadruple amputee recovering from sepsis. Nate wanted to build something “Ironman style” for him, but the things Alex valued most turned out to be much simpler: a soft fabric sleeve he could slip into immediately and a tiny clip that let him draw again. From that moment, Koalaa grew prototype by prototype, first in Imperial’s Hackspace, then in shared labs in White City and finally into a full R&D and production space in North Acton. This is the journey Imperial imagines for its innovators: learn in South Kensington, experiment in White City and scale production in North Acton. Koalaa has lived that journey step by step. Why North Acton and Park Royal? Because it offers what most of London cannot: space to design, space to test, space to build. The team needed room for sewing machines, 3D printers, fabrication tools, storage and a growing workforce, all of which are impossible to assemble in central London. North Acton/Park Royal let them keep their R&D close to the university ecosystem in White City while giving them the flexibility to manufacture at real scale. Today, Koalaa designs and produces around 300 prosthetic products a month from this neighbourhood and ships them across the world. Their devices are used in Sierra Leone, Gaza, Jordan, Ukraine, the United States and the UK. They have now supported more than 1,500 users across six continents, all from a workshop a few minutes from where you will live. Why is this relevant? Because Koalaa’s story says something important about this neighbourhood. It is a place where making matters. If someone visits Koalaa in the morning asking for a custom adapter, the team can design it, 3D print it and have them testing it the same afternoon. North Acton allows that kind of immediacy, something incredibly rare in London. It is a place with a true maker ecosystem. If Koalaa needs a part, a tool or a specialist machine, the answer is usually that someone around the corner has it. They collaborate with neighbours like POW Workshops, share equipment, swap skills and solve problems face to face. It is a place where design, science, craft and social impact meet. Koalaa sits alongside artists, fabricators, engineers, food tech startups and makers. It is real, a working neighbourhood with energy, talent and curiosity. It is becoming a social, supportive community. There are local events, open studios, weekend workshops, new cafés and restaurants, and a growing culture of sharing skills and supporting one another. It is also incredibly well connected: with the Central Line, Overground, cycle routes and the coming Old Oak Common interchange, it is one of the easiest places in London to move between research, industry and global travel. So what would Sanish say to you directly? “Welcome to a neighbourhood where things get built quickly, collaboratively and with heart. We came to North Acton because it gave us the space to design, test and manufacture without leaving London. It connected us to makers, tools and a community we could not find anywhere else." If you're thinking of moving to the area, you're joining a place where people look out for each other, where ideas travel easily between buildings, and where problem-solving happens with your hands as much as your head. Step inside, get involved, and see what's possible when you work in a neighbourhood that builds things every day. Want to come and have a look at North Acton? Want to base yourself in the area? Join us for a Tour Koalaa 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 >
- Sciopolis appointed as Development Advisor by The Crown Estate | Sciopolis
19 Mar 2025 Sciopolis appointed as Development Advisor by The Crown Estate Sciopolis has been appointed by The Crown Estate to explore opportunities for new start-up, lab, amenity and events space at Cambridge Business Park, North Cambridge. This will form part of the transformation of Cambridge Business Park to become a gateway to a broader innovation district in the area, combining local social impact with national, mission-led innovation. Sciopolis is now working with The Crown Estate to conduct feasibility studies to reposition existing buildings as an Innovation Hub. This could provide space for early-stage businesses, researchers, academics, industry partners and the wider community to locate and collaborate. Together, the organisations will explore how this Innovation Hub might contribute to the local area, and how they can support growing science and technology sectors, such as Cleantech. Sciopolis was appointed as a Development Adviser for this phase of the project based on its extensive experience in developing innovation hubs and for its focus on establishing effective ecosystems to help tenants scale and grow. The company partners with landlords, universities and local government to either convert existing sites or create new