--- title: "North Acton hub opens to support advanced manufacturing growth" publisher: "Stockmark.IT" author: "Stockmark.IT Website" published: "2026-09-10T05:44:56+00:00" modified: "2026-09-10T05:44:56+00:00" date: 2026-09-10 canonical: "https://stockmark.it/north-west-london-leading-the-uks-new-industrial-revolution/" category: "Business" categories: ["Business", "Manufacturing"] image: "https://i0.wp.com/stockmark.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/north-acton-hub-opens-to-support-advanced-manufacturing.png?fit=1536%2C1024&quality=80&ssl=1" format: "news" language: "en-GB" --- # North Acton hub opens to support advanced manufacturing growth **Published:** September 10, 2026 **Author:** Stockmark.IT Website **Categories:** Business, Manufacturing **Featured image:** ![North Acton hub opens to support advanced manufacturing growth](https://i0.wp.com/stockmark.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/north-acton-hub-opens-to-support-advanced-manufacturing.png?fit=1536%2C1024&quality=80&ssl=1) --- Base One, a new science and technology hub in North Acton, has launched with the aim of providing a blueprint for the expansion of advanced manufacturing in Britain. The facility is designed to assist high-growth scientific companies in scaling their operations within the United Kingdom by offering the necessary infrastructure to transition from research and development to production. The opening marks a significant step in supporting the local industrial ecosystem and addressing specific spatial needs for deep tech founders. Howard Dawber, Deputy Mayor of London for Business and Growth, welcomed the launch of the facility. He noted that West London is rapidly establishing itself as a leading centre for science, technology and advanced manufacturing. Dawber stated that by providing pioneering companies with affordable and flexible space, Base One will enable more businesses to start, grow and scale in London. This development is expected to create good jobs, attract investment and support a new era of British manufacturing, contributing to a more prosperous city for all residents. The 55,000 square foot site, formerly known as 1 Portal Way, was developed by specialist developer and operator Sciopolis in partnership with Imperial College London. Following an 11-month retrofit, the facility now offers 24 ready-to-occupy CL2 laboratories and 29 flexible offices. These spaces are specifically tailored for biotech, cleantech and advanced materials startups that are moving from the laboratory bench into early-stage manufacturing. The design addresses a long-standing frustration among UK deep tech founders regarding the lack of affordable, flexible space that can scale alongside a company’s growth. Base One is situated within Imperial’s Old Oak Innovation Cluster, which is one of four anchor sites in WestTech London, the university’s wider West London innovation ecosystem. The location is strategically adjacent to Grapht Works, Imperial’s dedicated advanced manufacturing facility for pilot, demo and commercial-scale production. This proximity allows tenants to theoretically move from prototyping to manufacturing without leaving the local postcode, thereby streamlining the production process for resident companies. Upon its opening, Base One confirmed its third occupier, Nanomox, an Imperial spinout. The company has developed a low-energy process for producing high-transparency zinc oxide, which is used in mineral sunscreens, cosmetics, rubber and electronics. Nanomox joins two existing tenants already manufacturing on site. These include P.Happi, a women’s intimate health brand stocked in Boots that produces microbiome-focused products, and Ki 13, a cleantech company that has created a process for converting biomass into green hydrogen and biogenic CO2 for use in sustainable fuels. Dr Francisco Malaret, founder and chief executive of Nanomox, stated that Base One was the only site in London that allowed the company to begin manufacturing while remaining within an ecosystem suited to its stage of growth. Similarly, Koji Muto, co-founder and chief executive of Ki 13, said the North Acton location provided the accessibility, affordability and flexibility required as the company scales out of the lab and into hardware engineering. The strategic location of Base One borders Park Royal, London’s largest industrial estate and employer of more than 40,000 people. It also sits within the Old Oak regeneration zone, described as the largest such opportunity in the capital. The area is set to be transformed by the arrival of Old Oak Common station, which will link HS2, the Elizabeth line and GWR services. This connectivity will place the hub within reach of innovation clusters in Birmingham, Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge. Imperial president Hugh Brady said Base One strengthened the UK’s network of national innovation assets. He pointed to the university’s existing links with manufacturing and research hubs elsewhere in the country, including the West Midlands, Harwell, Oxford, Bristol and Cardiff. Sciopolis chief executive Charlie Mitchell noted that high-growth companies had struggled for too long to find the space they need to scale in the UK. He described Base One and the wider cluster as a blueprint for advanced manufacturing in Britain, with Sciopolis planning to build a network of similar sites across other UK innovation clusters. --- **Original URL:** https://stockmark.it/north-west-london-leading-the-uks-new-industrial-revolution/ *Created by [WP Markdown Endpoint](https://wpmarkdownendpoint.com/)*