Elie Gamburg, Principal  at KPF and Chair of the Innovation Districts Expert Panel reflects on the first meeting of the cycle, discuss the key topics for 2024 and the New London Agenda.

The Innovation District expert panel got together in the initial week of 2024 for our first meeting. The purpose was to welcome new members, remember the achievement of that last few cycles in preparing white papers and thought pieces to inform the NLA New London Agenda, and discuss the key topics for 2024. We kicked-off the meeting with a presentation from Jack Sallabank, Founding Director at Future Places Studio, of the latest research ‘London Knowledge Clusters: From Emerging to Maturing’. Then the panel discussed what we felt were the three key questions for 2024:

Health: this pillar encompasses considerations of sustainability, accessibility, access to NHS and NHS data.

Partnership: the panel mentions the importance of linking up different clusters across London and UK-wide. Partnerships with universities, communities, and cross-sector collaborations with housing, transport, and entertainment are essential.

Diversity: This pillar involves aligning needs and training, ensuring diversity in clinical trials, and recognising that the innovation district extends beyond life sciences to include medical, material, and energy sectors.

Beyond boundaries: Similar to the partnership pillar, this emphasizes thinking across city and region, innovation corridors, establishing connections with key UK institutions, and collaborating with global research foundations and institutions.

Future generations: The panel discussed then the importance of valuing education at all levels, promoting interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral thinking, and facilitating and supporting the transfer of data between institutions.

The discussion focussed on the possibility of co-location with industry and tech / lab. Planning policies must support building typologies for research and align sustainability policies to research building needs. We need to see life-science as a way to encourage economic development for communities.

The committee discussed several cities which it would be good to study and potentially set up international events for information exchange, part of the City dialogues programme. 

Copenhagen, New York, Boston, Paris, St. Louis, Guangzhou, and Singapore were considered as cities from which we can learn from.