Cambridge’s biotech scene: The cornerstone of the UK’s Golden Triangle

As well as being known for its historical beauty and academic excellence, Cambridge has a reputation as a leading biotech hub, forming part of the U.K.’s “Golden Triangle” with Oxford and London. This is thanks to its strong concentration of academic and research institutions, including the University of Cambridge, a rich talent pipeline, a thriving cluster of biotech startups and established companies, and a significant flow of private investment, making it a major contributor to the national economy. 

Of course, there are other biotech hubs across Europe and North America that are similarly connected to world-class academic institutions and located alongside leading industry players. So, what is it that makes Cambridge different, and how does a city known for a university founded in the 13th century retain its edge in the most modern of fields? 

In this article, we take a closer look at what makes Cambridge’s biotech and life sciences hub so special.  

Cambridge: A well-established biotech hub with solid investment activity 

“Cambridge is without question one of the most powerful biotechnology hubs this side of the Atlantic,” stressed Ola Wlodek, chief executive officer (CEO) of Constructive Bio, a spinout from the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. 

“My board director, Sir Greg Winter, co-founded Cambridge Antibody Technology in 1989. One of our investors, Jonathan Milner, co-founded Abcam in 1998 and built it into a company later acquired by Danaher for $5.7 billion. It’s fair to say Cambridge is as old as the U.K. biotech sector itself,” Wlodek told Labiotech. 

So, what exactly made Cambridge become such a recognised biotech hub? “Scientific excellence, close ties to world-leading institutions, a deep talent pool, and a proven track record. What keeps it thriving today is the same mix of science, capital, and ambition, constantly reinventing itself to lead the next wave of biotechnology.”  

Indeed, today, Cambridge is home to a thriving ecosystem of biotech and pharma companies, including industry giants like AstraZeneca, Gilead, and Illumina. In fact, Cambridge was the birthplace of Illumina’s sequencing technology, developed by Shankar Balasubramanian and David Klenerman at the University of Cambridge, who subsequently founded Solexa, a company that was acquired by Illumina in 2007. The two scientists were jointly awarded the Millennium Technology Prize in 2020 for their development of the technology. 

Furthermore, in May this year, biotech giant BioNTech announced plans to invest up to £1 billion ($1.33 billion) over the next 10 years to broaden its research and development (R&D) activities in the U.K. This includes the establishment of an R&D center in Cambridge, which will focus on genomics, oncology, structural biology, and regenerative medicine, with capacity for more than 90 highly skilled scientists.  

Another well-established company that has a presence in Cambridge – with an R&D centre there – is Insmed. “Their CEO, Will Lewis, has openly set out to grow the company into one of the sector’s largest, perhaps even crossing the $100 billion valuation mark, according to some commentators. Moves like this show that Cambridge continues to attract ambitious global players,” expressed Wlodek. 

She said that, not only does Cambridge’s strength as a biotech hub come from the University of Cambridge and institutes such as the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, but also from a tight ecosystem of venture funds, accelerators, and global pharma links. “Local funds like our investors Ahren Innovation Capital and Amadeus Capital Partners act with global reach, while ‘external’ international investors are consistently drawn to local companies.” 

Cambridge’s life science cluster does appear to be a “honeypot for global backers,” according to Business Weekly, as companies based in the city raised a combined $1.341 billion in the 12 months prior to October 16, 2024, with 17 of the 19 biggest hauls backed by investors from the U.S. and two notable seed rounds each worth well over $10 million. Bicycle Therapeutics raised the biggest round in this period, with a hugely impressive $555 million PIPE funding on Nasdaq, which took the company’s cash position at the time to approximately $1 billion. 

A trio of young Cambridge life science companies, including Wlodek’s Constructive Bio, as well as Quotient Therapeutics and T-Therapeutics, also celebrated $50 million plus funding rounds during the aforementioned 12-month period. 

