Manchester has overtaken Cambridge as the UK’s second most active location for new life sciences research and development (R&D) company registrations this year, which suggests demand for this space is becoming increasingly geographically diverse.
Analysis by Search Acumen of Companies House incorporation data reveals that 271 new life sciences R&D businesses have been registered in the UK so far in 2026, which is already more than the 254 total of companies incorporated in 2025.
London remains the clear leader for new company formation, accounting for 90 registrations so far this year, although this is marginally below the 92 recorded across the entirety of last year.
Manchester ranked second with nine new companies, ahead of Birmingham (six), Coventry (five) and Glasgow (five). In contrast, Cambridge, which is traditionally regarded as one of the UK’s leading life sciences clusters, did not feature in the top five for new incorporations in 2026, having ranked second in 2025 with 11 new businesses.
The findings suggest that while London’s established ecosystem of investors, research institutions and specialist occupiers continues to attract the highest concentration of new ventures, emerging regional clusters are beginning to strengthen.
This could create new opportunities for developers and landlords focused on laboratory, research and innovation space.
Andrew Lloyd, managing director of Search Acumen, said: “The UK life sciences R&D ecosystem is expanding at a significant pace, with more new companies registering in the sector this year so far than in all of 2025 combined.”
According to Lloyd, this shows continued investment and a strong innovation pipeline supporting Britain’s new start-ups.
He added: “Like with all newly formed businesses, many will inevitably fail or pivot, but this growth trajectory is unmistakable. London continues to be the primary hub for new life sciences ventures, likely down to the strong clustering effect of talent, funding, investors and headquarters.
“While there is no single second city dominating consistently, it is interesting to see Cambridge fall off the top-five list for this year, with Manchester emerging as an increasingly important location for the life sciences sector.”
The analysis is based on Companies House incorporation data for businesses registered under the SIC codes for biotechnology R&D (72110) and other scientific research and development (72190), with data accurate as of 24 June 2026.
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