LATEST INSIGHTS Report Blog News 9 Sept 2026 Base One, Sciopolis, News, One Portal Way Base One (previously 1 Portal Way) officially opens today Our 1 Portal Way hub got renamed! Discover how North Acton is becoming a blueprint for advanced manufacturing. Read More 8 Oct 2026 News, Sciopolis, Base One Bored of beige venues? Host your next event at Base One Our iconic event spaces are now open for hire. Host your conference, launch or board meeting in an Imperial-backed science hub, two minutes from North Acton station. Read More 3 July 2026 News Base One: open for business! We celebrated the opening of our North Acton building and look forward to welcoming you here Read More 18 May 2026 News, One Portal Way, Sciopolis Great science needs great people: introducing Talentmark Growing Your Team at Sciopolis: we are building the talent ecosystem you need Read More 10 May 2026 News April 2026 Update: final sprint! New Team, New look, New Cluster! Read More 22 Apr 2026 News Lab to Manufacturing. Without the commute. At Base One you can be running R&D in ready to occupy labs, while your manufacturing sits literally 200m or a “five-minute walk” away. Read More 30 Mar 2026 News March Update: North Acton is Moving (Fast) 9 weeks to go until the opening of Base One, and everything is accelerating. Here's your quick tour of what's happened in the last month. Read More 13 Mar 2026 One Portal Way, Sciopolis A Rare Sight in London: Real Vented Extract Capacity Why Base One is one of the few places in London truly ready for Chemistry Innovation Read More 17 Feb 2026 News Not all labs Are "Chemistry Labs": but what is a chemistry lab? (If you can tell us, we’ll try to build it) Read More 2 Feb 2026 One Portal Way, Sciopolis We are Hiring! General Manager As the first hire, this person becomes part of the story of Base One: not just helping run the building, but helping define it. Do you know anyone who could fit the role? Read More 16 Jan 2026 News, One Portal Way Why ready-to-occupy labs are a game-changer for innovators By Charlie Mitchell, CEO of Sciopolis Read More 5 Jan 2026 Sciopolis 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: here are five things we’re most looking forward to in the year ahead. Read More 5 Nov 2025 One Portal Way, Sciopolis Monthly Update From North Acton to Cambridge to Manchester, find out what the team have been up to, and what is coming up next Read More 31 July 2025 One Portal Way, Sciopolis One Portal Way, Old Oak - Sciopolis Appointment Sciopolis is appointed by Imperial to launch new scale-up space for science and technology ventures in Old Oak, London Read More 10 Oct 2025 News Notes from Italian Tech Week 2025 What are the emerging trends in AI and Life Sciences? Our Director of Ecosystem explores some findings from her recent trip to Italian Tech Week in Turin. Read More 16 Sept 2025 News Scaling Stories: how community can help founders thrive Executive Chairman Mark Sanders explores how fostering a culture of empathy and understanding in the workplace is key to high performance and combating founder loneliness Read More 10 Sept 2025 News Summer Update 2025 Monthly Update: We're Back! New appointment, awards, and exciting developments — all in one place. Read More 16 July 2025 Sciopolis UK startups: brilliant at the baby stage, but what about adolescence? Sciopolis reacts to today's UK Government's Life Sciences Sector Plan Read More 10 June 2025 Sciopolis Feasibility Study: designing the Heart of Innovation in Hammersmith & Fulham We have been appointed to run a feasibility study for Hammersmith & Fulham's Civic Campus Read More 23 May 2025 Sciopolis University spinouts are struggling, and here's why. University spinouts are struggling to get funding and infrastructure to grow. Read our analysis. Read More 25 Apr 2025 Sciopolis What can we learn from Dubai’s Innovation Hub? A masterclass in developing an ecosystem that integrates work and life seamlessly. Read More 8 Apr 2025 Sciopolis Can your building be turned into an Innovation Hub? Only a Feasibility Study can tell. If you are thinking of converting an existing site to host science, a feasibility study is what you need. Read More 3 Apr 2025 Sciopolis The Times: Universities slash equity stakes in tech spinouts Sciopolis Chairman Mark Sanders reacts to the news that University equity stakes in tech spinouts have fallen to a ten-year low of 16.1% Read More 25 Mar 2025 Sciopolis UK Life Sciences miss out on £15bn to global rivals Isn't it time to build infrastructure to retain innovators and help them grow? Hear from our Chairman, Mark Sanders. Read More 11 Mar 2025 Origin, Sciopolis Origin Public Consultation: see what is being