ones. Its mission is to build a network of such hubs across strategic locations in the country, providing much-needed infrastructure to help drive the Government’s Science Superpower mission. Sciopolis is expected to support the development of the site and to operate it, as well as initiate ecosystem-building activities at Cambridge Business Park. Mark Sanders, Chairman of Sciopolis, said: “We are proud to be advising The Crown Estate on creating not just a building, but the start of a long-lasting ecosystem. Working for a purpose driven organisation with a long-term focus is a great privilege and we know that this work has particular significance in The Crown Estate’s ambitious vision for Cambridge Business Park.” Charlie Mitchell, CEO of Sciopolis, added: “We never start from the building; we start from understanding what science and technology innovators need, and build for them. Cambridge has no shortage of talent and ideas, and the city is on the ramp up to boost innovation, so it needs infrastructure to match. This means more labs and more space to converge great minds through open design, thoughtful amenities and a relentless focus on collaboration. Cambridge Business Park is the ideal place for a new hub, and we are laying the groundwork for it to become a success story.” Click here to see the proposal under consultation
- #1 Reuse first | Sciopolis
17 Sept 2025 #1 Reuse first Sensibly Sustainable #1 : Reuse First Reuse isn’t glamorous. It doesn’t sparkle like innovation and it doesn’t grab headlines. But it’s quietly powerful. At One Portal Way, the reuse story starts with the building itself. What was once a standard office block is now being transformed into an Innovation Hub—not through demolition, but through a meanwhile retrofit. That decision alone is a massive act of sustainability. It means working with the structure that’s already there, extending its life and avoiding the carbon cost of starting from scratch. And that mindset has shaped every decision inside the building too. The desks and furniture left behind weren’t brand new—but they were solid, well-made, and full of potential. It would’ve been easy to start fresh. Order new. Throw the old in the skip and send it away. But we didn’t. Instead, we asked ourselves can we use what’s in front of us? And if not us (there were LOTS of chairs and desks), who else can use it? This approach takes time. Reuse isn’t the quick option. It means thinking about who might need something, reaching out, teeing it up, making yourself available. It means storing things carefully, coordinating repairs and trusting that the effort is worth it. You have to want it. Many of the desks that we already had are now being stored safely while the space is reimagined, and they’ll be repaired and adjusted with some help from the brilliant team at Sagal —ready to return in June 2026, refreshed and fit for purpose. Other things that were left behind in the building have found new homes. Planters and garden chairs have gone to our friends at Republic of Park Royal, on Minerva Road, with lots of other bits and pieces. A giant screen, once the centrepiece of a Microsoft Teams-enabled meeting room and now made unusable by technology obsolescence ( Charlie covered it in a post here ) , was carried (by hand!) by Johnny Brewin to the Foundry bar, where it now lives on in its second act. And, in a slightly more unexpected twist, one of our sinks has been claimed by the Imperial College facilities team, and it’s now going to be used in one of their kitchens. Sometimes reuse is practical. Sometimes it’s poetic. Sometimes it’s just a bit random. But always, it’s rooted in care. At Sciopolis, we believe sustainability starts with common sense. Not what’s trendy, not always the shiny new ball, but what’s necessary. And right now, what’s necessary is a shift from novelty to longevity. So next time you’re planning a space, a project ( or even a meal!) ask yourself: what can I reuse and repurpose? You might find the answer is already in front of you. Interested in updates like this? Follow us on LinkedIn and sign up to our Monthly Newsletter
- Art as Infrastructure: how creativity is rewiring North Acton & Park Royal | Sciopolis
