BOOK NOW | Life Sciences Update
The demand for labs and innovation campuses is creating opportunities for developers, investors and occupiers across the North. Hear from the people shaping the sector at Place’s Life Sciences Update on 19 November at Bridgewater Hall, Manchester.
With Liverpool and Manchester home to established life sciences ecosystems, and the sector identified as a government industrial strategy priority, the challenge is turning ambition into places where innovative businesses can grow. What space do those businesses need, and how can the property industry help them move from research to commercial production?
Bringing together expertise from property, construction, investment, research and business support, this half-day conference will explore the connections between scientific innovation and development opportunity through a mix of presentations and panel discussions.
Life Sciences Update 2026 is sponsored by BondBryan:Fairhursts, Curtins and Morgan Sindall Construction.
Meet the speakers
Jonny Lowe, head of science and technology North, CBRE. Lowe advises public and private sector clients on the emerging innovation landscape, with expertise spanning development, asset management, acquisitions and disposals. He brings a property market perspective on the places and spaces supporting science and technology businesses.
Phillip Carvil, head of clusters, North West, Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK Research and Innovation. Carvil works with partners across research, business and government to develop high-tech innovation clusters. Having helped establish the North West’s Health Cluster, he has since supported cluster development across biotech, digital, space, defence and materials.
Dace Dimza-Jones, dealmaker and life sciences sector development lead, Greater Manchester Business Growth Hub. With more than 13 years’ experience in the NHS and clinical research, Dimza-Jones connects industry, academia, investors, government and the health service. Her work supports innovation, commercialisation and investment, helping life sciences businesses establish, scale and succeed in the UK.
Mark Adey, director, BondBryan:Fairhursts. Adey leads the practice’s specialist science, innovation and advanced manufacturing division. With more than 25 years’ experience, he helps life sciences organisations navigate the property and technical decisions needed to grow from research through scale-up to commercial production.
Steven Gregory, area director for the North West, Morgan Sindall Construction. Gregory leads the contractor’s North West business, working with public sector and government clients on projects supporting regeneration, economic growth and long-term social value. He brings the delivery perspective to the discussion, connecting development ambitions with the practicalities of construction.
Mark Davies, head of innovation, Bruntwood SciTech. Davies draws on more than 20 years in pharmaceutical drug discovery and development to support the growth of life sciences, digital and technology businesses. His work focuses on ensuring the spaces, connections and events across Bruntwood SciTech’s North West portfolio help companies grow and reduce barriers for start-ups.
Liz Towns-Andrews, regional and business lead, University of Huddersfield. A PhD chemist and X-ray crystallographer, Towns-Andrews has extensive experience connecting academia, industry and the public sector. She previously led the development of national science and innovation campuses in Cheshire and Oxfordshire and received an OBE in 2020 for services to business, enterprise and public-private collaboration.
Janet Hemingway, founding director, Infection Innovation Consortium, and professor of tropical medicine, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Hemingway established iiCON in 2020 to help bring new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for infectious diseases to market more effectively. A former director of LSTM, she combines research leadership with experience founding spin-out businesses and translating scientific discoveries into commercial opportunities.
Book your place
Life Sciences Update takes place from 8am to midday on Thursday 19 November at Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester. Tickets cost £90+VAT, with a 50% discount for local authorities and registered providers. Breakfast and lunch are included, giving delegates time to make connections alongside the conference programme.
