York Biotech Campus’ highlights 2025
As the year comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the activity that’s brought our campus to life. From hosting inspiring events to introducing adaptable lab spaces and supporting occupiers through key milestones, it’s been a year full of collaboration and progress.
Here are some of the highlights that made 2025 memorable.
Inspiring events
This year at Lakeside Conference Centre, we’ve welcomed a fantastic mix of events that brought people together to share knowledge and ideas. These included a diverse combination of occupier-led sessions and external stakeholder gatherings, ranging from APHA’s animal health workshops and Fera Science’s National Plant Health Week to Ware & Kaye’s annual agricultural meeting.
One of the standout highlights was the Thermo Fisher Science Exhibition Day, which showcased cutting-edge products from leading suppliers such as OHAUS, Labconco, and Grant Instruments, alongside insightful seminars. We were also proud to host the York and North Yorkshire Business Board for the first time, welcoming Mayor David Skaith and regional business leaders, including Nicola Kingswell from Labskin Limited, based here on campus.
Getting out into the industry
Our onsite team has also been busy representing York Biotech Campus at major industry events. Head of Campus Victoria de Kock and Property Manager Annaleigh Marshall attended the UKSPA Summer Conference at Rothamsted Enterprises in Harpenden, which featured a packed agenda exploring life sciences and the future of science parks.
Liz also joined the Life Sciences & Research Clusters Conference in London, hosted by Construction News and Property Week, where she participated in the ‘Find Your Tribe’ panel alongside leading voices from Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, MEPC Limited, and University of Southampton Science Park. These events are invaluable for connecting with peers and staying at the forefront of developments that shape our sector.
Utilising flexible lab space
We have noticed an increase in demand for flexible, short term lab space, whether that’s start-ups or universities looking for space to support a small project, to education providers. So, we listened and have introduced a range of short-term lease options. A good example this year was our partnership with BioGrad Education.
BioGrad Education hosted five weeks of intensive scientific training at York Biotech Campus. By adapting our facilities for short-term use, we helped BioGrad to deliver two Skills Bootcamp programmes in advanced laboratory techniques, supporting learners from the University of Hull and University of York.
This initiative demonstrates how our flexible leasing model can accommodate short-term projects, education providers, and start-ups, helping drive innovation and collaboration within our scientific community. It was a real highlight of our year, welcoming new faces to campus and supporting future scientists to gain experience in industry leading facilities.
Celebrating occupier success
It has been a pleasure watching our occupiers go from strength to strength. Labskin Limited has doubled its headcount to 10 on site, a major milestone that reflects its rapid growth. The team also secured an Innovate UK grant to develop an in vitro skin model for melanoma and is exploring collaborations with leading northern universities.
Fera Science Ltd marked its 10th anniversary as a public–private joint venture, celebrated at the Houses of Parliament with leaders from government, industry, and NGOs. They also strengthened their influence on national policy through a Cabinet Office visit and brought home accolades, with CFO Jodie Roebuck named CFO of the Year at the Private Business Awards.
Elsewhere, Abingdon Health achieved exceptional revenue growth of 40% and secured £800,000 in UKRI funding to develop rapid diagnostic tests for malaria – a project with significant real-world impact.
And that’s just a snapshot! We’re proud of all the outstanding work happening across campus and can’t wait to see what 2026 brings.
Looking ahead
2025 has been a year of collaboration and innovation at York Biotech Campus. We’re grateful to our occupiers, and site teams for making YBC a thriving hub for bioscience. We look forward to building on this momentum in 2026, with exciting new facilities launching and upgrades planned across campus – watch this space!