Get property equation right to support Glasgow’s life sciences growth

Glasgow has all the ingredients to develop a thriving life sciences ecosystem: world-class universities, skilled graduates, specialist businesses and an enviable quality of life. But realising that potential requires more than scientific excellence. It demands a property market that understands how life sciences businesses grow.

From my work across the sector, the challenge is not simply a lack of laboratory space. It is about having the right space, in the right format, at the right price and at the right point in a company’s growth journey.

That is something we see directly through our work with projects including Clyde Gateway’s XWORKS development in Dalmarnock, Kadans Science Partner’s Health Innovation Hub and Pioneer Group’s BioCity Glasgow. Each has a distinct proposition: XWORKS targets high-growth industries, Health Innovation Hub has a focus on precision medicine, and BioCity is established in pharmaceutical and biotherapeutics research.

We must stop treating ‘life sciences’ as a single property requirement, Gillian Giles says (Picture: stock.adobe.com)

As the agent for these amazing buildings, my role is to generate interest and convert it into occupancy. But across life sciences, funding decisions are taking longer, inward investment remains constrained and cash flow is a persistent challenge. Companies may agree property terms months before securing the capital to move.

For landlords and developers, this creates uncertainty too. Maintaining momentum with prospective occupiers while accommodating shifting funding timelines requires a more flexible, commercially realistic approach to securing lettings.

This creates a fundamental tension because property decisions are intrinsically linked to the funding cycle. For an early-stage life sciences business, laboratory fit-out, specialist equipment and rent all represent significant commitments before revenue or investment is assured.

Crucially, we must stop treating ‘life sciences’ as a single property requirement. The needs of an early-stage company looking for a small fitted laboratory are very different from those of a growing R&D business requiring a more industrial environment.

Gillian Giles is a Partner at Ryden and Board Member of Senior Women in Science (Picture: Alan McAteer)

Without that flexibility, Glasgow risks losing promising businesses just as they reach the point of scaling up. Providing a clear pathway from start-up space to larger, specialist accommodation should be a priority.

Successful innovation hubs recognise this, combining laboratory, office and shared facilities that can accommodate businesses at different stages, while their accessibility and wider amenities are part of what makes a larger-scale cluster work.

But successful life sciences placemaking isn't simply about putting scientists under one roof. It is about creating environments that reflect how businesses operate, encourage purposeful collaboration and help them scale without unnecessary disruption.

For Glasgow, the opportunity now is to connect the dots between funding, talent, occupiers and property. That requires developers, investors and advisers to understand occupiers’ growth plans, funding pressures and operational requirements, not simply their immediate space needs.

Property expertise should have a seat at the table earlier, including on company boards and investor panels, where decisions about funding and expansion are made.

Glasgow’s ambition should not be measured by how much laboratory space it delivers, but by how effectively that space helps businesses establish, expand and succeed. Getting that equation right will be critical to the city’s long-term life sciences growth.

Gillian Giles, is a Partner at Ryden and Board Member of Senior Women in Science