Imperial College London has opened the capital’s first dedicated pilot and demonstration manufacturing facility in North Acton aimed at helping science and technology startups scale without leaving the city.
The new site, known as Grapht Works, forms part of Imperial’s Old Oak innovation cluster in west London. It offers 28 industrial units designed for deep tech companies moving from laboratory research to early-stage manufacturing.
The facility is intended to address a gap faced by growing science-led businesses, which often struggle to find suitable space in London to test and scale new technologies before full commercial production.
Hugh Brady, president of Imperial College London, said: “Providing essential infrastructure, like Grapht Works, is critical if we are to ensure that deep tech businesses can start, scale and stay in the UK.”
He added that supporting companies at this stage would help “unlock the power of innovation in west London and ignite growth not just for London, but nationwide”.
Howard Dawber, the deputy mayor of London for business and growth, said: “London has had the ideas and the research, but we’ve lacked the prototyping and advanced manufacturing capacity to turn them into products — this project provides that missing link.”
Mr Dawber added that the wider innovation corridor had already attracted more than £6bn in investment since 2017 and could support around 80,000 jobs over the next five years.
Mathew Carpen, chief executive of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, said: “Grapht Works is an incredible example of what’s happening right now in Old Oak — and a glimpse of what’s coming in the future.”
