Cambridge Wide Open Week: 9th-13th June, 2025

(Note: By signing up through this link, you’re expressing your interest in CWOW and events taking place throughout the week. However, individual events/programmes such as Ventures Tours, AZ Exchange, BIA TECHBIO X, and others will require separate registration to help us manage security and attendance. Signing up for CWOW also grants access to CWOD, so there’s no need for additional registration for the Open Day. We’ll share more details and sign-up links via email, so please keep an eye on our communications.)

Cambridge Wide Open Week (CWOW): 9th - 13th June 2025

Building on the buzz of Cambridge Wide Open Day Season 2 we are evolving CWOD into CWOW! Cambridge is alive and bursting with ideas, funding, IP, exciting companies, and new facilities. Last year over 1000+ attendees explored 160+ companies across 21+ venues featuring 177+ talks, presentations, tours, demos, and masterclasses. Join us for a week of life sciences festivities @ the home of life sciences from 9th to 13th June 2025, where we share the energy of the Cambridge Life Sciences ecosystem with the world.

We will have a mix of investor showcases, conferences, panels, talks, tours, masterclasses, discussions, breakfast/lunch/evening receptions, a summer garden party, a community day, a biotech bikers event and more! Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, academic, working in public policy, or a local resident, this is an opportunity for everyone to feel the buzz of the Cambridge life sciences ecosystem.

To download agenda, click here.

Monday & Tuesday:

Ventures Tour (8:30 AM - 8:00 PM)

We will kick off CWOW with the Ventures Tour, a first-of-its-kind and exciting investor showcase spanning two days. This event will feature a wide range of portfolio pitch sessions hosted by some of the most prominent venture capital firms, incubators, accelerators, angel investors, and government organisations. Key hosts include Amadeus Capital Partners, Parkwalk, Cambridge Enterprise, Babraham Research Campus/Accelerator, Cambridge Innovation Capital, and more.

The tours are open to investors, ecosystem participants, and the wider Cambridge community, providing a unique platform spotlighting some of the most innovative and pioneering life sciences, biotech, deeptech, and techbio companies, offering them a chance to present to a dynamic network of investors and audiences.

The event begins on Monday with a launch breakfast hosted by Amadeus at 8:45 AM. Each pitch session will feature exciting company presentations and engaging pitches. Attendees can look forward to a lunch break and the day concluding with a drinks networking session.

(Note: A detailed schedule/agenda of the pitch sessions along with a list of participating companies, venue locations, timings and other required details will be provided shortly.)

Wednesday:

Cambridge Wide Open Day (11:00 AM - 3:00 PM) & Garden Party (4:00 PM - 8:00 PM)

LEADING science companies and innovation parks will once again open their doors to showcase their contribution to sci-tech innovation when Cambridge Wide Open Day returns with Season 3!

The event – organised annually offers a unique opportunity for the wider community, ecosystem employers/ employees, sci-tech enthusiasts, and residents alike to explore Cambridge’s world-class science and technology facilities, and to meet the people behind the innovations, all in one day.

The Season 2 of CWOD witnessed over 1000 attendees exploring 160+ companies across 21+ venues including Cambridge Science Park, Babraham Research Campus, AstraZeneca, Astex, Granta Park, Allia, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership, Melbourne Science Park and many more featuring 177+ sessions in the form of talks, presentations, tours, masterclasses, demos, and clinics.

Cambridge Wide Open Day is also being supported by local organisations such as The Combined Authority and local councils, Cambridge& and Form the Future.

The day ends with a buzzing summer garden party with live music, food, drinks and ice-creams at the HQ of o2h, Hauxton House, Mill SciTech Park, Cambridge starting at 4pm.

You can participate in the Cambridge Wide Open Day in two ways:

1. Free Drop-In Passes: With this option, you can explore the participating venues on your own schedule. Visit science parks, biotech hubs, and academic institutions at your convenience and create your own plan for the day.
   
2. Paid Bus Tours: For a more guided experience, join the bus tour starting at 10 AM from Central Station. You’ll visit 2-3 key venues, including major science parks and innovation hubs. Lunch is included, and the tour ends at Hauxton House, just in time for the evening garden party.

(Note: A detailed agenda of the talks, presentations, tours, masterclasses, demos, and clinics along with venue locations, timings and other required details will be provided shortly.)

Creative Disruption Forum: Tech Transforming Small Molecule Drug Discovery (10:00 AM - 4:00 PM)

Join us on Wednesday, 11 June 2025, for the Creative Disruption Forum at The Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC), an exclusive full-day event for business leaders and R&D directors of innovative companies. This intimate gathering, conducted under Chatham House Rules, features engaging discussions and workshops on how technology is revolutionizing small molecule drug discovery.

With special guest speakers David Brown (co-inventor of Viagra), Prashant Shah (Managing Partner, o2h Group), Hannah Sore (CEO, PharmEnable), Michael Dabrowski (CEO, Pelago), and Jonathan Betts (CCO, Cambridge Crystallographic Data Center), the forum will delve into what makes a biotech company investable, overcoming commercialization barriers, and fostering innovation.

Limited to 40 participants, this is a unique opportunity to build connections, gain valuable insights, and leave inspired to drive your biotech journey forward.

Thursday:

Techbio, Biotech, Pharma Day (11:00 AM - 8:30 PM)

This day will feature exciting panels, talks, drinks & networking sessions, and more providing a great chance to connect and learn from experts.

1. BIA TechBio X (11:00 AM - 1:00 PM): Connect with BIA’s growing TechBio community as they bring TechBio X back to Cambridge. Expect two thought-provoking panel sessions and lots of fantastic networking over refreshments.
   
2. Creative Disruption Forum: Exosomes as a therapeutic agent (Timings TBC): Join us on for the Creative Disruption Forum at Fora, an exclusive full-day event for business leaders and R&D directors of innovative companies. This intimate gathering, conducted under Chatham House Rules, features engaging discussions on exosomes as a therapeutic agent.
   
3. AstraZeneca Exchange (Timings TBC): An event dedicated to fostering connections and celebrating collaboration within the UK Life Sciences ecosystem. Attendees can engage in expert talks and panel discussions spotlighting Cambridge’s success in the UK Life Sciences. Discover AstraZeneca’s global business mentoring network, which has supported over 300 start-ups with the expertise of more than 200+ mentors. Enjoy a networking reception to connect with organisations and professionals in the region.
   
4. Conexen (6:00 PM - 8:30 PM): A warm and welcoming hub for professionals and founders in pharma, biotech, life sciences, and health tech in Cambridge! Join us for an informal gathering where connections are made, knowledge flows, and friendships are formed. This casual event is more than just networking—it’s a community gathering. Enjoy meaningful conversations over delicious food and drinks, hear from inspiring speakers, and leave with new ideas and valuable contacts.

Friday:

Community Day (Timings TBC)

The closing day of Cambridge Wide Open Week will focus on inspiring young people to explore careers in life sciences. Community Day will aim to bridge this gap by connecting young talent with businesses, academia, and educators to collaborate on attracting future innovators. Organised by Form the Future, the event will bring together thought leaders to discuss education and life science. Through firsthand experiences with world-leading businesses, the day will turn inspiration into aspiration, shaping the next generation’s career choices. During the week, Form the Future will also celebrate their 10th Anniversary with a drink reception session.