NIHR BioResource Drop-In

Drop-in sessions with Dr Heather Ramsay to find out more about the NIHR BioResource

The NIHR BioResource is a unique and powerful resource for studying disease mechanisms and investigating the links between genes, the environment, health and disease, and enabling scientific discoveries. We have over 330,000 consented volunteers, from the general population and patients with common and rare diseases, who have donated a blood sample, granted access to their health records and genomic data, and are willing to be recalled to participate in academic and industry-led experimental medicine and clinical research studies. Recruitment is on a national and local level, with 18 local BioResource centres across England, including Cambridge.

Find out more and book a slot here.

The Big STEM Challenge

The ultimate inter-schools competition

which is all about inspiring and engaging young minds in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM)! We’re on a mission to ignite your curiosity and creativity, and we want to see your amazing projects that showcase the best of STEM.

Whether you’ve built a robot, designed an app, conducted experiments or created something entirely unique, enter by 30th September 2025! The showcase STEM Fair will be hosted at the Discovery Park on Friday 17th October.

Find out more, book tickets, and enter your school here.

Investors + Innovators Meet Up (Biotech and MedTech)

📅 Wednesday 15th October 2025 ⏰ 18.00 – 20.00 📍 London EC4A 3AG

This event is hosted by Abel + Imray.

Our Abel + Imray Investors + Innovators Meet Up series bring people together to start creating those connections through networking over informal drinks. Each event has an innovation theme to provide a focus to attract relevant investors and innovating businesses to be ‘in the room’.

The meet up is free to attend though places are limited, and places are restricted to 2 per organisation.

🔗For more information and to get your tickets

Growing Kent & Medway Showcase Celebration

This event is hosted by Growing Kent & Medway.

Meet exciting plant-based food and drink businesses and hear from the innovators and researchers making our horticultural food systems more sustainable.

The event will include:

  • Talks from local policy makers and funders
  • Presentations on cutting-edge science and technology developments in food and farming
  • Taste new food and drink products developed with support from Growing Kent & Medway
  • Network with other Growing Kent & Medway members; businesses, technical research specialists, funders, and business support experts
  • Tours of Niab’s research facilities, including the glasshouses, Wine Innovation Centre, research vineyards and growth rooms
  • Plus, hear about the next phase of place-based innovation for our sector.

The morning will feature talks and presentations at the Orchards Event Centre, East Malling, before we move to the Mumford Building for networking, lunch and demonstration displays.

Lunch will be provided on the terrace overlooking the Niab vineyards.

Limited places are available for businesses to display their products during the networking session. Please email contact@growingkentandmedway.com if you would like to request a table.

We hope you can join us for this free event to celebrate the brilliant innovation taking place across our supply chains.

Find more information here.

CADDA at Barclays Eagle Labs Café

📅 Thursday, 6th November ⏰ 10:00 – 12:00 PM 📍 Barclays Eagle Labs, Discovery Park

The Centre for Advanced Diagnostics Development and Application (CADDA) is hosting a café-style event at Barclays Eagle Labs, Sandwich, designed to connect with diagnostics companies from across the region.

CADDA is a strategic programme with funding support from Research England.
It is a national programme set to drive innovation in human and animal diagnostics. CADDA is led by the University of Kent in partnership with The University of Manchester and University College London (UCL).

This informal session is an opportunity to:

  • Learn more about CADDA and the support we can offer diagnostics businesses
  • Explore our Knowledge Transfer Vouchers (CKTVs)
  • Discover the benefits of joining our Community of Practice (membership is free)
  • Network with CADDA’s team and other diagnostics organisations

Tea and coffee will be provided, and the session is open to all organisations with an interest in advancing diagnostics.

While registration isn’t required, we kindly ask you to sign up via Eventbrite so we can tailor the session and make sure there’s enough coffee to go around.

If you’re unable to attend but would like to know more about CADDA or discuss opportunities to collaborate, please contact us at cadda@kent.ac.uk

We look forward to welcoming you to the Café and exploring how we can work together to drive diagnostics innovation.

Startup Roadshow

📅 Thursday, 25th September ⏰ 10:00 – 12:30 PM 📍 Fruitworks Coworking, Canterbury
This event is hosted by South East Angels.

South East Angels are excited to host their next Startup Roadshow in Kent, Canterbury on the 25th September, a free event bringing together founders, investors and others in the startup ecosystem for a morning of networking and startup showcases, with a panel of investor judges. This event, run by South East Angels, is a great opportunity for startups to present their ideas via a quickfire pitching session, and network with local funders and founders.

🔗For more information and to get your tickets

The Kent ENdoscopy Training Course

📅 September 30, 2025 – October 2, 2025 ⏰ 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM 📍 Building 500, Discovery Park

This event is hosted by SaySo Health.

The 9th Kent ENdoscopy Training Course on Endo-surgical Insight in Colorectal, Gastric, Oesophageal and HPB lesions.

A warm welcome to the K.EN.T Course 2025, a 3–day course which is taking place in Discovery Park, Sandwich, Kent on the 30th of September to the 1st of October 2025, now in its 9th successful year. The hands-on training day will be held at the academic premises of Discovery Park on the 2nd of October 2025.

🔗For more information and to get your tickets

£1 Rediscovery Charity Sale

📅 Tuesday 3rd & Wednesday 4th February ⏰ 10:00-16:00 📍 Magellan Suite, Innovation House

Bag a bargain and make a difference! Our onsite charity shop is holding a £1 Sale – every purchase helps support the local community. Everyone welcome. Free parking at Discovery Park’s Visitor Centre.

Macmillan Coffee Morning

📅 Wednesday 24th September 2025 📍 Innovation House, 2nd Floor, opposite the Social Zone

From 11am until the last slice is gone, we’ll be serving delicious cakes and treats in support of Macmillan Cancer Support.

If you’d like to get involved, you can either whip up something tasty at home or pick up a sweet treat from the shop — just let Janice know at J.Noble@newappointmentsgroup.co.uk.

Or, simply drop by, join the fun, and help us in the most enjoyable way possible… by eating cake! 🍰