AI, automation and new approaches to drug discovery are transforming the life sciences sector. From how research is conducted and discoveries are made to how scientists collaborate, the pace of change is challenging established models of scientific innovation.

Drawing on decades of experience spanning pharmaceutical R&D, AI-driven drug discovery and open innovation, Professor Jackie Hunter explores the forces reshaping the future of science. What will the next generation of scientific research look like? How will AI change the role of the scientist, the skills they need and the way research teams work together? And how will new models of collaboration, investment and innovation influence where breakthroughs happen?

Looking beyond the technology itself, this opening keynote challenges us to consider what these changes mean for the laboratories, workplaces and research ecosystems we create — and whether we are preparing for the future of science or simply designing for the science of today.

The way science happens is changing rapidly. New technologies, AI, interdisciplinary research and evolving models of collaboration are reshaping not only laboratories, but the buildings, workplaces, campuses and innovation districts that surround them.

Drawing on KPF's work across life sciences environments in London, Boston, New York, Paris, Shenzhen and beyond, this opening keynote explores the global shifts influencing where and how science happens - from the scale of the innovation district to the individual workplace.

What can we learn from emerging models around the world? How do we create environments that can respond to scientific change we cannot yet predict? And, beyond laboratory specifications, how can buildings create the ecosystems, amenities, connections and experiences that enable scientists, organisations and ideas to thrive?

The way science is conducted is changing rapidly but are the environments being created to support it keeping pace?

New technologies, automation, AI, interdisciplinary research and evolving scientific workflows are changing what scientists need from laboratories, workplaces and research environments. At the same time, organisations, developers and investors must balance these emerging requirements with flexibility, cost, commercial viability and the practical realities of delivering highly complex spaces.

Bringing together perspectives from science, research, real estate, academia and development, this session explores whether current models are fit for the next generation of science. How can we better understand what scientists will need five or ten years from now? How early should scientists and occupiers be involved in the development process? And how do we create spaces that can adapt as technologies, research models and organisational needs continue to evolve?

Drawing on live projects and practical experience, the panel will explore the choices being made today across laboratories, campuses, innovation districts and research environments — and where new thinking is needed to ensure the spaces we build now remain relevant to the science of tomorrow.

This case study examines what growing science businesses need beyond laboratory space - from access to funding and investor networks to introductions, specialist support and a community of complementary organisations.

Miranda will be joined by emerging companies, including a NASA-funded medical technology for use in space, and Quel Therapeutics. They will explore how the right environment can remove barriers, accelerate development and enable promising science companies to scale without losing the connections on which innovation depends.

London has all the raw ingredients to match global superclusters like San Francisco or Boston: world-class institutional IP and place-based strategies, aggressive private frameworks to build cross-disciplinary tech-bio teams, programmatic networks driving founder-investor density, and hyper-speed, globally backed founders ready to execute. However, the ultimate bottleneck is physical and spatial: once these fast-moving companies are minted, where do they actually go? How must London’s physical footprint and leasing models adapt to turn empty square footage into a living, breathing ecosystem that keeps scaling giants rooted in the UK?

Behind every scientific breakthrough are people, yet the environments supporting science are often shaped around buildings, equipment and technical requirements rather than the experience of the scientists themselves.

This panel explores what it really takes to create an exceptional place to do science. From focus and collaboration to culture, wellbeing, technology and access to the right spaces and resources, we ask how workplace strategy can help scientists perform at their best.

Bringing together perspectives from leading life sciences organisations, the discussion will explore how we can design environments around the changing needs of scientists — and create places that attract talent, enable discovery and make people want to stay.

As life sciences organisations operate across increasingly complex campuses, laboratories and global workplaces, the technology experience can often remain fragmented. Different systems for access, space, lockers, buildings and workplace services can create friction for employees and make global consistency difficult to achieve.

This panel explores what it takes to create a more unified workplace experience - where mobile credentials, digital identity and connected workplace technologies enable people to move seamlessly from street to seat.

Bringing together occupiers and technology leaders, the discussion will examine whether a common workplace technology standard is achievable across global portfolios, how organisations can connect traditionally separate systems, and where standardisation needs to give way to local requirements, security and the specialist demands of life sciences environments

Science is accelerating. AI, machine learning, automation and robotics are changing how research is conducted — but are the environments that support science evolving quickly enough?

For decades, laboratories have largely been designed around people: human dimensions, movement, safety and established scientific workflows. The lab of 2035 could look very different. Autonomous and connected robots may work alongside scientists, experiments could run around the clock, and agentic AI may increasingly coordinate research, equipment and data.

This panel asks what that means for the design of future laboratories and research environments. How will spaces need to change when robots become another user of the building? What are the implications for infrastructure - from power, HVAC and vibration control to circulation, servicing and spatial planning? And could automation begin to blur the traditional boundaries between laboratory, workplace and computational space?

Bringing together perspectives from science, technology, architecture and research environments, the discussion will explore how we design today for scientific workflows that may look radically different tomorrow — creating adaptable places that support both people and machines, and remain relevant as science continues to evolve.

Workplace leaders across life sciences are navigating increasingly complex needs and a practical challenge: how do you align stakeholders, build buy-in and work cross-functionally to turn workplace strategy into action?

This interactive peer workshop creates space to compare what is working, where organisations are struggling, and how others are approaching stakeholder alignment, decision-making and collaboration across workplace, real estate, HR, technology and R&D. Through live polling and peer discussion, participants will share experiences and explore practical approaches to making workplace change work.