proposed and have your say. View the developing plans for The Crown Estate’s first Innovation Hub, in Cambridge Business Park. Read More 14 Oct 2024 Sciopolis, One Portal Way Imperial announces a major investment in Old Oak Imperial has identified a need for flexible and affordable follow-on space to enable innovators to stay and scale in West London. Read More 9 Sept 2025 News Scaling Stories: prioritising location for a successful growth strategy The entrepreneur and Sciopolis CEO/Executive Chairman explores how your company’s physical space can make or break your scaling ambitions Read More 9 Sept 2026 Base One, News, Sciopolis, One Portal Way Base One announces Nanomox as its third lab tenant Imperial spinout Nanomox turns metal-rich industrial waste into sustainable, low-carbon advanced materials, for use in industries such as cosmetics, ceramics and renewable energy. Read More 18 Sept 2026 News, Base One, Sciopolis, One Portal Way The Sensibly Sustainable Story Behind Base One Ten more years out of a tired building, £250 per sq ft, and not a single boring room. Read More 16 June 2026 News Lab manager, fixer and chief confessor: my first month at Base One Our Lab Manager Sandy talks about her first month at Base One, 1 Portal Way Read More 12 May 2026 News New Tenant! P.Happi joins Base One Biotech company establishes its lab at Base One, North Acton Read More Sciopolis Five Things Every Life Sciences Founder Must Get Right - by David Montgomery From breakthrough science to scalable companies Read More 12 Apr 2026 News North Acton… where? Closer than you think. That was our reaction too. Then we checked the map. Read More 22 Mar 2026 News Construction Update: March 2026 Major visible progress at Base One, as we move confidently through the final stages of construction ahead of our June 2026 opening. Read More 30 Mar 2026 News First Tenant announced: Ki 13 A UK cleantech startup with breakthrough green hydrogen technology is set to call our North Acton Innovation Hub home from June 2026. Read More 5 Feb 2026 One Portal Way Looking for Labs? Here's 5 pitfalls to avoid Founders often underestimate the hidden costs of spending months on complex lab setups. To help you steer clear of common missteps, here are five pitfalls to watch out for. Read More 25 Feb 2026 News February Update: did you miss us? Here's what we have been up to since the start of the year: build, colour, vented extracts, coffee and tours.. Read More 27 Jan 2026 One Portal Way Construction Update - Jan 26 Discover how we are getting ready to open our North Acton site in June 2026 (and join us on a #TuesdayTour to see it for yourself) Read More 20 Nov 2025 One Portal Way, Sciopolis Sciopolis wins New Business Launch of the Year We did it! We won the Estates Gazette "New Business Launch of the Year" 2025 Award Read More 28 Nov 2025 London Spinouts: we are building space for you Spinouts were everywhere this November cropping up in reports, events and the press. And we are building space for them! Read More 20 Oct 2025 News University Spinouts ascend as scaleup capital deepens, but is the infrastructure ready? Insights from the recent Beauhurst and Parkwalk report on UK spinouts reveal a striking 44% year-on-year increase in equity investment, underscoring the growing momentum behind frontier innovation Read More 17 Sept 2025 News #1 Reuse first A series exploring the everyday decisions that shape a more sustainable future. From fixing instead of replacing to reusing what already exists, we believe sustainability starts with common sense. Read More 6 Oct 2025 News October - Monthly Update From Strategy to Execution: find out what we've been up to, and what is coming up next Read More 4 Sept 2025 News Scaling Stories: how do you know when to step aside as a founder? Our Executive Chairman discusses the challenges of stepping aside as a strategy for accelerating business growth Read More 8 July 2025 Sciopolis Monthly Update- June As June brought both sunshine and serious conversations, the team been on the move, connecting with innovators, exploring new campuses and diving deep into the future of place-based innovation. Read More 2 June 2025 Sciopolis Our Monthly Update - May 2025 How we built our team, network and pipeline last month Read More 5 May 2025 Sciopolis Our Monthly Update is here - April 2025 We filmed, selected strategic partners, learnt about innovative materials, visited interesting locations and went to the pub. Read what April was all about. Read More 16 Apr 2025 Sciopolis Cleantech solutions for Real Estate? We want to hear from you Do you have a sustainable construction material or product you would like to see adopted? Talk to us! Read