Guest Articles
The journey to net zero carbon science
The journey to net zero carbon buildings has started and the destination and timescales are set. All buildings in the UK are to be net zero carbon for operational energy by 2050 and all new buildings by 2030. It is estimated that approximately 80% of the 2050 building...
CPI – creating a hub of innovation in the North East at the Wilton Centre
Over the past 15 years, the UK has been cementing its position as a global leader in bioptechnology research and next-generation manufacturing. This couldn’t be more evident than in the North East, where CPI – an independent technology innovation centre and a founding...
Grassroots R&D is a foundation for building back better
Close-to-market innovation across the UK can drive recovery, say Patrick Bonnett and Steve Yianni in a recent article first published in Research Professional News The Chancellor’s budget in March marked a shift in plans to support economic growth through investment...
A COVID story from the heart of Midlothian
Our lives changed in 2020 in a way no one could have imagined as we faced a world-wide pandemic. On both a global and local scale, the impact has been significant to health, society and the economy for all segments of the population. For many in the Life Sciences...
Repurposing to lab space
One of the trends likely to occur in sci-tech real estate is the re-purposing of commercial spaces like offices, retail and warehouse units, to lab space. With increased demand for this space amongst occupiers including the life sciences and tech sectors it seems...
Welcoming back employees – Creating inviting environments
Whilst some offices have been empty for several months as people have worked from home, many in the science sector or others requiring specialist facilities, have remained on-site with COVID-safe managed access. However, with the government’s announcement of a roadmap...
Trading beyond Brexit: The essentials for your SME tenants
With a majority of businesses struck with unforeseen challenges in the last year – COVID-19, Brexit, redundancies, shattered supply chains, it’s no wonder many SMEs have yet had the opportunity to get their head around the new trading regime with Europe. If you...
The epicentre of the drug industry: how CROs’ breadth, talent, diversity and expertise supported unprecedented sector growth to become the backbone of biopharma
In recent years Contract Research Organisations (CROs) have become the backbone of pharma and biotech research and development (R&D), the go-to source for in-depth know-how and niche expertise no longer available within such organisations. In recent years, the CRO...
Business Support – ‘It’s all part of the service’
As we prepare to get ‘back to business’ post-Covid, many of us realise that we need more than just a desk when it comes to growth and acceleration. The absence of community highlights that there is no substitute for face-to-face communication, but it’s the value of...
Is your science park MEES-ready?
Since Phase 1 of the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 came into force back in 2018, landlords and their solicitors have become accustomed to the practice of providing an EPC to a tenant on the grant of a lease, and to...
Biodiversity net gain: the benefits for science and business parks
The introduction of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) into the planning process will have enormous implications for development on science and business parks and is something that must be considered from the outset of any development, but what is it? Put simply; it’s an...
The EU-UK deal – what does it mean for manufacturers?
The UK and EU have announced that they have provisionally agreed a Trade & Cooperation Agreement that will determine the framework for a new UK-EU relationship. Whilst the trade deal negotiated by the government falls short on the trade benefits we previously...
Biotech cleaning product succeeds with R&D Tax Credits
Juggling multiple Research and Development projects can significantly stretch any company’s resources, putting cashflow under significant pressure. This was the situation faced by a leading biotech company when it sought to innovate its cleaning product range.Access...
Laura Gorman, Senior Associate, Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP on letting premises to start-up’s
We recently considered the increasing commercial necessity for landlords to understand a start-up’ priorities. We now look at the first (and perhaps most important) of these: cost certainty. Budget restrictions makes it important for new businesses to plan overheads. ...
Is the property industry really following the science?
‘We are following the science’ has become one of the best used phrases in the media over recent months. We acknowledge that scientists are then quick to point out that the use of such a phrase only demonstrates a person’s lack of understanding of the fundamental...