New Research Hub Supports Startups in Food and Beverage Innovation
The upcoming Gastronomica incubator at Colworth Science Park will provide cutting-edge lab space and high-tech equipment to support food and beverage innovation. All images: Courtesy of Pioneer
The upcoming Gastronomica incubator at Colworth Science Park in Bedford, UK will be a cutting-edge facility dedicated to advancing food and beverage innovation. Spearheaded by Pioneer Group in collaboration with Unilever, the incubator will be housed within the 16,000 sf ground floor of the Magniac building, currently undergoing extensive refurbishment. This transformation will create a shared lab space outfitted with high-tech equipment donated by Unilever, including microbiology and innovation suites with centrifugation, imaging, chromatography, and drying systems. The facility, set to open in Q1 2025, aims to support start-ups by providing state-of-the-art research capabilities, fostering collaboration, and enabling businesses to refine and develop new food and drink products in a highly specialized environment.
The New Foods Building at Colworth has been designed to provide a flexible, state-of-the-art research space that meets the highest European laboratory standards while aligning with Colworth’s Master Plan. The two-story structure, located next to the Pilot Plant, features an E-shaped layout with a glazed atrium as the main corridor, linking office and laboratory spaces. A second glazed corridor ensures seamless communication between hygienic laboratory areas and connects to the Pilot Plant.
The design prioritizes adaptability, allowing for easy conversion between office, laboratory, and hygienic lab spaces with minimal disruption. It complies with UK and EC regulations, including Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards and Unilever’s stringent requirements. To foster collaboration, the building incorporates naturally lit corridors, large windows, and an open layout. Energy efficiency is a key focus, with advanced control and heat recovery systems, as well as high-efficiency lighting, ensuring a sustainable and comfortable working environment.
Positioned within Colworth Science Park’s thriving R&D ecosystem, Gastronomica will strengthen the park’s reputation as a hub for food- and agri-tech innovation. The incubator offers start-ups direct engagement with Unilever, access to partnerships with Cranfield University and the University of Northampton, and connections to the Midlands Food Alliance. The space will also serve as a center for industry networking, hosting expert-led lectures, workshops, and demonstrations. Plans are already underway to install additional specialized equipment to support advanced food research. By fostering collaboration and offering incubation, mentorship, and investment opportunities, Gastronomica is set to become a cornerstone of the UK’s food innovation landscape.
The project team consists of:
Project manager: Paul Cashmore, 2110 Consult
Asset Manager: Subjit Jassy, Pioneer Group
Interior Design: Gemma Partington, Pioneer Group
Interior Dressing: Ana Celpanova,Celpanova
Site Director: Keith Purdie, MAPP
Viannah Ferguson, Tsunami Axis
Andrew Johnson, SDC Special Projects
Sarah Habershon, Corstorphine & Wright
James Woricker, Marstan BDB
Richard Green, Salus (Building Control and Fire Safety Consultants) Ltd
Sean Kitchingman, Silcock Leedham Consulting Engineers Ltd
James Allister, Silcock Leedham Consulting Engineers Ltd
Jotham Steed, Marshall Fire Ltd
Simon Bovill, Ward Cole Consulting Engineers
Ben Saunders, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Lab Design News spoke to Keith Purdie, commercial director at Colworth Park, about the building renovation and the facility’s new role as an incubator for food and beverage startup companies.
Q: What were the key design principles guiding the transformation of the Magniac building into Gastronomica?
A: The transformation of the Magniac building into Gastronomica was guided by the need to create a cost-efficient, resource-rich environment for foodtech ventures. The design prioritizes flexible and tailored workspaces, shared facilities, and access to specialized labs to support start-ups and SMEs. More than just a place to work, the space has been designed with the guest experience at its heart, ensuring that every element fosters connection, creativity, and collaboration. Our philosophy is all about ‘engineering serendipity’—creating spaces where businesses and individuals naturally cross paths in ways that spark new ideas and opportunities.
Q: How did the collaboration between Pioneer Group and Unilever influence the facility’s layout and functionality?
Gastronomica at Colworth Science Park will be a dynamic hub for food-tech and agri-tech innovation, fostering industry collaboration, research, and start-up growth.
