Pioneering women’s health startup P.Happi® is scaling at WestTech London’s brand-new Innovation Hub in North Acton.

Imperial College London spin-out P.Happi® is establishing laboratory facilities at 1 Portal Way, a new scaleup space delivered in partnership by Imperial and Sciopolis and located at the heart of WestTech London’s emerging Old Oak Innovation Cluster.

CEO Dr Chiara Board and her team will be ramping up production of the company’s patented microbiome-based active ingredient, Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus (B.Y.M.® 1405) – a naturally occurring bacterium that is the foundation of the company’s consumer health range, now available at Boots UK and Pharmacy2U.

The move marks a major milestone in P.Happi®’s evolution from research-led startup into a manufacturer scaling delivery of its intimate health solutions for women – supported by the Imperial College London and the wider WestTech London ecosystem.

P.Happi® joins clean energy innovators Ki Hydrogen as the first companies to take space in this transformative new Innovation Hub.

Read more on the Sciopolis blog.

 

WestTech London and our ecosystem stakeholders are heading to Leeds for The UK Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF, May 19^th – 21^st 2026) – one of the most influential platforms for shaping the future of cities, infrastructure and innovation. We’re excited to join government, investors, developers and innovators who share our collective ambition to drive frontier industries and unlock sustainable growth across the UK.

WestTech London and our stakeholders have convened a programme of must-attend events at UKREiiF 2026, driving the national growth agenda through bold discussions on frontier innovation, pro‑growth local leadership, major infrastructure, affordable housing delivery and the future of the built environment. Spotlighting standout success stories from across WestTech London, these sessions will map out a path for the UK to realise the promise of sustainable, innovation‑led prosperity.

The WestTech London team, together with our key stakeholders, are looking forward to an energising and inspiring three days, and to connecting with as many colleagues as possible at the event. To schedule an on-site meeting with the WestTech London leadership team at UKREiiF, get in touch here.

For the full UKREiiF programme, visit: https://2026.ukreiif.com/programme

To register and buy tickets for the event, head to: https://2026.ukreiif.com/registration

 

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WestTech London Events at UKREiiF 2026:

Tuesday 19^th May 2026

9:30-10:45 | Panel | Who actually delivers the 1.5M? | HDN x UKREiiF Affordable Housing Summit Stage | Ealing

11:00-12:00 | Panel | HS2 Growth Corridor (HS2) | Rethinking Places Pavilion | Imperial/OPDC

12:30-14:00 | Roundtable | The Urban Growth Lunch | Glassbox | H&F/Ealing

16:00-17:00 | Panel | How will the Golden Mile London Boost the UK’s Creative-Tech Economy | Willmott Dixon | West London Business

Wednesday 20^th May 2026

8:00-09:15 | Panel + networking | Frontier London: Powering the Capital’s Next Innovation Boom | London Pavilion | Imperial/OPDC

11:30-12:30 | Panel | How Big Things Get Done | Kier | Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

12:00-13:00 | Panel | Ealing’s Success: What London can learn from a pro-growth borough | London Pavilion | Ealing

14:15-14:45 | Panel | How to Create an Innovation District – Driving Growth for the Benefit of All | London Pavilion | H&F/Imperial

15:30-18:00 | Networking | Transforming West London drinks reception | New Dock Hall Exhibition | West London Business

16:00-17:00 | Panel | Connecting Clusters: Building a National Innovation System for UK Growth | Bury Theatre | Imperial

Thursday 21^st May 2026

08:00-10:00 | Fringe event | WestTech London UK De-BREiiF | Register to attend | Imperial/OPDC/Ealing

09:30-10:15 | Panel | Sector Insights: UK Office Market | Markets & Sectors Pavilion | Ealing

11:00-12:00 | Workshop | Built Barriers: Unpicking gender barriers in the Built Environment | London Pavilion | Ealing

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HIGHLIGHT EVENT: FRONTIER LONDON BREAKFAST: Powering the Capital’s Next Innovation Boom

Wednesday 20th May 2026 | 08:00–09:15 | Panel + Networking | London Pavilion | Light breakfast included

Join us at our flagship breakfast session at the London Pavilion where we’ll be bringing together a panel of leaders who are shaping the future of frontier innovation in the capital.

One year on from the launch of the London Growth Plan, this session examines how universities, industry, investors and local partners are driving frontier innovation-led growth in the capital – and explores the shared opportunity to scale WestTech London, one of the UK’s most dynamic growth engines.

