Smart lab & office design: driving life sciences innovation

Life sciences companies – whether biotech, pharmaceuticals, medtech or diagnostics – are operating at a pace few other industries can match. The UK is global leader in the industry, employing over 300,000 people and contributing around £100 billion to the economy, yet demand for quality lab and research space far outstrips supply.

Many companies are still working in spaces that weren’t built with their needs in mind. Traditional offices don’t support data-heavy, collaborative work. Older labs lack the flexibility to adapt to new technologies or research priorities. The result? Wasted investment, compliance headaches, and teams held back from doing their best work. In contrast, well-designed labs and workspaces can directly influences innovation, productivity, and crucially, the ability to attract and retain top talent. Whether you’re a start-up experimenting in a short-term lab, an established pharma firm scaling R&D, or a university spin-out, the way spaces are planned, built, and adapted has a measurable impact on outcomes.

The dual workspace challenge

Few industries have to balance such different work environments. Scientists split their time between the lab – where precision and safety are critical – and the office, where data is analysed and strategies are shaped. If either space falls short, workflows slow, innovation stalls and talent begins to look elsewhere.

Smart design answers these challenges head-on:

Offices: Flexible layouts to support hybrid work; wellness-led design to keep teams engaged; high-performance tech for seamless data-heavy collaboration.

Labs: Modular layouts that adapt as research priorities shift; integrated write-up areas that support collaboration; infrastructure designed for easy upgrades as regulations evolve.

Talent is the lifeblood of life sciences

The race for talent is the defining challenge for the industry. JLL research found that 57% of life sciences decision-makers see attracting and retaining talent as their top corporate goal for the next five years. This is reflected in real estate choices: firms are prioritising prime locations with high-quality, amenity-rich workspaces that appeal to the brightest minds – such as the Cambridge innovation cluster, which has seen a 108% increase in real estate investment in the past year.

To compete, firms must offer more than a desk and a lab bench. Workplaces that support wellbeing, hybrid work and inclusivity become a magnet for the brightest minds. And with 61% of life sciences employers allowing at least one day a week at home, offices must deliver experiences that make the commute worthwhile – whether through collaborative environments, active travel facilities or cultural events. This new pattern of hybrid working is making the gaps in outdated office design even more prevalent – finickity AV tech, lack of desk booking systems or wasted space that sits idle on days when employees work from home.

Attracting and retaining top talent is a key consideration for many firms.

Design that supports innovation and inclusivity

Workplace design has a measurable impact on collaboration and innovation. Research environments must balance flexibility with highly specific technical requirements, often evolving rapidly as scientific focus shifts. Current priorities such as personalised medicine, oncology and neuroscience all require different lab configurations, yet companies need spaces that can adapt quickly to emerging scientific developments.

Crucially, workplaces also need to support a diverse workforce. Nearly half (48.1%) of life sciences employees identify as neurodivergent (whether autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other cognitive differences), which is more than double the global average (20%). Yet, as The Times recently reported, many labs are not designed with neurodiverse scientists in mind, creating environments that feel overwhelming or inaccessible.

Inclusive design can transform this:

Reducing sensory overload through lighting and acoustics
Providing quiet, restorative spaces alongside collaboration zones
Intuitive and clear wayfinding
Offering flexibility so individuals can choose where and how they work best

Many companies are increasingly recognising neurodivergent talent as an advantage for innovation. Leading firms like SAP and GSK have adopted neurodiversity hiring initiatives, finding that neurodiverse teams offer fresh perspectives and enhanced performance in specialised tasks.

This isn’t about compliance or good intentions. Neurodiverse talent often brings exceptional strengths in areas such as pattern recognition, problem-solving and creativity – qualities at the heart of scientific discovery. Designing for inclusivity directly supports innovation.

The role of AI and technology in shaping space

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing both scientific discovery and the way companies think about their real estate. JLL’s research shows that 85% of life sciences leaders believe AI could help solve major real estate challenges – though only 51% currently have a strategy in place.

AI-driven discovery requires new forms of lab space, with more emphasis on data analysis hubs and flexible environments that integrate digital tools with wet lab activity. Beyond R&D, AI can optimise portfolio strategy, sustainability performance and even space planning, ensuring that facilities evolve in line with scientific and corporate priorities.

AI and new tech is changing how workplaces need to be designed.

Cost, sustainability and strategic partnerships

Cost optimisation is another priority. Almost half (47%) of life sciences firms cite reducing operating costs as a short-term goal for their real estate strategies, well above the cross-industry average of 37%. Landlords and developers are responding with energy-positive buildings, while occupiers are increasingly drawn to facilities that balance operational efficiency with sustainability.

Meanwhile, the sector’s ecosystem is changing. Start-ups may need six-month leases to trial research programmes, while scale-ups and established players demand future-ready, sustainable environments. Contract research and manufacturing organisations (CROs, CDMOs and CMOs), incubators and public-private partnerships are all fuelling increase collaboration between firms – and as a result, workspaces need to balance knowledge-sharing, confidentiality and efficiency. Smart design enables both ends of this spectrum: rapid-fit modular spaces for agile start-ups, and resilient, scalable and collaboration-ready campuses for established firms.

What this means for workplace strategy

The UK’s life sciences hubs are competing globally for talent, funding and discovery. In this landscape, workspace design is not a side issue. It shapes:

Your ability to attract and retain talent
How effectively teams collaborate and innovate
How inclusive and accessible your organisation is

The resilience and cost-efficiency of your real estate strategy

Conclusion: building spaces that drive discovery

The life sciences sector is too important – and too fast-moving – for outdated offices and labs to hold it back. By rethinking workplace design, companies can transform their environments from basic facilities into strategic assets.

At Interaction, we specialise in creating workplaces that bring out the best in people. For life sciences firms, that means spaces that are safe, flexible, inclusive, sustainable, and – most importantly – designed to accelerate innovation. Get in touch today to see how we can help you futureproof your workspace.