A: The facility is located alongside the Unilever Colworth R&D Hub. Unilever’s presence influenced the design by ensuring access to industry expertise and infrastructure that supports both research and commercial development.
Unilever still occupies part of the ground floor and, under the joint venture, still retains an interest in the converted zones. From a practical point of view, it was important to have building safety systems and building management systems unaffected by any refurbishment. Unilever also provided valuable insights into supply chain dynamics, complementing our deep understanding of the needs of foodtech entrepreneurs. This collaboration helped refine the facility’s design to ensure it supports the full journey from innovation to commercialisation.
Q: What considerations were made to accommodate both start-ups and established businesses within the shared lab space?
A: Gastronomica is designed to support both startups and established businesses, offering a range of workspaces, lab facilities, and shared resources to meet different needs. For startups, flexibility is key. The space includes single lab benches available for hire in our CoLab, allowing entrepreneurs to access high-spec lab facilities without long-term commitments. There’s also a structured coworking space with dedicated desks and lockers, providing an affordable entry point into the ecosystem. For more established businesses, we offer private office suites that accommodate teams of up to 12 people, as well as specialized R&D labs available for long-term hire.
Beyond workspaces, Gastronomica includes a fully equipped commercial kitchen for recipe development, product showcases, and consumer testing. The Tasting Room provides a dedicated space for structured taste tests and market research, helping businesses gather real-time insights before launching their products. By blending flexibility, community, and high-quality facilities, Gastronomica ensures that businesses at every stage—from early-stage startups to scaling SMEs—have the right environment to innovate, collaborate, and grow.
Q: What were the biggest challenges encountered during the refurbishment process, and how were they addressed?
A: The main challenges encountered during the refurbishment process were ensuring compliance with laboratory safety standards, integrating new and existing infrastructure, and balancing cost-efficiency with high-tech lab capabilities.
Q: Can you elaborate on the specialized equipment Unilever has donated and how it enhances food and beverage innovation?
A: Unilever has provided lab equipment which includes microbiology safety cabinets, incubators, spectrophotometers, bioreactors, chromatography systems, and high-pressure homogenizers. Additional specialized equipment is being explored with input from industry partners.
Q: Were there any sustainability or energy-efficient design elements incorporated into the lab’s construction?
A: The site now has EV charging, bike storage, and integration with green spaces (gardens and parkland).
Gastronomica at Colworth Science Park will provide food and beverage startups with cutting-edge lab space, expert mentorship, and industry connections to drive innovation.
Q: How do you see Gastronomica shaping the future of food and beverage innovation within the UK’s ‘Golden Triangle’?
A: Gastronomica is set to become a leading hub for foodtech innovation within the UK’s Golden Triangle (Oxford-Cambridge-London), accelerating the development and commercialization of cutting-edge food and beverage technologies. By providing world-class facilities, expert support, and a dynamic ecosystem, it offers early-stage food and drink companies the resources they need to experiment, refine, and scale their ideas.
More than just a workspace, Gastronomica fosters collaboration between entrepreneurs, researchers, and industry leaders, bridging the gap between innovation and market-ready solutions. As a result, it will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of sustainable, technology-driven food innovation in the UK and beyond.
Q: What role do partnerships with institutions like Cranfield University and the Midlands Food Alliance play in the facility’s development?
A: Partnerships with institutions like Cranfield University and the Midlands Food Alliance are important as Gastronomica can provide the facilities, space, infrastructure, and community for businesses spinning out or starting up. There are also opportunities for greater collaboration between Pioneer Group and these kinds of organizations.
Q: Are there plans to expand Gastronomica’s capabilities, such as adding new technologies or specialized research areas?
A: Pioneer Group is continuously developing new spaces and funding initiatives, so it’s possible that Gastronomica will see future expansion in capabilities, technologies, and research areas.
Q: What types of businesses or innovations do you hope to attract to Gastronomica in the coming years?
A: Gastronomica aims to attract a diverse mix of food and beverage innovators, from ambitious startups and scaling SMEs to established industry leaders driving change in food-tech and agri-tech. We’re particularly focused on businesses tackling global food challenges—whether through alternative proteins, plant-based innovations, fermentation-based foods, or sustainable packaging solutions.