1 PORTAL WAY THE BUILDING AVAILABILITY FAQS LOCATION COMMUNITY INCUBATOR NEWS & INSIGHTS CONTACT Back to Sciopolis Art as Infrastructure: how creativity is rewiring North Acton & Park Royal One Portal Way isn’t just a new building. It’s a new neighbourhood taking shape in North Acton, right in between Park Royal and White City, a place where scientists, engineers, creators, and residents will live and work side by side. That’s why the exterior of the building has been painted by someone who understands this area from the inside: local artist and creative founder, David Samuel . David has worked in Park Royal for over a decade. In that time, he’s watched the area evolve from an industrial zone into one of London’s most exciting centres for creativity and making. His murals, bold, abstract and instantly recognisable, have become a visual thread weaving through the neighbourhood. They’re not just art; they’re markers, signals, and signposts. They help people find their way, understand where they are and feel part of something. Bringing his work onto One Portal Way is a way of honouring the community that already exists here and welcoming the community that is about to arrive. Why does that matter for the people who will live or work at One Portal Way? Because places feel better—and function better—when you can read their story the moment you walk in. David’s mural signals that this is a neighbourhood rooted in real craft, real creativity, and real people. It shows that One Portal Way isn’t being dropped into a blank space; it’s being built in the middle of a living and breathing ecosystem. Park Royal is full of artists, sculptors, film‑makers, designers, and fabricators. White City, just a short walk away, is full of scientists, engineers, and researchers. David stands at the meeting point of those worlds. He’s already collaborating with Imperial College engineers, turning his hand‑made sculptures into 3D‑printed hybrids using laboratory technologies. Their first project together earned the student, Alex Ambrose, a First. More importantly, it sparked a movement: students are now asking how artists can help them think differently, and artists are discovering how science can expand their work. This is the type of crossover that One Portal Way can support and amplify. By adopting a local artist into the building’s identity—literally into its skin—you invite the wider community in. You make it easier for residents to discover what’s around them. You create natural paths between the makers of Park Royal and the innovators of One Portal Way, helping to shape a place where people don’t just pass through, but connect. David explains it simply:“Our science is world‑class. Our art is world‑class. When you bring them together, something new happens.” His mural is more than decoration. It’s a message that says: this is a place where communities converge and ideas mix. The thing we David is that what started as a commission became something much closer to a collaboration. Over the course of the project, he didn't just paint a building, he became part of the team working alongside us at Sciopolis and with McFeggan Brown, and winning over everyone he met with his passion for the area and his infectious enthusiasm. He brought his people with him, too. Members of his team have since entered our ecosystem and are becoming trusted suppliers in their own right. The photo below, of Charlie and David mid-hug as the project wrapped, says it better than we can. He may have started as a supplier, but ended up a friend. Watch David's interview below https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lthiHxXu3dU More about David: RareKind | Art & Design Studio for Murals, Signage and Direction 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 >
- Not all labs Are "Chemistry Labs": but what is a chemistry lab? | Sciopolis
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)
- One Portal Way, Old Oak - Sciopolis Appointment | Sciopolis
31 July 2025 One Portal Way, Old Oak - Sciopolis Appointment Imperial to launch new scale-up space for science and technology ventures in partnership with Sciopolis, delivering urgently needed affordable lab space for London Imperial College London is progressing the innovation-led regeneration of Old Oak with the launch of a new scale-up space for science and tech firms that delivers urgently needed affordable lab space for London One Portal Way, Old Oak is being delivered through a partnership of Imperial and Sciopolis, specialists in flexible, ready-to-occupy lab and office space. It has been designed to meet the needs of innovative scale-ups and will open its doors in mid-2026 The new facility is part of Imperial’s Old Oak Innovation Cluster , which brings together commercial spaces for innovation-led, high growth businesses and accommodation for more than 1,500 Imperial students and key workers Over the next decade, Imperial plans to transform its assets within the Old Oak area to create London’s new innovation and advanced manufacturing hub Imperial’s campus is part of the Old Oak and Park Royal Opportunity Area, London’s largest brownfield regeneration area, which is being delivered by OPDC, and at the heart of WestTech London, a globally significant innovation ecosystem that is igniting frontier innovation and cementing the UK’s position as a science superpower. Read the full coverage in The Standard Imperial College London is launching a new scale-up space for science and technology