Having supported our businesses in raising over £30 million in funding and creating over 200 highly skilled jobs, the Higgs Centre for Innovation is one of the leading start-up incubator spaces in Scotland.
When building a deep-tech business, the right environment can be the catalyst that transforms a good idea into a scalable venture. This is where start-up incubator spaces play a key role.
Located at The Royal Observatory, the commercially focused Higgs Centre for Innovation is run with the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, and supports early-stage, deep tech businesses in sectors such as robotics, photonics, and quantum. Collaboration between researchers, engineers and postgraduate students is highly encouraged
Why Higgs?
At the Higgs Centre for Innovation, start-ups can join us following a successful application to one of our business incubation programmes.
Locating to the Higgs Centre isn’t just a tenancy agreement; it’s a support package inclusive of funding and access to an innovation ecosystem designed to de-risk your route to market.
A central benefit of the Higgs Centre is co-located offices and laboratory spaces. Founders can move seamlessly between brainstorming and experimentation, holding a meeting in the morning and testing new ideas in the lab that same afternoon.
Being a part of UK ATC, businesses also benefit from proximity to the STFC scientists and engineers working on site, all with a wealth of experience tackling some of the world’s most complex scientific challenges. Start-ups can tap into this expertise for advice on technical development, prototyping, and testing.
Beyond facilities, joining the Higgs means becoming part of a community of innovators. The Centre acts as a hub connecting resident companies, alumni, and the wider Scottish ecosystem of investors, accelerators, and academic partners to create opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing.
The Edinburgh Advantage: talent and travel
For scaling start-ups, Edinburgh provides access to a highly skilled talent pool spanning academia and industry. The city also has strong transport links, with Edinburgh Airport approximately 25 minutes away by car and Edinburgh Waverley train station around 15 minutes. This combination of accessibility and a strong talent catchment area makes Edinburgh an ideal base for ambitious founders, and a compelling location from an investor and partner perspective.
How to join us: Higgs BIC and ESA BIC UK
To join us at the Higgs Centre for Innovation, we have two business incubation programmes that founders can apply to. These programmes provide start-ups with funding, business development advice, and unique technical support and expertise to help them scale.
The Higgs Business Incubation Centre (BIC) is available to high-tech companies seeking to grow their businesses in sectors related to STFC’s core technologies.
To apply for the ESA Business Incubation Centre UK, your business must have a strong and innovative space connection. This includes Upstream space and downstream applications of space technology.
Deadlines and eligibility criteria for both programmes can be found on our website.
Looking to innovate but not looking to sign a lease? The Higgs Centre for Innovation also offers affordable and flexible access to cutting-edge equipment and expertise in remote sensing instrumentation, space technology and data-intensive science. More information and enquiry forms can be found on our website.