Speakers

• Amanda Wolthuizen – Vice-President, Strategic Engagement and Communications | Chief of Staff to the President, Imperial College London
• Professor Jonathan Van-Tam – Former Deputy Chief Medical Officer – 5654 & Company Senior Advisor – Department of Heath and Social Care
• Rebekah Paczek – Director of Public Affairs, Social Impact & Community Relations, The Earls Court Development Company
• Matthew Carpen – CEO, Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC)

 

HIGHLIGHT EVENT: CONNECTING CLUSTERS – BUILDING A NATIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEM FOR UK GROWTH

Wednesday 20^th May 2026 | 4:00-5:00 | Panel | Bury Stage

How can stronger links between the UK’s innovation clusters boost productivity, attract global investment and deliver nationwide growth? This panel brings together leaders shaping the country’s science, industrial strategy and major infrastructure to explore this key question — and demonstrate how a joined‑up national innovation system can power the UK’s economic ambitions.

Sponsored by Imperial College London

Speakers:

• Amanda Wolthuizen (Chair) – Vice-President, Strategic Engagement and Communications | Chief of Staff to the President, Imperial College London
• Huw Edwards – Director of Stations & Placemaking, HS2 Ltd
• Julian MacCormac – Senior Vice President Government Relations, Rolls‑Royce
• Chris Barton – Director, Local and International Growth, Department for Business and Trade

This is a standout opportunity to hear how industry, government and academia can work together to unlock the full power of the UK’s innovation landscape.

Join us at UKREiiF 2026 for a conversation that will shape the next chapter of national growth.

 

HIGHLIGHT EVENT: The WestTech London UK DebREiiF – Secure your space now

Thursday 21 May 2026 | 08:00–10:00am | Breakfast Networking | Lost & Found Leeds Club, LS1 6JL

Please register your interest — attendance will be confirmed individually due to capacity: https://wlevents.org.uk/event/westtech-london-ukdebreiif/

Join Imperial College London and Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC), plus special guest speaker Councillor Peter Mason from Ealing Council (London Borough of Ealing), for a special UK DebREiiF session — a chance to reflect on the highlights from UKREiiF and explore the fast‑growing innovation ecosystem taking shape across West London.

Please register your interest via the link below — attendance will be confirmed individually due to capacity

To close out UKREiiF 2026, WestTech London invites you to a breakfast event to celebrate how partnership is shaping West London’s next major innovation‑led district.

WestTech London brings together academia, innovators, industry and local government to unlock West London’s potential — powered by world‑class research, diverse talent and exceptional connectivity.

With a £10bn regeneration pipeline, Old Oak is one of the UK’s most investable opportunities, set to deliver 8,000 homes, 11,000 jobs and major commercial space around HS2’s new Old Oak Common station.

Explore how the emergence of the WestTech London innovation ecosystem and OPDC’s regeneration plans for Old Oak is creating a unique platform for investment, collaboration and long‑term growth.

 

Westminster City Council has granted unanimous planning approval for a major new research and public engagement facility – The Fleming Centre – set to be located in Paddington Life Sciences.

Developed in partnership between Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and with Imperial College London, the Fleming Centre at St Mary’s Hospital will be the headquarters of the Fleming Initiative and the first in a global network of centres dedicated to tackling the global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one of the most significant health challenges of our time.

The Centre will also play a key role in the wider redevelopment of St Mary’s Hospital and the growth of Paddington Life Sciences – one of the anchor innovation clusters that make up WestTech London. Spanning three million square feet, Paddington Life Sciences is a thriving life sciences complex that encompasses St Mary’s Hospital plus flexible, cross-functional commercial and lab space to enable life sciences businesses to emerge, scale and grow.

Due to open in 2028, The Fleming Centre will mark the centenary of Sir Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin at St Mary’s Hospital. The six-storey building will combine world‑leading laboratories, clinical research facilities and collaborative workspaces with high‑quality public engagement spaces supporting exhibitions and events. Designed to meet NHS net zero carbon standards and rooted in the site’s historic canal‑side warehouses, the new facility will advance the Fleming Initiative’s mission and strengthen the connection between research and frontline NHS care.

Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial College London, commented: “Establishing the Fleming Centre at the heart of Paddington Life Sciences will provide the ideal environment to enable rapid advances in AMR, as well as connecting its work to opportunities across the broader WestTech London ecosystem.”

Read more in this Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust news story.

Fashion leaders, investors and founders came together with eleven of the UK’s top innovators in White City Innovation District to explore how to move cutting‑edge fashion and textile research out of the lab and into wardrobes — and why long‑term investment and UK‑based scaling support is essential.

An expert industry panel — chaired by Imperial Vice Provost Mary Ryan and including fashion designer Genaro Rivas, fashion investor Irene Maffini, Julian Ellis-Brown (CEO of Ponda), and James MacDonald (CEO of Solena Materials) — spoke at a sustainable fashion showcase hosted at Imperial College London’s White City Campus.

