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
Presentations
Date for your Diary
UKSPA Summer Conference 2026
Norwich Research Park
2nd & 3rd July
The Latest News
Digostics’ world first home screening test for diabetes developed at Harwell Innovation Centre
According to Diabetes UK, it is estimated that more than 1.3 million people are living with undiagnosed diabetes in the UK. Digostics Ltd – a med tech company based at the Harwell Innovation Centre in Oxford – is on a mission to support the accurate and timely...
Oxford North launches Engage STEAM programme with IF Oxford, Modern Art Oxford, Creation Theatre and Fusion Arts
Oxford North has launched Engage- its art, culture, social value and legacy programme. Delivered by IF Oxford (the region’s science and ideas festival in collaboration with Modern Art Oxford, Creation Theatre and Fusion Arts), Engage focuses on STEAM- Science,...
Bruntwood SciTech Completes £87m No.3 Circle Square, Marking New Era for Innovation-led Business in Manchester
Bruntwood SciTech have completed No.3 Circle Square, a new £87 million, 267,000 sq ft state-of-the-art, sustainable workspace in the heart of Manchester’s Oxford Road Corridor knowledge quarter. The 15-storey building has been purposefully designed to meet the needs...
Member News
Krans Hi-Tech Sensors Based at The EpiCentre Hold Promise Across Range of Industries
Pictured: Ivan Pinson, Dr Juvaria Syeda, Dr Ruhkshinda Wasif. Krans Ltd, based at The EpiCentre in Haverhill, is a newly formed business established to deliver innovative and bespoke inspection solutions specialising in the areas of Eddy Current Array inspection...
Wilton Centre Marks 50 years as a Leader of Excellence in Biomanufacturing and the Circular Economy
Last week, the Teesside business community and local guests came together at Wilton Centre, near Redcar, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the iconic research space, a renowned landmark in Europe’s R&D landscape. Pioneer Group, the UK’s specialist in life...
University of Wolverhampton Science Park Celebrates 30 Years of Innovation and Enterprise
The University of Wolverhampton Science Park marked its 30th anniversary on 14 October 2025, celebrating three decades of innovation, collaboration and economic impact across the region. The milestone event brought together tenants as well as leaders from business,...
Sciontec Retains and Expands Contract at The Spine
Sciontec has been successfully re-appointed to manage serviced office space at The Spine in Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool). As part of the renewed contract with the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), Sciontec will now manage additional space in the building...
University of Birmingham Enterprise Annual Review Launched
University of Birmingham Enterprise has published its Review of 2024-25, an exciting and inspirational year that saw the launch of nine new ventures, record demand for academic consultants, and fast-paced development for the University and the region. The 24-25...
Liverpool Named as European Capital of Innovation Finalist
The European Commission has today announced the finalists of the 2026 European Capital of Innovation Awards (iCapital), celebrating cities at the forefront of urban innovation for over a decade. Supported by the European Innovation Council under Horizon Europe, the...
Sector News
UK energy tech startups find it 200% harder to succeed than tech startups, new report by Harwell and Tech Nation finds
Experts at Harwell Campus are calling for an increase in ‘later stage’ investment and smarter support for scaling energy tech organisations to prevent ‘pilot-itis’ and to tackle the global climate challenge. The call has come after a new report from Harwell...
Becoming a ‘Science and Technology Superpower’ requires HMG to keep its foot on the R&D accelerator
The autumn saw the Chancellor unveil the Budget and Spending Review 2021, critical for resourcing and implementing the government’s Innovation Strategy which was launched in July and signalled the government’s intention to place science, technology and innovation...
New Chief Executive appointed at UKSPA
James Chaffer has been appointed as Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Science Park Association (UKSPA). James will join UKSPA on 4 January 2022 following the retirement of Jim Duvall who leaves after fourteen years at the Association. James is currently...
AstraZeneca opens new £1 billion research centre within the Cambridge Biomedical Campus
AstraZeneca has officially opened The Discovery Centre (DISC) in Cambridge – a state-of-the-art research and development facility designed to the world’s highest environmental standards and accommodating over 2,200 research scientists. The new £1bn facility will...
Budget will not meet ambitions of Innovation Strategy
Authors: Patrick Bonnett, Steve Yianni and Jane Gate Slowing investment will make science superpower status less likely, say Patrick Bonnett and colleagues The budget was a chance to begin implementing the government’s Innovation Strategy. Launching the strategy...
Planners back 170,000 sq ft development at St John’s Innovation Park
Cambridge planners have backed a massive expansion at St John’s Innovation Park. St John’s College and development manager Turnstone Estates have been given the go-ahead for two additional office and R & D buildings and a new transport hub to be located in the...
Association News
UKSPA Chairman Glenn Crocker on the sector’s changing landscape
Historically dominated by public sector funding, the economics are changing to give science property the potential to be an attractive new asset class. This is being driven in part by a combination of a significant growth in both the number and level of funding of...
Research, Translation and Innovation Conference – Sept 2019
Norwich Research Park and Quadram Institute John Innes Conference Centre, NR4 7UA 9th September 2019 This one-day event has four elements: Highlighting the translational science vision and implementation at Norwich Research Park and its on-site and adjacent...
UKSPA becomes members of CaSE
UKSPA is pleased to announce that it has joined over 110 organisational members of CaSE - the Campaign for Science and Engineering. "We are delighted that UKSPA is now a member of CaSE. We firmly believe that our highly innovative and world renowned members wil be a...
Blog
Taking a lease on a science park? How to overcome financial pitfalls. The last in the series of blogs from Giorgia Clements, Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
In our third blog addressing potential financial pitfalls in leases, we addressed the dangers of exercising your break right incorrectly or changing your mind after exercising it. To culminate our series of blogs, here we will consider business rates and the dangers...
Taking a lease on a science park? How to overcome financial pitfalls. The third blog in the series from Giorgia Clements, Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
In our previous blogs looking at financial pitfalls in leases we explored financial traps for tenants resulting from the rent review process, service charge liability, and dilapidations claims. In this third blog, we explore the lesser considered financial liability...
Taking a lease on a science park? How to overcome financial pitfalls. The second blog in the series from Giorgia Clements, Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
In our first blog addressing financial pitfalls in leases, we focused on rent review. Here we will explore two more common areas within commercial leases that contain potential pitfalls: service charge and dilapidations liability. Service charge When letting only part...
Where are the UK’s most powerful Innovation Districts and Hubs? Bruntwood SciTech delve into where these innovation hubs and districts are, why they’re so important
Innovation Districts: ‘’Geographic areas where leading-edge anchor institutions and companies cluster and connect with start-ups, business incubators and accelerators. These innovation hubs are physically compact, transit-accessible, and technically-wired and...
Taking a lease on a science park? How to overcome financial pitfalls
If you have or are about to take a lease at a science park, your mind will no doubt be focussed on the financial impact of that lease, especially around headline rent and service charge. But leases contain a plethora of lesser-known financial obligations or pitfalls....
Oxbridge’s life science arc-celeration
If Covid was a storm, it’s fair to say the life sciences sector has not only weathered it, but is well on its way to curing it too. Pre-Covid (yes, such days did exist), the life sciences sector was already flourishing but the global pandemic has undoubtedly...
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