More 9 Apr 2025 Sciopolis Record £13.9 billion of R&D funding unveiled to boost innovation Our Chairman Mark Sanders welcomes the announcement in our latest blog. Read More 31 Mar 2025 Sciopolis Our Monthly Update - March 2025 March was a great month for Sciopolis, with events, a major announcement and many community building moments. Read More 19 Mar 2025 Origin, Sciopolis Sciopolis appointed as Development Advisor by The Crown Estate Sciopolis has been appointed to look at the feasibility of activating science and technology innovation at Cambridge Business Park. Read More 11 Nov 2024 Origin, Sciopolis The Crown Estate to breathe new life into Cambridge Business Park Bold proposals to support the UK’s science, innovation and technology ambitions by providing office and lab spaces for start-ups and established businesses. Read More 30 Nov 2023 Sciopolis Sciopolis (sai-op-o-liss) - What's in the name? Hidden away in out-of-sight locations such as university basements, rural company HQ’s... Read More 19 May 2023 Sciopolis British Land To Turbocharge Massive Life Sciences and Innovation Drive REIT Plans 2 Million Square Feet of Development Including Possible Debenhams Makeover Read More

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 9 Sept 2026 Base One (previously 1 Portal Way) officially opens today Our 1 Portal Way hub got renamed! Discover how North Acton is becoming a blueprint for advanced manufacturing. Read More Sign Up To Our Newsletter OUR LOCATIONS We have launched our first hub in London and are busy scoping out innovation sites in London and Cambridge. If you are looking for space, please get in touch so we can capture your requirements early. Base One, North Acton 55,000 sq ft of ready-to-occupy laboratory and office space located in North Acton, part of Imperial College London's new Old Oak Innovation 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 of delivery Speedy and cost-effective deployment, with site opening as early as 12 months from sign-off. Deep Expertise We have the expertise to design, build, fit-out, tenant-activate and operate such spaces. Networks Experience and connections gained from years in the sector allow us to create the right conditions for ventures to thrive. Commitment We are passionate about creating the right infrastructure to support UK Innovation. CONTACT US Landlord? Contact us to create and activate Innovation Hubs Founders? Enquire about our exciting lab and office spaces Get In Touch Explore our London Hub SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Cafe with free Wi-Fi in North Acton, a short walk from the tube (Zone 2). Great coffee and hot food, open 8am-4pm Mon-Thu, 9am-2pm Fri. Open to members and the public. Back to Sciopolis BASE ONE THE BUILDING LAB SPACE Floorplans & Technical Specs OFFICE SPACE MEETING SPACE EVENT SPACE CAFE HOT DESK FAQS AVAILABILITY COMMUNITY INCUBATOR INNOVATOR STORIES LOCATION NEWS & INSIGHTS CONTACT BASE ONE CAFE A buzzy, public Cafe at the heart of London's exciting new hub for deeptech innovators. A few minutes away from North Acton tube station, serving specialty coffee and hot food, with comfortable seating, direct access to the event space and an outdoor terrace to enjoy your coffee in the fresh air. Drop in for a coffee and a change of scene, mingle with innovators or settle in for a working session: hot desk or meeting room options available. THIS WEEK'S MENU OUR HOT DRINKS EVENTS & CATERING WHAT'S ON THE MENU Specialty coffees and pastries Rotation of hot meals with halal, vegetarian and vegan options Chef specials An assortment of sandwiches and salads Hot-desk with us and grab your lunch onsite WHY VISIT US Seamlessly connected to the event space, the Cafe is the ideal spot to pause, connect and feel part of the community, whether that's a chance conversation while queuing for coffee or a scheduled catch-up. Free Wi-Fi throughout A 2-minute walk from North Acton station, Zone 2 (Central Line) Open 8am to 4pm, Monday to Thursday and 9am-2pm Friday Lovely crowd, friendly staff PHOTO GALLERY 1/6 KEEP IN THE LOOP ABOUT OUR OFFERS Follow Us WHERE WE ARE Our Cafe is based inside Base One, 1 Portal Way, North Acton. We are located a short walk from North Acton tube station (Central Line) and about 15 mins from Acton Main Line, on the Elizabeth. The Cafe serves our lovely community of science innovators and is also open to the public. Find Us ONSITE CATERING OPTIONS Have an event coming up? All your socials and events can be catered for by our onsite Cafe Team Specialty coffees and pastries for your breakfast briefings An assortment of sandwiches and salads can be ordered for meetings Evening drinks and socials Summer BBQs in our garden Catering Options & Prices Cookie Policy | Privacy Polic y All rights reserved. ©Sciopolis@BaseOne 2026 | Website designed by Jamin Design Home The Building Availability Community Location Latest Insights Contact Contact 020 8912 1010 info@sciopolis.co.uk Base One, 1 Portal Way, North Acton, London W3 6RS Follow us on LinkedIn >

