Start-up space for a soft landing and a strong launch
13/03/2025
The UK's biotech sector experienced a remarkable 94% increase in investment in 2024, raising £3.5 billion - the highest annual figure since 2021 according to a 2025 BioIndustry Association’s report.
The continual growth and resilience of the UK life sciences sector also highlights the continual need for suitable laboratory spaces to retain this positive trajectory, particularly to accommodate and support early-stage start-ups.
“The Campus is built to help companies succeed from day one,” says Dr Louise Jopling, Chief Scientific and Innovation Officer at Babraham Research Campus.
“Founders are immersed in a highly collaborative ecosystem, surrounded by like-minded peers, leading academics, and technical experts who are here to help unlock potential. The flexibility of our start-up spaces and our tailored support offer a soft landing and a strong launch pad.”
Affordability and scalability
One of the standout facilities, currently with availability for start-ups at Babraham Research Campus, is the Moneta Building - a multi-let property providing around 17,000 sq ft of adaptable wet lab and office space. With units starting at 124 sq ft for offices and 600 sq ft for labs, Moneta is designed to grow with its occupiers, offering both affordability and scalability.
Teams and individuals benefit from access to communal meeting rooms, kitchens, a comms room, and specialist shared facilities including a -80°C freezer room, +4°C cold storage, and a fully equipped wash-up area. It's a plug-and-play environment with just the right balance of independence and integrated support, ideal for early-stage ventures building their technical capability while conserving capital.
Add to that the inspirational location, embedded within one of the UK’s most successful life science ecosystems, and the appeal is clear.
LiveLabs in action
Alongside fitted units like those in Moneta, the LiveLabs facility provides a unique, rent-by-the-bench model for companies that are pre-lab or just launching. LiveLabs offers very early-stage ventures access to fully equipped shared laboratories, state-of-the-art instrumentation, and operational support from experienced scientific and facilities teams.
For many young innovators and researchers, the ability to use high-end scientific equipment - without the capital cost of purchasing - is a game-changer. And it’s not just the kit. It’s the people as one LiveLabs user explains: “We looked at other rent-a-bench facilities that were cheaper, but none offered the technical or social support that Babraham does,” says William Bains, CSO of Five Alarm Bio. “For a team of two researchers with almost no hardware budget, this setup was unbeatable. Even basics like CO₂ incubators and laminar flow hoods were available, essential to keeping our R&D moving.”
For Dr Carina Kern, CEO and Founder of LinkGevity, the decision was equally strategic: “Babraham has a strong reputation for ageing research, which aligns perfectly with our mission. Being part of a network of startups, academic thinkers, and industry leaders creates a rich, collaborative environment that fuels our innovation every day.”
An ambitious community
Start-ups at Babraham don’t just gain access to world-class infrastructure - they join a vibrant, inspiring peer group of fellow innovators.
“It’s not just about the space, it’s about the support network,” adds William. “People here genuinely want you to succeed. I’ve been connected with potential collaborators on site via the team here. A strong community of like-minded people is so important.”
Carina agrees: “The lab facilities foster an ecosystem where ideas are exchanged freely and this shared expertise among scientists enhances our research capabilities significantly. The community is fantastic, both within the lab and across the wider Babraham network.”
Working alongside LinkGevity and Five Alarm Bio, current occupiers include an exciting roll-call of companies tackling everything from longevity science and cardiovascular disease to diagnostics and digital biology, including: Plaquetec, Proteotype, Nikon, AbOliGo, OvartiX, Forth, Kamasqa, Smin, IB Demeter II, Promatix, Central Pharma, and Spliceor.
This list of early pioneers and visionaries adds to the fresh and vibrant community with new ideas and goals being tested all the time. “We want companies to mix, learn from each other, and grow together,” says Dr Jopling. “Being on Campus means more than just having a lab. It means being part of something collectively bigger. Some of these LiveLabs ventures will undoubtedly provide the foundational R&D to solve some of the greatest healthcare challenges of our time.”
Welcoming next-gen start-ups
With availability now in the Moneta Building and bench space open at LiveLabs, Babraham Research Campus is actively welcoming fledgling ventures ready to join this thriving and inspiring ecosystem.
Whether you need your first 600 sq ft lab or just a single bench, the Campus offers not only space but also the scientific, technical, and peer support that can make all the difference in those critical early years.
To enquire about start-up space in Moneta, contact Izzy Vyvyan at Savills: izzy.vyvyan@savills.com or Nicola Kinsey, Babraham Research Campus: nicola.kinsey@babraham.co.uk
For LiveLabs tours and queries contact Louise Jopling at Babraham Research Campus louise.jopling@babraham.co.uk.
Visit www.babraham.com for more details about the Campus.