“Science does not only happen in the lab.” 

That was a great line from Olaide Oboh of Populate at NLA’s Innovation Conference, held at The London Centre on 18 May. 

It captures something important about the future of London’s innovation economy. Invention is often sparked by people sharing ideas outside the formal research environment: in the café, at a networking event, or in the pub after work. That is why innovation districts are not just about buildings. They are about creating places where people, firms and institutions can meet, build trust and exchange ideas. 

This is a theme we have been exploring through NLA’s Innovation Districts Expert Panel. London has extraordinary strengths in life sciences, AI, quantum, climate tech and other frontier sectors. But these sectors will need more than talent, capital and research excellence. They will need dynamic places that can support firms as they start, grow and adapt. 

At the conference, Gavin Henderson from Stanton Williams described the need to create “urban quarters”, where innovation is part of a wider mix. These are places connected to their surroundings, their communities and their history. The best innovation districts also bring the public into the story. They put science on show. They create routes into jobs, training and careers. As Elizabeth Harris from the London Borough of Sutton explained, a new school was one of the early tenants at the London Cancer Hub. Social infrastructure like this helps people see what is being built, why it matters and how they can be part of it. 

Another strong theme, discussed by Deputy Mayor for Business and Growth Howard Dawber OBE, Jonathan Trout from Stanhope and myself, was flexibility. Frontier sectors are changing quickly, and the needs of firms change as they grow. Quantum, life sciences, AI and climate tech will all need different kinds of space and infrastructure over time. London therefore needs places that can flex as firms and technologies change. 

As Francesca Colloca from London Legacy Development Corporation, a fellow expert panel member, put it: innovation districts also need an “operating system” to be successful. The experience of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has shown how strong partnerships, built around a shared vision and mission, can create the conditions for innovation to grow. 

The future of London’s innovation economy will certainly depend on science and technology. But it will also depend on the quality of the places, partnerships and communities we build around them.