ventures, One Portal Way, Old Oak , helping to alleviate London’s shortage of affordable lab space and enabling rapidly growing businesses to remain in London as they scale. This new facility not only addresses the shortage of affordable specialist lab space in London, which threatens to hold back the growth of the UK’s science and tech sectors, particularly for startups looking to scale. It also creates a distinctive offer which enables direct connection and support from the world’s leading STEMB university, giving emerging businesses an unrivalled opportunity to grow at pace. One Portal Way, Old Oak will reinvent an existing building into 55,000 sq ft of fully fitted lab and office space, ready to occupy by a community of up to 30 scale-ups in mid-2026. The new facility is part of Imperial’s Old Oak Innovation Cluster, which brings together commercial spaces for innovation-led businesses and accommodation for more than 1,500 Imperial undergraduate students, staff and key workers. Imperial is partnering with Sciopolis – specialists in flexible, ready-to-occupy lab and office space – to develop and operate the space. Occupiers will benefit from the support of Imperial Incubator, the university’s home for early-stage lab-based companies, who will provide on-site assistance and facilitate connections to Imperial’s innovation ecosystem. Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial, said : “The UK, and London specifically, is exceptional at discovery science - but we risk becoming a place where great ideas are born, but cannot grow. One of the most urgent challenges is the lack of specialist, affordable lab and grow-on space. Our new innovation facility in Old Oak is a direct response to this challenge, a flexible, ready-to-use space that combines top-tier lab infrastructure with connection to a global university, creative industries, manufacturing capability and exceptional local, national and international transport connections.” Sciopolis CEO, Charlie Mitchell, said: “We know how challenging it is for startups and scaleups to secure suitable and affordable laboratory space. Speed is of the essence, as many ventures are being held back by the lack of grow-on infrastructure, which is why we are partnering with Imperial and other landlords to rapidly convert well-located, unused office and industrial space into innovation hubs with labs, amenities, and support. These spaces are designed to act as catalysts, attracting innovators and quickly building vibrant communities. One Portal Way, Old Oak is a prime example: a building bursting with potential to transform an area and launch a new chapter for Imperial in Old Oak.” Imperial’s One Portal Way, Old Oak will catalyse the transformation of Old Oak, within London’s largest regeneration zone, and play a role in supporting the major development pipeline for the local area which is being led by OPDC with the close involvement of other strategic partners including Ealing Council. In the future, the wider area will benefit from the Old Oak Common Station superhub, which is set to be the UK’s best-connected rail interchange with HS2, the Elizabeth line, Great Western Main Line and Heathrow Services. Imperial’s Old Oak Innovation Cluster is already well connected to central London and the UK via the Elizabeth line, central line and A40, and adjacent to Park Royal, the UK’s largest industrial area which is home to c.1,700 business and supports over 40,000 jobs. One Portal Way is less than 10 minutes from Imperial’s White City Deep Tech Campus. Located at the heart of WestTech London, the creation of One Portal Way, Old Oak ignites Imperial’s plans for the long-term transformation of its assets in the Old Oak area and supports its commitment to make West London the science and technology growth engine for the UK. WestTech London is an emerging innovation ecosystem that will become a globally recognised powerhouse for investment, economic growth and job creation, cementing the UK’s position as a leader in science and technology. WestTech London is bringing together industry, investors, universities, NHS trusts, local authorities, developers and government to fuel innovation and drive global impact. Ealing Council’s Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, Ealing Council’s lead member for decent living incomes, added : “Our borough is at the heart of WestTech London and our role as a national centre for science and technology is growing all the time. Our jobs and skills strategy – which is aligned with the National Industrial Strategy and London Growth Plan - highlights science and innovation as a priority growth sector for the borough, which can deliver thousands more well-paid jobs for residents over the coming years. The plans coming to fruition at One Portal Way will bring new businesses here that will help to grow our