The Oxford Trust

Name

The Oxford Trust

Legal name

The Oxford Trust

Website

https://theoxfordtrust.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Centre / Science Park Services

NAICS

Museums (712110)

SIC

Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Makerspace, Innovation Lab & Fab Lab Operations (Tools, Safety, Programming) (EDAEAGAI), Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA)

Keywords

• Innovation centre operations
• Science park facilities
• STEM education programmes
• Startup incubation services
• Charitable science support

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Innovation centre rentals and leases: The Oxford Trust generates operating income by providing flexible and licensed office, laboratory, and co-working spaces at its two innovation centres (Oxford Centre for Innovation and Wood Centre for Innovation). Space types include fully serviced offices, R&D labs (Class II), co-working desks (via Barclays Eagle Labs), virtual offices, and meeting/conference facilities. Income is reinvested into STEM education and engagement programmes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Oxford Trust operates two innovation centres in Oxford — the Oxford Centre for Innovation and the Wood Centre for Innovation — letting office space, R&D laboratories, co-working desks, meeting rooms, and virtual office services to science and technology start-ups, spin-outs, and SMEs. Surpluses from these lettings fund the Science Oxford STEM education and public engagement programme, which delivers classroom and centre-based science learning for schools and families.

Product overview

The Oxford Trust operates a portfolio of physical innovation infrastructure and STEM education programmes across Oxfordshire. The core offering consists of two innovation centres (Oxford Centre for Innovation and Wood Centre for Innovation) providing flexible office space, co-working (via Barclays Eagle Labs), R&D lab space, virtual offices, and meeting facilities for science and tech start-ups. The Wood Centre for Innovation includes the Linden Building (opened 2019) and the forthcoming Aspen Building (opening summer 2026). Business support is delivered through the Escalator Support Programme (offering discounted space and mentorship) and the Exit Right event series. On the education side, Science Oxford delivers STEM programmes including school visits to the Science Oxford Centre, primary school outreach, teacher professional development, family events, and the Accessing Science Fund grants. The charitable business model reinvests income from the innovation centres into these education programmes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Escalator Support Programme: A support programme for early-stage technology-based companies providing discounted office space, business support, and access to angel investment networks for companies less than two years old with funding under £500,000.

Products and services

• Oxford Centre for Innovation — office and laboratory letting Letting of office space, R&D laboratories, and associated tenant services at the Oxford Centre for Innovation in central Oxford; available to science and technology start-ups, spin-outs, and SMEs.
• Wood Centre for Innovation — laboratory and grow-on space Letting of new-build laboratory space, grow-on office space, and shared laboratory facilities at the Wood Centre for Innovation, targeting established science and technology tenants needing Oxford accommodation.
• Barclays Eagle Labs co-working space Flexible co-working desks and workspaces at the Oxford Centre for Innovation delivered in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs, for start-ups, freelancers, and small teams needing Oxford drop-in or membership-based workspace.
• Meeting and conference room hire Hourly and daily hire of meeting rooms and conference facilities within the trust's innovation centres, available to tenants and external organisations needing central Oxford meeting space.
• Atrium Gallery event and exhibition hire Hire of the Atrium Gallery at the Oxford Centre for Innovation for exhibitions, receptions, and events for external organisations and tenants.
• Virtual office and mailing address service Subscription-based virtual office services providing a prestigious Oxford mailing address, mail handling, and on-demand use of meeting rooms, for businesses not requiring full-time office space.
• Escalator Support Programme Targeted business support programme for high-growth science and technology companies locating at the trust's innovation centres, providing wraparound support alongside workspace.
• Science Oxford STEM education programme School-facing and family-facing STEM education and public engagement programme, including classroom resources, science activities and exhibits at the Science Oxford Centre, and outreach events for young people and families across Oxfordshire.