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 Base One 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. Visit: Base One, labs and office space in North Acton Find out more: PM Life Sciences Consulting

22 Mar 2026 Construction Update: March 2026 On track for opening June 2026 We’re excited to share the latest progress at Base One , North Acton 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 onwards 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 and Fresh Air 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 of One Portal Way. 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. Looking for labs, office space, or an event venue? 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 or see THE BUILDING

20 Nov 2025 Sciopolis wins New Business Launch of the Year We’ve just been recognised as the New Business Launch of the Year at the Estate Gazette Awards 2025 . And yes, we’re thrilled! The judges said: "Given that limited track records often challenge young companies, the judges were looking for ambition, innovation, and a business plan capable of shaking up the sector. SCIOPOLIS stood out for addressing a clear market gap, combining cutting-edge innovation, social impact, scalability, and strong institutional backing" Recognition like this matters. It shows that the flywheel is starting to move, our vision of building innovation hubs across the UK is gaining traction, and the wider industry is taking notice. The category celebrated ambition, innovation, and a business plan with the potential to shake up the sector, and that’s exactly what we’re here to do. It’s great to be recognised by a prestigious Built Environment publication, but here’s the irony: at Sciopolis, we’ve always believed that building is only a small part of what we do. The real story is what happens inside the building. More Than Bricks and Mortar Our CEO Charlie Mitchell put it best in a recent interview: “I’m an engineer, so I get really excited about buildings. But in reality, building are only about 50% of our proposition. The more important 50% is the service proposition we wrap around it, and in particular the work we do to create a useful community, to connect our tenants with the right people and to help them grow their businesses.” That other 50% is where the real value lies. It’s about: Taking away the pain, by offering ready-to-occupy labs and offices, so growing companies don’t waste months negotiating leases, hiring lawyers or managing contractors. Building an active and supporting community through events and installing collaboration as a culture. Creating places that innovators and their teams want to be. Supporting tenants with their innovation, by linking them with trusted partners who can provide equipment, materials, branding, advice of all kinds, mentors, and connections into universities and institutions they’d otherwise spend months trying to find. That doesn’t mean the building isn’t important. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. If you design it well, you stop it from ever being a problem. You systematically remove friction in the way tenants use it. You design spaces that promote collaboration. You make reception permeable and exciting, not a security moat. You create a building that fades into the background because it works so well that people don’t even need to talk about it. Recognition and Expansion So yes, we’re proud of the award. It’s recognition of the hard work we’ve put in, and a sign that other people think we’re heading in the right direction. But we’re even prouder of the fact that Estates Gazette has recognised the bigger picture in their coverage of our UK-wide expansion plans, showing how the right infrastructure can accelerate innovation and help grow the UK economy. Because while the award celebrates the launch of our business, the coverage highlights what makes us different: the way we’re putting innovators first and building a network of hubs across the UK, where they can thrive. Are you a landlord or university looking to build an innovation hub? Or a science and technology venture looking for ready to occupy lab and office space with great ecosystem support? 👉 Read Sciopolis for landlords and ventures and get in touch 📍 Find out more about our current locations

9 Apr 2025 Record £13.9 billion of R&D funding unveiled to boost innovation In the thick of all of the economic turmoil, it is welcome news that the Government is committed to supporting research and innovation with the announcement of the allocation of the £13.9 billion Department of Science, Innovation and Technology research and development budget. A path to economic prosperity, better employment prospects for all and the solving of major world challenges must surely be underpinned by research and innovation and taking away the barriers that prevent businesses being formed or that limit their growth and impact will benefit everyone. I’m delighted that funding is available for innovators and entrepreneurs. I hope this will inspire them to innovate and seize the opportunity to create businesses that realise the full potential of their ideas. I also hope that the planned investments will help to create the environment for business success by enabling the infrastructure to support innovators, including incubator and scaleup facilities. Scaleup businesses will surely benefit from access to capital, but by removing the barriers to commercialisation of cutting-edge research and by supporting their growth through appropriate infrastructure, we see the potential for a multiplier effect, where the funding will deliver quicker and better outcomes. Failure to invest in the supporting and enabling ecosystems for scaleup businesses will reduce the benefit of the proposed investment and will ultimately constrain the growth of new firms and the realisation of the benefits of their innovations, limiting their opportunity to be global market leaders of the future. Read the Government R&D Fund announcement here

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

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 Oct 2025 Notes from Italian Tech Week 2025 Reflection from Italian Tech Week by Cat Rigoni, Director of Marketing & Ecosystem, Sciopolis I was at Italian Tech Week in Turin last week, and I’ve been buzzing with ideas since. So many glimpses into a near and fast-approaching future, so many reasons to feel optimistic. But one thought has stayed with me more than any other: AI is no longer just the how , it’s becoming the what . That shift, from enabler to essence, is already reshaping how innovation happens in healthcare, and the Evening Standard article earlier this week reminded me of it: 👉 Doctors swapping stethoscopes for startups — The story of Cera, founded by Dr Ben Maruthappu, is particularly telling. What began as a marketplace connecting carers has evolved into a fully integrated homecare model powered by AI, where data, logistics, and service delivery merge into one intelligent system. Domain expertise as the new differentiator The article also underscored something we don’t talk about enough: domain expertise is the new frontier of innovation. A lot of the talks in Turin were about AI “unencumbering humanity” from menial tasks, from legacy and from infrastructure: a real industrial revolution, which is in constant acceleration towards us. Clinicians who turn founders, often out of frustration with the slow-moving reality of the NHS, bring a rare combination of depth and urgency. They understand patient journeys, system inefficiencies, and the human cost of delay. And when that knowledge and domain expertise is freed from the weight of legacy infrastructure, innovation can move at the speed of insight. Robotics and the redefinition of surgical work That same re-imagination is happening inside the operating theatre. One of the most riveting sessions in Turin featured Jason Hart and surgeon Filippo Filicori — offering a glimpse into the near future of surgical robotics. It showed, with startling clarity, how precision machines will soon handle the long, intricate, painstaking tasks of surgery, allowing humans to focus only where judgment still matter most. With AI now predicting surgical risks upfront and recommending which parts of an operation it can safely take over, the role of the surgeon is rapidly evolving. Instead of standing for hours in physically demanding positions over a patient, surgeons can operate seated via a VR console, collaborating in real time with colleagues across the globe. They can focus solely on the value-add parts of the procedure: the moments requiring judgment, adaptability and empathy. For routine tasks like suturing? Voilà: press autopilot and let the machine handle it. The surgeon of tomorrow will be less a manual operator and more a conductor of complex systems. The implications are huge in terms of training of resources(quicker thanks to simulators), accessing excellence (easier, if you only need a fraction of the surgeon's time) and equality of care (potentially guaranteed, if you are freed up of geographic constraints and can be operated remotely). A new anatomy of medicine What we’re witnessing is the fusion of biology, code and mechanics into a continuum. AI, once the invisible engine of analysis, is becoming the solution itself. Robotics, once peripheral, is entering the core of clinical work. And humans — doctors, researchers, innovators- are hastily repositioning themselves where machines cannot (yet) reach: at the intersection of judgment, ethics, and imagination. It’s the future, and it’s close. We’re talking years, not decades. But where are we , in this picture? For all the brilliance and excitement during the three day event, one thing felt very absent for me: an honest, philosophical and anthropological conversation about the future of mankind when machines take over. I heard a lot about acceleration, automation, and unencumbering humanity from tasks, but no one attempted as much as a sketch of how we , the humans, fit into this. What is our purpose when we are totally unencumbered? How long before the surgeon doesn't even need to do the value-add bit of the operation? There’s a growing unease in the silence. Are we not talking about it because it would generate panic? Does Jeff Bezos know something we don’t? Is he building subterranean bunkers for a reason? We don’t need blind optimism, we need the right forums to socialise our role in this space, to talk openly about ethics, agency, the price we pay for progress and the kind of society we want to build alongside intelligent machines (if we are allowed to exist, that is). Innovation without introspection risks becoming alienating. Follow us on LinkedIn

8 Apr 2025 Can your building be turned into an Innovation Hub? Only a Feasibility Study can tell. In the last 18 months, we have conducted several feasibility studies for universities and landlords who wanted to ascertain whether an existing building could be converted into an Innovation Hub or to confirm if their plans to develop a new building make sense. Our team loves getting its teeth stuck into such projects, as they allow us to reach a definitive yes or no answer in a short period of time, while also absorbing everything there is to know about a new area or ecosystem. We are very passionate about creating innovation for the benefit of UK plc. Therefore, we understand the great responsibility of providing the right answers, ensuring our clients avoid spending time and money on projects that lack potential. So what do we look for in assessing these buildings (existing or new) ? We use what we call an “A-B-C methodology”, which consists in asking ourselves the following 3 questions: A for Attractive: will the space and the area be a ttractive to the target market? B for Building: can such a space be b uilt economically? C for Cluster: can the space become part of a c luster and an innovative community? Across everything we do, the building is only ever 50% of the answer. The other 50% is the potential for the building to be activated in a way that drives innovation. That’s why our feasibility studies focus on both aspects; Technical feasibility of constructing a suitable physical space, including consideration of design, MEPH adjustment, taking into account budget constraints and the overall business case. Ecosystem feasibility – identifying the right target tenants and creating a narrative around how this location will form a distinctive place for science and technology, how it links to universities and to other adjacent hubs, and what its specific purpose may be, based on its geographic characteristics or the pre-existing nature of a place. Once we believe that a location is potentially suitable both from a technical and ecosystem perspective and that it can be delivered, we develop a business case based on our experience of designing, developing and operating innovation spaces. This model will include sensitivity analysis of potential returns under stressed assumptions. In our experience, if a building is well connected transport wise, it’s close to a university, has a landlord with a strong idea they want to implement (i.e. there’s a strong potential thematic angle that the Innovation Hub will pursue) and has certain characteristics from a building standpoint which allow the creation of labs and amenities (ceiling height, reception space, floorplates that can allow convergence etc) then the answer tends to be that yes, it can be turned into an Innovation Hub. Are you thinking about developing an Innovation Hub and want some help? Get in touch

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