Liverpool City Region Innovation Investment Summit for Scaling

The 2025 LCR Innovation Investment Summit moves to Sci-Tech Daresbury with a focus on scaling through innovation and investment

Developed by Innovate UK Business Growth and LYVA Labs in conjunction with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the fourth LCR Innovation Investment Summit combines specialist industry experience, scale up insight and regional opportunity to drive collaborative innovation-led growth and help realise the LCR’s ambition to invest 5% of GVA in R&D a year by 2030.

Convening policymakers, investors, business leaders, financiers, advisers and other stakeholders from across the private and public sectors, with a particular focus on sector expertise, this one-day conference will give attendees exclusive insight and access to the region’s leading innovators and funders. With a particular focus on helping SMEs overcome challenges of scaling, the summit creates vital connections for SME business with investors, business support organisations and larger industry partners.

Attendees will have the opportunity to take part in one of three informative behind the scenes site tours of Sci-Tech Daresbury, consult industry experts and participate in sector-specific workshops designed to tackle challenges of scale.

Site Tour Information

1. Digital innovation across sectors – Hartree Centre

The Hartree Centre helps UK businesses and organisations of any size to explore and adopt supercomputing, data science and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for enhanced productivity, smarter innovation and economic growth. Backed by significant UK government funding and strategic partnerships with industry leaders such as IBM, Atos and the University of Liverpool, the Hartree Centre is home to some of the most advanced digital technologies and experts in the UK. They have worked with organisations from start-ups and early-stage companies through funded support programmes such as HNCDI and BridgeAI, to collaborating with large international corporates such as Unilever, Airbus, Bae Systems and Astra Zeneca.

The tour will provide an overview about the facilities and expertise that can be accessed from the Hartree Centre, and the various support programmes that can facilitate this engagement. It will showcase some of the work the Hartree Centre has carried out in a range of sectors including materials, manufacturing, life sciences and healthcare.

2. Health & Life Sciences – Laboratory facilities in ITAC Bio, Vanguard House and Techspace One

Sci-Tech Daresbury and STFC provide a range of laboratory facilities suitable for health and life sciences businesses. The tour will include a visit to the fitted out small labs in ITAC Bio with access to a range of analytical equipment It will also provide access to view the grow-on fitted out labs in Vanguard House that is the natural next step for life science companies. We will visit Techspace One which provides large shell labs to access to significant laboratory infrastructure to meet the requirements of a CL2 lab and with ground floor labs that could be suitable for pilot facilities, and meet some of the companies located there. We will also talk about future plans to deliver our next laboratory building V5 providing laboratory units of 5000 – 20,000 sq ft, suitable for companies needing to scale their lab activities into pilot phase or even small-scale manufacturing.

3. Advanced Engineering & Materials – Laboratory facilities in the Campus Technology Hub and ITAC Materials

STFC provide a range of small laboratory facilities with access to a range of analytical and 3D printing equipment suitable for companies either developing engineering products or novel materials. The tour will include a visit to the rapid prototyping centre, the Campus Technology Hub, and the ITAC Materials facility, which provides access small fitted out labs suitable for materials companies. The tour will demonstrate some of the 3D printing, additive manufacturing and analytical lab facilities and equipment that can be accessed and meet with some companies that are based there.

These resources are designed to provide valuable insights and practical solutions to help you navigate and overcome any obstacles in your growth journey.

Places at this event are restricted so please register early to ensure you are able to participate in the sessions of interest.

LCR Innovation Investment Fortnight is an annual showcase of the distinctive approaches, world-leading assets, and £2bn investment opportunities that put the Liverpool City Region at the UK forefront of place-based innovation. #LCRinnovation.