Pioneer Group and Science Creates Launch New Era in Scientific Entrepreneurship

Pioneer Group and Science Creates today announced a new partnership to support next-generation science and technology ventures across the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The collaboration brings together two mission-driven organizations committed to helping founders transform scientific discoveries into commercial solutions to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in human and planetary health.

Together, Pioneer and Science Creates have supported more than 350 innovation-focused startups and spinouts working in cutting-edge fields such as biotechnology, quantum technology, AI, advanced materials and beyond, providing dedicated laboratory and office space, investment, training programs and access to expertise and mentorship for technical founders. By combining their efforts, the organizations aim to work together to create a coordinated, coherent and high-quality national offering for high-potential science ventures.

Both organizations are delivery partners for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) programs and share a common commitment to supporting the UK's science and innovation strategy. This collaboration strengthens the national support delivered by aligning complementary programs, infrastructure and expertise - ensuring government funding achieves the greatest possible impact.

Dr Harry Destecroix MBE, Founder of Science Creates, said: "This partnership allows us to build on the shared values and strengths of both ecosystems. Science Creates was founded to help scientists transform their ideas into impact. Working with Pioneer enables us to scale this vision across the UK, supporting more founders to bring innovations that change the world to life."

The collaboration will initially focus on three key areas:
1. Program integration. Where clear value exists, both organizations will support each other's existing and future accelerator and venture-building programs.
2. Infrastructure alignment. With footprints in significant regional hubs, the organizations will jointly promote laboratory space, facilities, support and ecosystems - helping startups find the right environment to launch, grow and scale.
3. Joint ecosystem activity. The partnership will enable deal flow sharing, joint event hosting and broader founder access to expertise, networks and resources drawn from both ecosystems.

Dr Ayokunmi Ajetunmobi, Head of Ventures at Pioneer, said: "By combining our efforts, we are strengthening the support available to founders tackling large, complex challenges. This partnership is not just about today - it is about laying the foundations for a deeper, longer-term relationship. By bringing together the strengths of our two ecosystems, we can create more integrated pathways for founders - from early-stage programs through to the specialist environments and networks they need as they grow."

Xterna: Demonstrating the power of shared support
Xterna is a London-based startup using alternative nucleic acids for targeted drug delivery - and its trajectory demonstrates the type of founder journey the new partnership is designed to enable, now at greater coordination and scale.

The company was founded in 2024 by CEO Dr Jessica Corry, a cancer biologist, and CSO Dr Chris Wan, a synthetic biologist, following Science Creates' inaugural Engineering Biology Accelerator, both of whom had previously trained academically at Cambridge University and the Francis Crick Institute.

After graduation, Xterna went on to secure follow-on feasibility funding from Innovate UK, and in 2025 the company relocated to Pioneer's new incubator laboratories at Victoria House - a collaborative space in central London fully equipped with high-specification laboratory equipment and shared instrumentation.

Xterna's transition from Science Creates' accelerator to Pioneer's incubator space is a clear example of how the two ecosystems work in alignment to support Deep Tech ventures from concept through to commercialization.

In June 2025, the company received the Pioneer x Daiichi Sankyo Golden Ticket, awarded to outstanding early-stage biotech companies with strong translational potential and impact - including one year of free incubator space.
 
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