Professor Dame Kay Davies and Victoria Collett join the Oxford+ podcast to explore the £1.2 billion Oxford North innovation district

In an illuminating new episode of the Oxford+ podcast titled “Oxford North: the new innovation district in Oxford”, two distinguished figures - Professor Dame Kay Davies DBE FRS, one of the UK’s foremost human geneticists, and Victoria Collett, development director at Thomas White Oxford, the development company of St John’s College - explored how the design, ambition and ecosystem of recently launched Oxford North are being shaped to deliver the next wave of science, technology and innovation-led growth.

In their conversation with host Susannah de Jager, Kay and Victoria brought complementary perspectives to the topic from the vantage of both cutting-edge biomedical research and transnational biotech, and large-scale placemaking and real-estate development tuned to the needs of high-growth innovation businesses.

Professor Dame Kay Davies, Emeritus Dr Lee’s Professor of Anatomy at University of Oxford and a leading figure in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research, reflected on her 30-year journey from academic lab to biotech spin-out, emphasising how the pace and structure of translational science have evolved.

Victoria Collett shared how Oxford North - a purposefully masterplanned innovation district - has been crafted to accommodate biotech, AI, quantum and mixed-use development.

Both guests emphasised the importance of ecosystem-connectivity: physical infrastructure such as lab spaces, flexible leases, transport links, community, as well as the importance of serendipity - creating spaces where innovators bump into one another - and proximity to the academic base that is in world-renowned Oxford.

Professor Davies highlighted that “once you go from an academic lab into a company…you have serious milestones. …You cannot afford to fail.”

Victoria Collett explained that Oxford North is intentionally designed with “gathering places”, flexible lab space and community-oriented amenities to stimulate interaction and growth.

As competition intensifies globally for science, technology and innovation-led growth, the UK must continue to evolve its innovation infrastructure.

The podcast episode brings together the research-scientist-turned-entrepreneur perspective, and the “place-maker” perspective in a nuanced dialogue about what an innovation district must offer to succeed.

A must-listen for investors, science and technology companies, urban planners, and policy-makers, the discussion provided a real-world case study of how Oxford North has been designed and built to meet such demands.

Access the episode

Title: Oxford North: The New Innovation District in Oxford

Podcast series: Oxford+

Available now at: https://www.oxfordplus.co.uk/episode/oxford-north