Most lab space wasn't built for scale-ups. It was either built for early-stage teams running proof-of-concept experiments or for large, established companies with enough capital to commit to a long lease and a custom fitout. 

The space in between — flexible, specialist, scalable — is where most Deep Tech scale-ups get stuck.

That's the problem OMX was designed to solve.

Why scale-ups have a lab space problem

Growing a Deep Tech company is difficult enough without building infrastructure working against you. Typically, the journey starts in a university lab or an early-stage incubator. You prove the science and the team, you find a route to commercialisation, you raise a Series A round — then you have to grow your operations quickly and suddenly run out of space. 

The lab that got you to that point is no longer the lab you’ll need to carry your team through to the next stage. It’s far too small and rigid, so you need alternatives. 

But committing to a traditional commercial lease brings its own set of setbacks: long lease terms, fixed configurations, infrastructure that was never designed with science in mind — as well as paying for square footage that you may not need yet, or splitting your team across multiple sites that host different parts of your workflow. 

Neither option is good enough.

What a scale-up needs from a building

Scale-ups don’t just need more space; they need configurability.

A Deep Tech scale-up at Series A or B stage typically needs a combination of spaces that standard lab buildings don't offer together: wet lab and dry lab capability, prototyping space, office space adjacent to the science, and the specialist infrastructure — CL2 containment, cryogen storage, autoclave, high-power supply — defined by their R&D.

Critically, scale-ups need that combination to be flexible. A company that starts with one wet lab needs to be able to add a dry lab, expand into office space, and reconfigure as their team and their science evolve... without moving buildings every 18 months.

This isn’t a luxury. The wrong space is a direct constraint on scientific progress.

Inside OMX: Lab space built for scale

OMX is Science Creates' newest Deep Tech incubator, located only a 10-minute walk away from Bristol Temple Meads train station. It's the third incubator in the Science Creates portfolio, built specifically for advanced science and engineering companies — from engineering biology and medtech to quantum, photonics or semiconductors — who need infrastructure that can keep up with their growth potential.

The core design principle is modularity. At OMX, companies can combine wet labs, dry labs, prototyping space and office suites in configurations that match their workflow. Suites start from 370 sq ft and scale to over 5,000 sq ft, with flexible leases that mean you aren’t locked into a footprint that doesn’t fit you.

On-site infrastructure includes cylinder and cryogen storage, hazardous waste management, and bespoke fit-out options; plus additional specialist services configured to fit member workflows. Shared community facilities across Science Creates incubators give members access to resources that would be otherwise difficult or impossible to justify at an early stage of growth.

The result is a building that adapts around your company — at every stage.

More than lab space: the Science Creates ecosystem

Moving into OMX means joining the wider Science Creates ecosystem — a network of over 100 Deep Tech founders and teams based in Bristol and beyond.

Members get access to workshops, events and skills development programmes, mentorship from experienced founders and scientists, and connections to a broad network of investors, academic partners and strategic service providers. For companies at growth stage, this wrap-around support is often as valuable as the physical infrastructure.

SCVC, Science Creates’ investment arm, is also based in Science Creates Old Market, the incubator across the road from OMX. Proximity to the SCVC team and the broader investor network is a meaningful advantage for member companies.

Across its three central Bristol sites — OMX, Old Market (opened 2021) and St Philips (opened 2017) — Science Creates’ total specialist lab space spans over 75,000 sq ft.

Bristol: The UK's leading Deep Tech city outside the Golden Triangle

Location is key; not just for your team, but for investors, partners and your pipeline.

Bristol has established itself as the UK's number one city for Deep Tech VC investment outside the Golden Triangle, with $1bn raised since 2020. It's home to a growing cluster of engineering biology, quantum, photonics, diagnostics and medtech companies; backed by one of the country's strongest university research ecosystems and a deep pool of Deep Tech talent.

OMX sits at the centre of that cluster, next to Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus in central Bristol. For growing startups looking to relocate or establish a UK base outside London, it's one of the most compelling locations in the country.

Who OMX is for

OMX is built for Deep Tech startups and scale-ups — companies that have proven their science and are ready to grow their operations. Whether you're a well-funded seed-stage team stepping out of a university lab for the first time, or a Series B company that has outgrown its current space and needs room to expand, OMX is designed to flex around you.

This includes, for example:

• Engineering biology and synthetic biology companies moving from early R&D into commercial development, who may need CL2-ready wet labs, fermentation space and analytical suites under one roof
• Quantum, photonics and semiconductor companies that need controlled environments, specialist dry labs and bespoke fit-out options that standard buildings can't provide
• Diagnostics and medtech companies running parallel biology and device workflows, who want wet lab, dry lab and prototyping space in one site

Science Creates OMX is now open and welcoming new members. Discover OMX.