• Topping out ceremony gathered key stakeholders on Cambridge Wide Open Day to celebrate progress in development of new laboratory facilities
  • 139,000 sq ft of flexible lab and office space, due for completion Q3 2026

Cambridge, UK, 13 June 2025: Kadans Science Partner (“Kadans”), a leading investor in the development of ecosystems and real estate with a dedicated focus on knowledge-intensive sectors, today announced that it has completed construction of the primary structure of its new purpose-built laboratory facilities at Merlin Place, Cambridge.

Situated between the world-renowned Cambridge Science Park, Cambridge Business Park, and St John’s Innovation Park, Merlin Place will boast six storeys of containment level 2 (CL2) wet labs, dry labs, computational space, meeting rooms, and office space, alongside a public café and social spaces to foster connections with the local community. With over 139,000 sq ft of flexible space, Merlin Place is well-suited to startups, researchers, and established companies. The brand new facilities will bring together high-quality businesses and world-class amenities to encourage collaboration and advance life sciences and health innovation in Cambridge.

On Wednesday 11th June, Kadans hosted a topping out ceremony on the rooftop of Merlin Place, inviting partners, contractors, the Kadans team, and local press to celebrate this milestone and recognise Kadans’ commitment to sustainable development within the Cambridge area. With a site tour and speeches from James Sheppard, Executive Director at Kadans Science Partner, and Andy Shiner, Director at SDC, the building contractors, the event showcased the building’s progression toward becoming state-of-the-art operational facilities.

“We are proud of the rapid progress we have made at Merlin Place, further extending our footprint in the Cambridge Cluster.” said James Sheppard, Executive Director, Kadans Science Partner. “Topping out at the new site represents a significant milestone in our mission to support accelerating innovation in the health, life science, and technology sectors in Cambridge. We would like to thank SDC and our other project partners for their collaboration and commitment toward bringing our vision to life”

Andy Shiner, Board Director, SDC Builders said “SDC Builders are proud to continue the construction of a facility designed to support scientific research and innovation. Our role is to bring Kadans’ vision to life, ensuring the highest standards of functionality and efficiency. Topping out marks a significant step in our commitment in the development of an exciting and unique building”

Cambridge Wide Open Day is a community-driven endeavour offering a unique opportunity for employers/employees, sci-tech enthusiasts, policy makers, investors, academia and residents alike to explore Cambridge’s thriving ecosystem and to meet the people behind the innovations. Kadans sponsored the Community Breakfast at Clayton Hotel Cambridge on Cambridge Wide Open Day, where Katie Nelson, Head of Leasing UK & Ireland, Kadans Science Partner, presented on Merlin Place and the importance of the Cambridge Science Ecosystem.