Quantifiable outcome

• 671 employees in science and tech supported in innovation centres
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Justice in MotionminorOthers · 25 September 2026Matt Francis (incoming CEO from September 2026) is Co-Chair of Justice in Motion, a charity that produces thought-provoking performances to raise awareness of social injustice. This is a personal affiliation rather than an organisational partnership.
• Drees & SommerminorOthersListed as an innovation partner of The Oxford Trust on the innovation centres page.
• Barclays Eagle LabscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBarclays operates Eagle Labs co-working spaces at both the Oxford Centre for Innovation and the Wood Centre for Innovation. Eagle Labs provides co-working desks, mentoring, business support, networking events, and connections to Barclays' wider ecosystem including local business teams, specialist high-growth managers, and the Demo Directory matching founders with investors. Membership gives access to both centres.
• Oxford Innovation SpacecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOxford Innovation Space manages the day-to-day operations of both the Oxford Centre for Innovation and the Wood Centre for Innovation. Originally a spin-out of The Oxford Trust, it now runs a network of 31 centres across the UK and Ireland. It handles lettings, enquiries, tours, and centre management.
• Advanced OxfordminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvanced Oxford works with senior leaders from the region's major knowledge-intensive businesses to support the long-term development of Oxford as a desirable place to live and work. Listed as an innovation partner of The Oxford Trust.
• Headington Science ClusterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Headington Science Cluster is a group of organisations (including The Oxford Trust) that have joined together to support innovation in digital health and life sciences in the Headington area. The Wood Centre for Innovation is part of this cluster.
• TheHill (Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheHill is an innovation catalyst embedded within Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It supports digital health innovation adoption in the NHS and is part of the Headington Science Cluster supported by The Oxford Trust. Mathys & Squire (tenant at the Oxford Centre for Innovation) supports TheHill's Market Access Accelerator for digital health companies.
• Science OxfordcoreOthersScience Oxford is the delivery vehicle for The Oxford Trust's education and engagement programmes. It runs all STEM programmes for schools, families, and communities, including visits to the Science Oxford Centre, primary school outreach, teacher CPD, Family Days, and STEM Clubs. The Oxford Trust is the parent body of Science Oxford.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BioEscalator (University of Oxford): University of Oxford-operated innovation centre for early-stage life sciences startups in Oxford. Highly comparable to Wood Centre for Innovation: same city, same target tenant profile, similar lab offerings, competing for the same University of Oxford spinout pipeline.
• SETsquared Partnership: University-business incubator network across five leading UK universities (including Oxford). Provides office/lab space, business support, and investor access for science and tech startups — directly comparable to The Oxford Trust's innovation centre operations.
• Roslin Innovation Centre: Innovation centre at the University of Edinburgh's Easter Bush campus offering lab and office space for animal/health biotech startups. Comparable as a UK life science innovation centre providing R&D infrastructure and business support to spinouts.
• Cambridge Science Park: One of the UK's oldest and largest science parks, providing lab and office space for science and tech companies in Cambridge. Comparable in core offering (lab/office lettings to science startups) and tenant profile, though much larger scale and operated by a private developer (Trinity College).
• Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst: UK life sciences open innovation campus providing lab and office space for biotech startups. Comparable as a UK bioscience incubator/innovation centre targeting early-stage tenants with shared facilities and business support.
• STEM Learning: UK nonprofit delivering STEM education programmes to schools, teachers, and young people nationally. Closely comparable to Science Oxford as a charitable STEM education provider — though STEM Learning operates nationally without an innovation centre funding model.

Broad incumbents

• Bruntwood SciTech: UK science and technology property platform operating innovation districts (including Manchester Science Partnerships and Birmingham Research Park). Comparable lab/office offering for science tenants at much larger scale and for-profit structure.
• Kadans Science Partner: European specialist investor-developer of science parks and innovation centres with UK presence. Comparable as a purpose-built lab/office provider for life sciences and tech tenants, though operating commercially rather than as a charity.
• Science Museum Group: UK charitable group operating major science museums. Comparable to Science Oxford as a STEM education and engagement charity, but at significantly larger national scale with permanent exhibition venues rather than a single-centre outreach model.
• Wellcome Trust: Major charitable foundation funding science research, education, and engagement. Comparable as a UK science-focused charity with combined research/innovation and public engagement missions, though at vastly greater scale and as a grant-maker rather than operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheOxfordTrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Oxford Trust