Community café and flexible meeting space welcomes local groups, residents and businesses alike

Glasgow, 7 September, 2026

Since opening earlier this year, Glasgow's pioneering Health Innovation Hub (HiH) has both been home to world-class life science innovation and opened its doors to the local community. In recent months representatives from over 20 different organisations and local groups have utilised the community cafe space.

Officially opened in March 2026, the purpose-built facility has become home to pioneering organisations including Chemify, the HealthTech Innovation & Translation Lab, Panthera and Genetix Research. Delivered by Kadans Science Partner in collaboration with the University of Glasgow and The Living Laboratory project, HiH is helping to accelerate scientific breakthroughs while supporting high-quality, highly skilled jobs locally and supporting innovations that have the potential to improve lives around the world.

Alongside its state-of-the-art laboratories and innovation spaces, HiH is also home to a welcoming community café operated by local business, Proper Foods Gourmet. Open to everyone from 8am to 3pm, the café has become a thriving meeting place for local residents, community organisations, charities, businesses and remote workers.

Whether it's a local group holding a meeting, members socialising, neighbours catching up over coffee, someone enjoying a takeaway lunch or professionals looking for a convenient informal work location, the café is designed to be an inclusive space that connects the innovation taking place inside the building with the wider Govan community.

Community organisations already making regular use of the space include Invisible Cities, Friends of Elder Park, Govan Men's Shed, Gilded Lily, several local housing associations, Craft Café and the ‘Meet me in Govan’ and ‘Living Lab on Foot’ community walking groups, which use HiH as its regular meeting point before enjoying refreshments together after each walk.

The building also celebrates local creativity, with a community-created tapestry produced through the Gilded Lily project and mosaic panels made by Govan High School pupils proudly displayed within the Hub. