UKSPA Spring Conference 2026
We thank our hosts, attendees, speakers, event partners and exhibitors for their vital contributions
in making the spring conference such a success
Date for your Diary
UKSPA Summer Conference 2026
Norwich Research Park
2nd & 3rd July
The Latest News
SignaCor named winner of Discovery Spark programme, receiving £250K from Zinc VC
SignaCor Therapeutics has been named the winner of Discovery Park's startup growth programme for innovations in cardiovascular health, securing £250k in funding from venture capital firm Zinc. This investment forms part of a £1M seed round expected to close in...
University of Warwick Science Park Launches ‘AI Lab’ That Helps SMEs Create Web Apps in Minutes, Not Months
A new service which helps SMEs and start-ups roll out market-ready web apps in minutes instead of months through a collaboration with a cutting-edge AI firm has been unveiled. The University of Warwick Science Park has launched its new ‘Ignite Applied AI Lab’...
Babraham Research Campus Ltd Appoints Dr Rich Ferrie as Chief Executive Officer
Babraham Research Campus Ltd (BRCL), which is responsible for the development and management of Babraham Research Campus, is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Rich Ferrie to the role of Chief Executive Officer. Rich joins Babraham Research Campus from LBIC...
Member News
SignaCor named winner of Discovery Spark programme, receiving £250K from Zinc VC
SignaCor Therapeutics has been named the winner of Discovery Park's startup growth programme for innovations in cardiovascular health, securing £250k in funding from venture capital firm Zinc. This investment forms part of a £1M seed round expected to close in...
University of Warwick Science Park Launches ‘AI Lab’ That Helps SMEs Create Web Apps in Minutes, Not Months
A new service which helps SMEs and start-ups roll out market-ready web apps in minutes instead of months through a collaboration with a cutting-edge AI firm has been unveiled. The University of Warwick Science Park has launched its new ‘Ignite Applied AI Lab’...
Babraham Research Campus Ltd Appoints Dr Rich Ferrie as Chief Executive Officer
Babraham Research Campus Ltd (BRCL), which is responsible for the development and management of Babraham Research Campus, is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Rich Ferrie to the role of Chief Executive Officer. Rich joins Babraham Research Campus from LBIC...
How Dark Labs Will Influence the UK’s Science Sector
Author: Andrew Somerville, Partner, Cundall There has been a recent resurgence of interest in dark labs within the UK. They can be key to some very niche, but important, breakthroughs in science. The fascination, however, lies in how the buildings exist and operate....
University of Southampton Science Park Hits 1MW Solar Milestone
Clean energy company, Absolar has announced that University of Southampton Science Park has become the first science park in the UK to reach 1 megawatt (MW) of installed solar capacity which is a landmark milestone that will prevent 220 Tonnes of CO₂ emissions...
Growing SMEs: Why Ecosystems Matter – Panel & Networking Event
Growing SMEs: Why Ecosystems Matter – Panel & Networking Event Date: Wednesday 18th MarchTime: 6:30pm-9pmLocation: Health Innovation Hub The Living Laboratory is hosting a free panel discussion and networking event for SMEs operating in health and life sciences on...
Sector News
British Science Week, run by the British Science Association, is a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths, featuring entertaining and engaging events and activities across the UK for people of all ages. British Science Week 2026 runs from...
UKSPA Welcomes Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park as a New Member
Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park began in 2015 with development led by Legacy Park Ltd, a not-for profit company, in collaboration with developers Scarborough Group International. The Park is backed by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, Sheffield City...
Imperial’s Leap Incubator Attracts Five Innovative Startups in First Month
Leap, the new shared lab incubator space from Imperial Incubator located at ARC West London, has officially opened its doors and demand is already surging. Just one month after launch, five early-stage science companies have moved into the space. The first cohort of...
The Barts Life Science Cluster Launches in Whitechapel, East London
With planned investment of over £800m, the Cluster brings together Barts Health NHS Trust and private investors to unite clinical excellence and commercial innovation. Science Minister Lord Vallance said: “we have ambitious goals for making the UK Europe's leader when...
Green Light for Wootton Science Park’s £44 Million Masterplan for New SME Science and Tech Lab Space and Amenities
Hartwell Plc, the automotive and property development company, has received planning approval for its masterplan to deliver new carbon efficient laboratory and workspace buildings for small and medium sized science and technology companies and amenities at Wootton...
The Crown Estate Acquires Harwell East, Potential for 4.5m sq ft of Lab Space
Next to the renowned Harwell Science and Innovation campus, Harwell East could deliver up to 4.5 million sq ft of laboratory and advanced manufacturing space, plus 400 new homes Project expected to contribute an estimated £2.5bn to GDP and create 30,000 jobs Site is...
Association News
Latest Edition of UKSPA News Bulletin now available via LinkedIn. Be sure to subscribe.
Welcome to the latest edition of the UKSPA News Bulletin, your definitive source for updates on UKSPA events, publications and UKSPA member news. In this issue, we bring you all the latest dates for our next four conferences, the latest edition of Breakthrough and...
Forthcoming UKSPA Regional Meetings Announced
The next series of regional meetings for UKSPA Full and Associate Members, and key stakeholders have been announced. UKSPA regional member meetings provide a great opportunity to knowledge share, network with peers and shape the direction of UKSPA’S regional agenda....
Life Sciences: Translating, Scaling and Manufacturing
Andy Williams, chair of the Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster Board, led a discussion on translating, scaling and manufacturing in the life sciences sector as part of UKSPA’s 40th anniversary conference at Warwick University. He said: “We do have great science and we're...
Blog
How Dark Labs Will Influence the UK’s Science Sector
Author: Andrew Somerville, Partner, Cundall There has been a recent resurgence of interest in dark labs within the UK. They can be key to some very niche, but important, breakthroughs in science. The fascination, however, lies in how the buildings exist and operate....
Philip Macdonald, Managing Partner, Oberlanders Architects and UKSPA Board Director Looks Forward to the Forthcoming UKSPA Spring Conference in Glasgow
The UKSPA Spring Conference is one of the standout moments in the sector’s calendar and an event I look forward to every year. It’s a brilliant opportunity to reflect and build on the vital role our science parks and innovation districts play in sustaining the UK...
“Dark labs”: the Future of Science – and the Key to Radical Energy Savings?
Ed Hayden, Partner and Architecture lead for Science and Research at Ridge We are entering a new era of AI-powered “dark labs”, in which built-in robotics, product tagging and intelligent monitoring systems will remove the need for the majority of manual intervention....
Wondering How “Sustainable” Your Lab Really is? This Benchmarking Tool Can Help
Phil Kelly, Partner at Ridge, and Deputy Research and Technical Officer at I2SL’s UK chapter How do you define a “sustainable” laboratory? Net Zero, BREEAM, LEED, Ska, WELL, LEAF – the potential metrics go on and on, and each is continually evolving. It’s no wonder...
Cogent Skills: Helping Science Parks Grow and Keep Their Talent
Cogent Skills is a charity with one clear mission: to help businesses in the UK’s science, technology, and manufacturing sectors attract, recruit and manage the people they need to thrive. Strategic Workforce Support Cogent Skills works with businesses to identify...
Data drives the opportunity for the UK science and technology sector to meet the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard
By Simon Wyatt, Sustainability Partner, Cundall As an industry so heavily reliant on carbon, suggesting a building is net zero carbon is a big claim. The launch of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard last September is the most significant advancement the...
Join Our Association
Find out why so many innovation locations join our association and what the benefits of membership would be to you!
Don’t Miss Out!
Sign up to our mailing list to keep up-to-date with all the latest UKSPA and Sector news.
Follow Us
Stay up to date on social media or just pop by to say hello!