Activation Partners
Empowering talent and supporting science translation across our opportunity spaces
Live opportunities + events
Explore the latest opportunities to engage with our Activation Partners and see what events are coming up.

5050 Cohort 3 – Fifty Years
Applications are open for the for the third cohort of Fifty years' 5050 programme. Running March–June 2026, 5050 is a 14-week programme designed to help aspiring founders launch deep tech startups.
Apply by 22 February 2026.

Encode Fellowship – Pillar VC
Applications are now open for the second cohort of Pillar VC’s Encode Fellowship, embedding top AI talent into UK labs to tackle challenges across our opportunity spaces.
Apply by 28 March 2026.
February events
- Find out more
This event offers a valuable opportunity to learn about the Catalyse Program, the Activator Program and Nucleate UK's role in advancing entrepreneurial initiatives in the biotech and life sciences sectors. Whether you are looking to commercialise your research or join an innovative venture, this gathering will provide insights into how the Program can support your goals.
- Find out more
This event brings together women working at the intersection of AI, deep-tech, and entrepreneurship to:
- Explore the frontiers of AI - with a spotlight on how advanced models are being applied across scientific disciplines, from drug discovery to materials design. We'll discuss what's new, and what's next.
- Share support - quick overviews on how Pillar VC can support you, and a spotlight on the Encode: AI for Science Fellowship.
- Deepen relationships - from academia, to industry, to venture. We're committed to ensuring you meet someone new, who can support your work long after the event ends.
- Find out more
This event brings together women working at the intersection of AI, deep-tech, and entrepreneurship to:
- Explore the frontiers of AI - with a spotlight on how advanced models are being applied across scientific disciplines, from drug discovery to materials design. We'll discuss what's new, and what's next.
- Share support - quick overviews on how Pillar VC can support you, and a spotlight on the Encode: AI for Science Fellowship.
- Deepen relationships - from academia, to industry, to venture. We're committed to ensuring you meet someone new, who can support your work long after the event ends.
- Find out more
This event offers a valuable opportunity to learn about the Catalyse Program, the Activator Program and Nucleate UK's role in advancing entrepreneurial initiatives in the biotech and life sciences sectors. Whether you are looking to commercialise your research or join an innovative venture, this gathering will provide insights into how the Program can support your goals.
- Find out more
This event offers a valuable opportunity to learn about the Catalyse Program, the Activator Program and Nucleate UK's role in advancing entrepreneurial initiatives in the biotech and life sciences sectors. Whether you are looking to commercialise your research or join an innovative venture, this gathering will provide insights into how the Program can support your goals.
- Find out more
This event brings together researchers, entrepreneurs, healthcare evaluators, and investors who are committed to advancing women's health innovation responsibly while meeting the enormous unmet demand for solutions.
- Find out more
This event brings together women working at the intersection of AI, deep-tech, and entrepreneurship to:
- Explore the frontiers of AI - with a spotlight on how advanced models are being applied across scientific disciplines, from drug discovery to materials design. We'll discuss what's new, and what's next.
- Share support - quick overviews on how Pillar VC can support you, and a spotlight on the Encode: AI for Science Fellowship.
- Deepen relationships - from academia, to industry, to venture. We're committed to ensuring you meet someone new, who can support your work long after the event ends.
March events
- Find out more
Growth is the goal for every startup - but for many founders, knowing what focus on (and what to ignore) is the real challenge. Tactics are everywhere, time is limited, and the margin for error is small. So how do you scale without losing momentum or clarity?
Moving beyond theory and hype, the event focuses on the realities founders face when turning early traction into repeatable, sustainable growth.
- Find out more
Join the Symposium Social. Whether you’ve spent the day at the symposium or you're joining us for your weekly dose of innovation, this is where Manchester’s creative, academic, and tech communities collide. This event brings together filmmakers, founders, and researchers to explore the intersection of technology and human creativity.
- Find out more
Scotland is fast becoming a place where space is no longer just a sector, but a driver of the next economy, powering finance, climate, life sciences, security and data infrastructure.
This event brings together founders, investors, institutions, and ecosystem champions to explore how Scotland’s space-enabled companies are creating real commercial value – and why global capital is increasingly looking to the Scottish ecosystem for its next wave of opportunity.
- Find out more
Join the Bind Research team for an interactive showcase, featuring talks and posters, highlighting the science, technology, and vision behind the UK’s first FRO tackling intrinsically disordered proteins. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage directly with our researchers, explore early platform data, learn about new experimental and computational approaches, and discover how Bind is building the world’s first large-scale dataset for disordered protein drug discovery.
- Find out more
Artificial intelligence and automation are reshaping scientific research, offering both exciting possibilities and challenges. We will explore how AI can accelerate discovery in materials chemistry and related disciplines, highlighting emerging trends, practical applications and collaborative opportunities for scientists and innovators.
- Find out more
This event is an opportunity to:
- Discover the latest innovations across the UK health tech ecosystem
- Meet and network with startups and scale-ups building cutting-edge solutions
- Collaborate with clinicians and operational colleagues on bold new innovation ideas
- Learn how to turn challenges into real-world projects and partnerships
- Find out more
How prepared are we for the challenges climate change is bringing? Communities and businesses are facing growing pressures to adapt as the impacts of climate change increase. We will explore how technological innovation can help mitigate risks, improve sustainability and strengthen resilience across society.
- Find out more
What if we could enhance the way our brains learn, heal, and adapt? Neurotechnology is rapidly redefining how we understand and interact with the human brain. We will explore emerging innovations, potential applications, and the transformative impact neurotech may have on health, wellbeing and society.
April events
- Find out more
How prepared are we for the challenges climate change is bringing? Communities and businesses are facing growing pressures to adapt as the impacts of climate change increase. We will explore how technological innovation can help mitigate risks, improve sustainability and strengthen resilience across society.
- Find out more
What if we could enhance the way our brains learn, heal, and adapt? Neurotechnology is rapidly redefining how we understand and interact with the human brain. We will explore emerging innovations, potential applications, and the transformative impact neurotech may have on health, wellbeing and society.