“The next wave of companies – including ours (ConstructiveBio), Expression Edits, OutSee, Tagomics, Syndex, Trimtech, Lightcast, and Neobe Therapeutics – is equally promising,” commented Wlodek. “The city may be small, but the density of talent, capital, and ambition creates a multiplier effect. Here, science rapidly turns into startups, and promising technologies don’t just stay in the lab, but scale to global impact.” 

Meanwhile, in the first quarter of 2025, Cambridge life sciences companies raised a total of $198.2 million across eight equity transactions exceeding $1 million. The largest transaction in this period was Maxion Therapeutics’ $72 million series A round, supporting its work in developing antibody-based therapies. 

The amount of fundraising here is further evidence of Cambridge’s ability to create innovative biotech and life sciences companies that attract global investors.  

An attractive hub for biotech startups  

Speaking of Cambridge’s array of innovative companies, the biotech hub manages to entice numerous startups onto the scene.  

“The startup scene is vibrant: early-stage founders can find scientific collaborators, seasoned biotech operators, and experienced investors all within walking distance. It may not match Boston or the Bay Area in scale, but its compactness and connectivity are a strength,” explained Wlodek. 

One of Cambridge’s primary attractions for biotech startups is its proximity to the University of Cambridge, which consistently ranks among the top universities in the world. This proximity facilitates collaboration between academia and industry, providing startups with access to cutting-edge research, a world-class talent pool, and extensive scientific resources that allow them to efficiently progress their drug candidates.  

Another alluring feature for startups to join Cambridge’s biotech hub is the presence of several venture capital firms specializing in biotech and pharma, including Cambridge Innovation Capital, IQ Capital, and Amadeus Capital Partners.  

In fact, Cambridge Innovation Capital recently committed at least £100 million ($133.51 million) to invest in spinouts from the University of Cambridge. The funding seeks to take advantage of the vast commercial potential in science and technology innovation developed by Cambridge researchers and follows a series of recent initiatives from the university designed to support entrepreneurial academics, including plans for four million square feet of high-tech development at Cambridge West and a new Innovation Hub in central Cambridge to host spinouts, startups, and entrepreneurs. 

Spinouts from the University of Cambridge are a frequent occurrence, as the university led the way last year when it came to the number of new spinouts, with 26 in total, and ranked second to Oxford for the number of spinouts created since 2011. Additionally, it was reported that East of England (which includes Cambridge) spinouts secured 35% of total investment, leading all regions in the U.K. 

Given all the benefits, it is no wonder that Cambridge is such a popular biotech hub for startups and spinouts.  

“And, of course, Cambridge is a place where it’s easy to keep your head down and focus. Distractions don’t go much beyond punting on the river or bumping into the odd Nobel laureate. Perhaps that’s the real secret sauce,” mused Wlodek. 

Cambridge’s biotech scene: A look toward the future as UK life sciences industry faces uncertainty 

As the U.K. life sciences industry faces uncertainty, with global pharma players like AstraZeneca and Merck backing out of investments in the country, what does this mean for Cambridge’s biotech hub? 

According to Wlodek, the decisions by big pharma companies are made at scale and are quite separate from the dynamics of local clusters. She stressed that, “on the ground, Cambridge remains a magnet.” 

Additionally, the investment from BioNTech and the continued presence of other big companies like Illumina in the city are surely a positive sign. 

Indeed, Wlodek believes that Cambridge will continue to grow as a biotech hub, as the fundamental components of world-class science, entrepreneurial culture, and a track record of global impact are only getting stronger. However, she noted that the real challenge is ensuring infrastructure keeps pace. “We need more biomanufacturing capacity in Cambridge, better housing options to allow talent to stay and thrive, and improved transport links. If those ingredients come together, Cambridge won’t just keep growing – it will cement its position as one of the world’s leading biotech capitals. 

“What I find unique about Cambridge is how close everything feels. You can walk from a lab where a Nobel discovery was made, to a startup building the next generation of medicines, and then to the venture firm backing them. As a CEO here, I see every day how that proximity fuels ideas, partnerships, and ambition. It’s a small city, but with an outsized impact on the future of biotech.”