BioInnovation Institute chooses London for first international accelerator

The Victoria House hub will open from July to help researchers turn cardiometabolic discoveries into new companies and healthcare products.

BioInnovation Institute will establish its first research base outside Copenhagen at Victoria House in London from July. Image credit: Victoria House

BioInnovation Institute has selected Victoria House in London for its first international accelerator and its first research base outside Copenhagen.

The hub will become the main site for the CardioMetabolic Bridge, a new pan-European initiative backed by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and focused on moving cardiometabolic research from the laboratory toward commercial development.

BioInnovation Institute is expected to establish its London team at Victoria House from July. The site was developed by life sciences property and venture-building specialist Pioneer Group with Oxford Properties.

Laboratory facilities at Victoria House will support translational research, the stage between an early scientific discovery and its development into a treatment, product, or company. BioInnovation Institute plans to work with researchers and entrepreneurs developing technologies related to cardiometabolic health.

Victoria House will anchor the European program

Victoria House is located in London’s Knowledge Quarter, the research and innovation district around King’s Cross, Euston Road, and Bloomsbury.

Organizations based within the area include UCL, the Francis Crick Institute, the British Library, Google DeepMind, and the Wellcome Trust. The Knowledge Quarter says it is also home to 25 percent of London’s life sciences companies and 11 of the UK’s 50 leading data science businesses.

BioInnovation Institute says the location will give its teams access to researchers, hospitals, investors, entrepreneurs, and established life sciences companies.

Geraint Rees, Vice-Provost for Research, Innovation and Global Engagement at UCL, wrote on LinkedIn that the site is close to UCL’s Queen Square departments, partner hospitals, and UCL AI Centre.

He said he was looking forward to collaboration focused on developing startups and spinouts.

Victoria House already provides shared laboratories and offices for life sciences organizations. Pioneer Group operates the site as part of a wider network of science campuses and accelerator programs across the UK and Ireland.

Miranda Knaggs, Corporate Development Director at Pioneer Group, says BioInnovation Institute’s arrival will allow the two organizations to collaborate across their venture-building programs.

She says: "Victoria House will not only become home to the BII; it will serve as a launchpad for Pioneer and BII to co-create and collaborate across our respective flagship venture building programmes."

Oxford Properties invested in converting the Grade II-listed building into laboratory, office, and innovation space.

Pierre-Etienne Accarier, Director at Oxford Properties, says BII will have access to the research networks, facilities, and wider science ecosystem created at Victoria House.

Accelerator targets gap between research and company creation

The CardioMetabolic Bridge is designed to address the point at which promising research needs additional scientific, commercial, and operational support before it can become a viable company or healthcare product.

BioInnovation Institute says European researchers produce strong cardiometabolic science, but some discoveries do not progress beyond the laboratory because teams lack translational infrastructure and early-stage innovation support.

The London accelerator will provide laboratory access and venture-development support intended to help researchers test technologies, reduce scientific and commercial risks, and prepare new companies for further development.

BioInnovation Institute currently operates 3,500 square meters of laboratory and office facilities at its Copenhagen headquarters. Its wider support includes accelerator programs, commercial guidance, funding opportunities, mentoring, and access to life sciences networks.

Christian Rank, Chief Development Officer at BioInnovation Institute, says: "Victoria House places BII at the heart of one of the world’s leading life science ecosystems, giving us direct access to outstanding translational research and the opportunity to turn breakthrough science into companies with real societal impact."

He adds: "BII has demonstrated the strength of its innovation model in Denmark. From Victoria House, we will now apply that proven approach to accelerate promising cardiometabolic research and build the next generation of life science ventures."

BioInnovation Institute is an initiative of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, a Danish enterprise foundation that supports health and sustainability through grants, partnerships, and investments.

London will be the first location in the CardioMetabolic Bridge network and its initial European focal point.

BioInnovation Institute has also outlined plans to establish additional locations in Germany and Italy, although launch dates and host organizations have not been disclosed.