Pioneering WestTech London start-up Radiant Matter also took part in the showcase, and Solena Materials – based at I-HUB – is due to be featured in a special ITV News report from the event.

White City Innovation District – a key cluster within the WestTech London ecosystem – is rapidly emerging as a hub for sustainable fashion innovation. Over the past five years, Imperial staff and students have launched 17 sustainable fashion startups and spinouts, many supported by Undaunted, the UK’s leading climate innovation community.

To support start-ups to stay and scale in the UK, Imperial last month launched a first‑of‑its‑kind pilot and demonstration facility – GraphtWorks – for advanced manufacturing. Part of the WestTech London innovation ecosystem, the new West London facility is supporting Solena Materials to develop novel materials using computational design, and will also soon be home to Epoch Biodesign – a start-up harnessing breakthrough AI-engineered enzyme technology to recycle previously unrecyclable nylon textiles.

NEWS: Cleantech start-up Ki Hydrogen has been announced as the first company to take space at the ambitious new Innovation Hub at 1 Portal Way in North Acton, which will be opening this summer in the heart of WestTech London.

1 Portal Way creates a new West London destination for science, technology and scale-up businesses, boosted by unique support from Imperial Incubator and the wider Imperial ecosystem. Delivered and operated by Sciopolis, 1 Portal Way offers 55,000 sq ft of fresh, affordable innovation space, spanning fully-fitted labs, premium workspace and fantastic event facilities.

The Ki Hydrogen team will occupy 1,500 sq ft of laboratory and office space to drive its scale-up, placing them at the heart of Imperial College London’s Old Oak Innovation Cluster and the broader transformation which is taking place across the area led by Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC), together with Ealing Council, Hammersmith and Fulham Council and Brent Council.

Ki Hydrogen – which emerged from Imperial Incubator and Imperial’s innovation ecosystem – is developing a novel biomass electrolysis technology to produce low‑cost green hydrogen and biogenic carbon from waste biomass such as paper and wood.

The company was selected for the inaugural cohort of EarthScale — which supports pioneering climate tech ventures to advance from prototype to commercial manufacturing — plus Imperial’s Undaunted accelerator, a dedicated program supporting climate startups with training, networking and expert mentorship.

“Remaining within the Imperial and WestTech London ecosystem — while gaining the space, capability and flexibility to scale our technology — is a major advantage. We’re excited to grow here in Old Oak and to contribute to this emerging innovation cluster.”
Koji Muto — Co-Founder & CEO, Ki Hydrogen

“Ki Hydrogen’s journey shows exactly what WestTech London is designed to deliver: a place where a startup can launch easily, expand within a supportive community and begin pilot manufacturing locally.”
Graham Hewson — Head of Incubation & Prototyping Spaces, Imperial College London

To discover more about the opportunities for start-ups and scale-ups at 1 Portal Way, head to the Sciopolis website.

Image: Sciopolis CEO Charlie Mitchell pictured with Ki Hydrogen CEO Koji Muto
Photo credit: Sciopolis

WestTech London’s Epoch Biodesign – an AI-powered biotech with a mission to transform plastic waste – has closed a $12M strategic funding round, bringing total capital raised to over $50M.

The finance round – which includes investment from Lululemon, KOMPAS VC, Happiness Capital, Extantia and Leitmotif  – will accelerate Epoch Biodesign’s commercialisation strategy across apparel, automotive and industrial markets.

The Grapht Works-based biotech and enzymatic recycling pioneer recently signed an MoU with INVISTA on its journey from multi-tonne to multi-kilotonne production, and construction is currently underway on the company’s demonstration nylon 6,6 biorecycling facility.

Circular production, built for scale 
Epoch Biodesign’s process deconstructs end-of-life nylon materials back to their chemical building blocks, using AI-engineered enzymes. The resulting monomers are used to produce virgin-quality nylon 6,6 – without the need for petrochemical feedstock. Nylon 6,6 is a critical material used across some of the world’s most demanding industries – from automotive, electronics and textiles to medical devices and renewable energy.

Imperial College London has officially launched the Dr Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building – a state-of-the-art, six-storey facility within the National Heart and Lung Institute that is set to drive a new era of innovation in respiratory and cardiac science right here in WestTech London.

The refurbished building was formally opened by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester, who met with researchers and toured the new laboratories to learn more about the NHLI’s vital mission.

