From monopoly to mosaic: rejuvenating cities by cultivating the next generation of life sciences talent
ISG's Andrew Wilson provides his insights after attending the Bisnow life sciences conference.
Having recently shared my thoughts on ISG’s latest research report, ‘Rethinking the skills conundrum’, I’ve since attended the Bisnow life sciences conference. I was encouraged to see that the need for continued investment in innovation and talent development in the science and technology sectors remains a central topic of conversation, recognised as pivotal to unlocking urban growth.
The conference, held in Triton Square, coincided with the news of British Land and Royal London Asset Management Property forming a joint venture for the building. This venture aims to reposition King’s Cross as a burgeoning life sciences hub, offering a more diverse range of locations and lab spaces to call home. It will be a seriously impressive facility when completed and a key signifier of how re-energising our cities means challenging convention; life sciences can no longer maintain an out of sight, semi-rural base if it seeks the talent attracted to major conurbations. It needs to compete on the same ground, in the same spaces, to win this war for talent which is already changing the traditional composition of our cities.
From floating bookshops to big tech: King’s Cross is writing its own community legacy.
Paddy Screech, Co-founder, Word on the Water, King's Cross, London, UK
By looking to our city centres and high streets to create much-needed homes in the community for the wealth of rising talent in the life sciences sector, we can break up the existing monopoly of shops and offices and make them more diverse. Ensuring that we have a pipeline of richly diverse talent goes hand in hand with this vision.
To nurture future talent from diverse populations across the communities in which these facilities are starting to exist – we must consider the ranging demographic requirements and collectively remove the barriers to bring these worlds together, inviting the next generation of talent in.
We work in areas, particularly around King’s Cross, where we can engage with communities not only during the construction phase but also in supporting the transition to the building occupiers. A recent example of this is through our Digital Construction Awareness Programme, equipping students with the knowledge, tools, and mindset necessary to thrive in this evolving industry. We invited four London-based education institutions to take part, with a focus on socio-economically disadvantaged young people and underrepresented groups.
As speculative development continues to rise across urban centres, I believe the physical transformation of King’s Cross could be a blueprint for how we can all collaborate to support the enhancement of a ‘Human City’; a place that’s writing its own story as the stage and backdrop for a community renaissance that aims to leave nobody behind.