economy. We look forward to continuing to our joint working with Imperial and OPDC, establishing Old Oak as London’s new town for frontier innovation.” OPDC’s Chief Executive David Lunts says : “OPDC’s regeneration of Old Oak will create a revitalised urban district for West London, bringing major new investment into the local economy alongside thousands of new jobs, affordable homes and transformed public realm. Old Oak will deliver over 8,000 new and affordable homes, 6 acres of green open space and up to 2m sq ft of workspace." Imperial’s Old Oak Campus includes student accommodation and key worker homes, with 1,500 students and staff currently resident in the area, as well as the 9.6 acre Victoria Industrial Estate, which Imperial is repurposing to provide vital prototyping and advanced manufacturing follow-on space for scaling businesses. Imperial has ambitious plans for its assets in the Old Oak area which will support c. 4 million sq ft of additional development, including the long-term redevelopment of the broader 4.5 acre One Portal Way site. Imperial’s redevelopment of the One Portal Way site will deliver a new green heart for Old Oak, including a major new public garden, retail, amenities and services, alongside new homes across various tenures, including student accommodation, and 300,000 sq ft of flexible workspace. For more information about the scale-up space or to book a tour visit sciopolis.co.uk/oneportalway
- Feasibility Study: designing the Heart of Innovation in Hammersmith & Fulham | Sciopolis
10 June 2025 Feasibility Study: designing the Heart of Innovation in Hammersmith & Fulham The new Hammersmith Civic Campus is already turning heads— the distinctive RHSP design, bathed in summer light, is a confident, colourful development that reflects an equally bold vision. As the borough’s leader Stephen Cowan put it during our project briefing: “You decide every day if you want to be the most miserable or the best version of yourself. Working in a place like this inspires you to be creative, to bring energy, to be the most innovative version of yourself.” That’s exactly the kind of environment we aim to help create. With Upstream London, Phase 2 of its Industrial Strategy , Hammersmith & Fulham Council is building on the success of the White City Innovation District – its joint collaboration with Imperial College London. The ambition is to extend its STEM³ innovation formula—science, technology, engineering, maths, medicine, and media—across the entire borough. Creating an “Innovation Borough” is no small feat. It demands a clear-eyed understanding of local strengths and gaps, thoughtful integration of existing assets, and the creation of new infrastructure that complements rather than duplicates. Most importantly, it requires a central place—a visible, vibrant hub where this vision can come to life. That’s where Sciopolis comes in. We’ve been commissioned by Hammersmith & Fulham Council to deliver a Feasibility Study exploring what the “innovation heart” of the Civic Campus could and should be. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be working closely with Councillor Cowan and his team to shape a space that reflects the borough’s ambition and supports its innovation ecosystem. What We are Exploring As with all our feasibility work, we’re focusing on two key dimensions: · The Space: What should the physical environment look and feel like? What kinds of behaviours and interactions should it encourage? How can design support collaboration, creativity, and serendipity? · The Mission and Ecosystem: Who will use this space—and why? How do we attract the right mix of people, organisations, and ideas? What makes this hub distinct, and how does it connect to other local innovation assets? We’ll be mapping the borough’s capabilities, speaking with stakeholders, and identifying emerging needs. Our goal is to propose a space that is inclusive, future-facing, and deeply embedded in the local innovation narrative. Let’s Build This Together This is the kind of project we love: ambitious, collaborative, and rooted in place. But before we start designing solutions, we want to hear from you. 📣 Are you based in Hammersmith & Fulham? Do you work in science, tech, media, or innovation and have ideas about how the Civic Campus could support your work or your community? Are you interested in taking space and being part of this ecosystem? 👉 We’d love to hear from you. Drop us a message and help shape the future of innovation in your borough. 👉Read more about Upstream London: Hammersmith & Fulham’s Industrial Strategy
- UK startups: brilliant at the baby stage, but what about adolescence? | Sciopolis
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
- Imperial announces a major investment in Old Oak | Sciopolis
14 Oct 2024 Imperial announces a major investment in Old Oak