Celebrating our 2024 highlights
As 2024 draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to celebrate an exciting and transformative year at York Biotech Campus (YBC). From welcoming new occupiers and expanding our team to hosting milestone events and investing in the campus, this year has been packed with progress and achievements.
Here are some of the highlights that have shaped YBC in 2024.
Welcoming leading bioscience organisations
This year, we welcomed both Microsaic Systems and Labskin Limited to the campus as they set up new homes here at YBC. Microsaic Systems supplies the industry leading, comprehensive solution for water purity monitoring, protection and control, and took 1,350 sq ft of laboratory space, with Labksin Limited, a leading skin science company, securing 1,800 sq ft across three laboratories.
We’ve also had the pleasure of supporting BioGrad, which provides immersive laboratory and clinical training courses across the UK. BioGrad hosted its Skills Bootcamp training courses in our facilities, and it was fantastic to see our labs being used to upskill future talent.
Greeting new faces
As well as welcoming new faces from organisations that have joined us on campus, we’ve also seen some fantastic additions to our own YBC team. First up is our new head of campus, Victoria de Kock, who joins us with nearly 20 years’ experience in facilities and estates management. She has been busy focusing on stakeholder and supplier management and will play a key role in preparing to introduce our new sustainability strategy.
We also said hello to Tony Walker and Rob Read, the new managers at Arcus FM and Compass, whose leadership is helping to maintain and improve the essential services that keep YBC running smoothly.
Campus investment
As a leading science campus, we recognise the need for our facilities to remain cutting-edge, which means consistent investment in our infrastructure, and 2024 was no exception. One major project that we kicked off this year has been the significant investment in relocating and completely rebuilding our Insect Quarantine Unit, used by Fera on campus. Work is well underway, and once completed, it will be more energy-efficient, meet the highest industry standards, and be future-proofed. We’ve also supported Fera with the installation of solar panels, as part of its commitment to sustainability.
It doesn’t stop there! We have also completed work to explore how we can convert more office space into labs, to cater for demand. Finally, we’ve invested in upgrades to our meeting room spaces, which both occupiers and our Lakeside Conference Centre users can benefit from.
Event triumphs
YBC is not just a thriving science park – it’s also home to our Lakeside Conference Centre, a unique event space that has seen an exceptional year! In 2024, we’ve hosted more than 120 events and welcomed more than 4,000 delegates. We also celebrated hosting our largest event since before the pandemic, the Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance’s annual conference, where we had the honour of welcoming 215 delegates.
Most recently, we’ve had the pleasure of hosting York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority for several events, including the inaugural meeting for its new Business Board. The board is made up of members from the regional business community, including our very own Nicola Kingswell, Scientific Director at Labskin Limited based at YBC. They are all dedicated to fostering innovation and nurturing talent across York and North Yorkshire led by new Mayor, David Skaith.
Enhancing campus life
We believe a strong, connected community is at the heart of innovation. So this year, we’ve focused on making meaningful improvements that enhance life on campus and foster a more engaged and supportive environment for everyone.
A key highlight has been the launch of our Sustainability Forum, a platform for sharing ideas, discussing eco-friendly initiatives and driving collective action towards a greener future on campus.
We’ve also upgraded our Intranet, making it easier to access resources, find support and stay informed. We’ve also hosted several events that brought our community together, including our Christmas Market and Macmillan Coffee Morning bake sale.
Finally, we’ve been busy planning some exciting upgrades for 2025, including a refresh of our fitness centre providing more opportunities for well-being and wellness before, after or during the working day.
As we prepare for 2025, the momentum at YBC shows no signs of slowing. From further infrastructure developments to new sustainability projects and occupier collaborations, the future is bright for YBC.
We’d like to thank our occupiers, staff, and partners for their contributions to a successful 2024. Here’s to another year of collaboration and success!