The Oxford Trust, the charity dedicated to encouraging the pursuit of science through innovation and STEM education, has officially topped out its new Aspen Building at the Wood Centre for Innovation in Headington, Oxford, to mark reaching the structure’s highest point ahead of building completion in July 2026.
The new facility underscores the Trust’s commitment to the Headington Science Cluster and Oxford’s innovation ecosystem. Within the new building, there will also be dedicated facilities to support STEM outreach to schools and communities through Science Oxford.
The topping out event brought together senior leadership and project partners who also attended the original groundbreaking ceremony, which included Jonathan Flint CBE, trustee, Steve Burgess, CEO, Nicki Campling, director of innovation and operations, and Michelle Webb, associate director of operations, for The Oxford Trust as well as Mark Beard, chairman, Dave Fisher, Oxford office lead, and Sam Payne, site manager, of Beard Construction. Lily Elsner, CEO and co-founder of Jack Fertility, represented the community of science and tech companies already working at the Wood Centre for Innovation.
Steve Burgess, CEO, The Oxford Trust said: “Reaching the topping out of the Aspen Building at the Wood Centre for Innovation is a proud moment for The Oxford Trust and everyone involved in bringing this strategic project to life. This milestone reflects the dedication of our construction partners and our shared commitment to strengthening Oxford’s science and tech cluster by delivering more lab and workspace where innovative science and technology start-ups and scale-ups can grow. I’d like to thank Beard and the wider project team for their hard work, expertise and collaboration.”
The project is already delivering local economic benefit, with around 35 construction roles created on site. This number is expected to grow further as science and technology start ups and scale-ups move into the completed building, creating high-value jobs and strengthening the region’s innovation economy. Once complete, the Aspen Building will offer scalable and customisable laboratory and office space, designed to meet the needs of growing companies.
Located adjacent to the fully occupied Linden Building and the Science Oxford Centre, the Aspen Building forms part of the wider Wood Centre for Innovation, which is already home to eight pioneering science and technology companies, including Lumai, Helio Display Materials, PicturaBio, Jack Fertility, Bioarchitech, DJS Antibodies, Exogene and Newrotex.
The Aspen Building is now available to pre-let, allowing incoming companies flexibility to shape their space to suit their technical and operational requirements. The Wood Centre for Innovation is managed by Oxford Innovation, a spin-out from The Oxford Trust and the UK’s leading operator of innovation centres.