Made possible by a multi-million pound gift from philanthropist Dr Victor Phillip Dahdaleh and the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Charitable Foundation, the new research building establishes a cutting-edge laboratory plus new teaching and collaborative facilities in the Hammersmith Hospital Life Sciences Campus adjacent to White City Innovation District

Tackling global health challenges 
Heart and lung conditions continue to be a major health burden worldwide. In England alone, respiratory disease affects one in five people and is the third leading cause of death, behind only cancer and cardiovascular disease. To support scientific discovery in this key area, Dr Dahdaleh’s gift also establishes the Dr Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Graduate Centre for Respiratory and Cardiac Sciences, supporting early‑career researchers and funding new Graduate Fellowships over the next three years.

Imperial College London President Professor Hugh Brady underlined the impact of this strategic investment, which strengthens Imperial’s presence within the rapidly-expanding WestTech London cluster of life sciences research institutes, innovative companies and NHS partners:

“This building is much more than just bricks and mortar; it creates a place that accelerates the National Heart and Lung Institute’s collaborative, translational research and ensures discoveries reach patients faster.”

Sustainable development 
The Dr Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building represents a major refurbishment project – delivered in partnership with Mace Construct – and is Imperial’s first fossil fuel-free facility. This sustainability milestone was achieved through replacing steam with air source heat pumps, upgrading the façade with high‑performance triple glazing, and improving energy efficiency through water source heat pumps.

Read more in this Imperial news story.

Photo credits: Imperial College London/Fergus Burnett

The scale of ambition across WestTech London was showcased earlier this month at MIPIM – the world’s premier annual real estate event, held from 9^th – 13^th March in Cannes, Frances.

This unique gathering of the world’s leading developers, investors and policymakers provided a powerful platform for WestTech London and its partners to shape the discussion on the future of cities, and highlight the exciting developments happening throughout the ecosystem.

WestTech London was a focus at the London Stand at MIPIM, represented in key Opportunity London panel discussions – including a session on innovative public-private partnerships featuring Tom Copley (Deputy Mayor of London for Housing and Residential Development at Greater London Authority) and Marianne Brook from Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC), who spotlighted the recent milestone achievements driving the evolution of WestTech London’s Old Oak Innovation Cluster.

The London Borough of Hounslow also took to the London Stand stage to present the vision for the Golden Mile London– the UK’s new creative tech innovation district that is set to deliver up to 14,000 homes, 25,000 jobs and £7.5bn of investment along the Great West Road.

Held annually in Cannes, France, the five-day MIPIM event focuses on urban development, sustainability, and international investment networking, connecting more than 20,000 investors, developers, architects, and city leaders from over 90 countries.

With significant momentum building around WestTech London, it’s exciting to see partnerships and initiatives emerging that can maximise the potential – creating high‑value jobs, powering investment and driving growth locally and across the UK.

Photo credit: Imperial College London/OPDC

Grapht Works is London’s first dedicated facility for pilot and demonstration advanced manufacturing. Part of the WestTech London ecosystem, the facility provides deep tech companies with the specialised space and support they need to scale in the capital.

Located within Imperial’s Old Oak Innovation Cluster in North Acton, Grapht Works provides 28 flexible industrial units designed for companies transitioning from R&D labs into pilot production and early-stage manufacturing.

The new facility addresses a critical gap in London’s innovation infrastructure, where many science-led businesses struggle to find suitable space to test, prototype and demonstrate manufacturing processes before scaling commercially.

Companies already establishing operations at Grapht Works include Solena Materials, Meatly, Epoch Biodesign, Aed Energy and 2D Nano, spanning sectors such as advanced materials, cleantech and engineering biology.

By enabling deep tech companies to start, scale and stay in London, facilities like Grapht Works play a vital role in WestTech London’s mission to unlock the region’s innovation potential and strengthen the UK’s science and technology economy.

Work has begun on the first stage of a masterplan  to redevelop St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, a major project that will redevelop one of West London’s key healthcare and life sciences sites. Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust has appointed Stanhope Plc and Allies and Morrison to lead the masterplanning and planning application for the site, working alongside HOK and a wider design and delivery team.

The proposals include a new state-of-the-art teaching hospital and major trauma centre, alongside the wider regeneration and expansion of the Paddington Life Sciences cluster – a hub of research and innovation. Independent analysis suggests the development could support 12,000–15,000 jobs and up to £15 billion in new economic activity over the next decade.

Paddington Life Sciences is one of the innovation clusters which anchors WestTech London’s ecosystem. The St Mary’s redevelopment will help embed research, education, and clinical breakthroughs, while creating new opportunities for collaboration across healthcare, life sciences, and technology.

The public consultation to help shape the first phase of the masterplan is open until 20 March 2026.

Design work is now underway, with further opportunities for stakeholders to be involved in shaping the masterplan before a planning application is submitted in 2027.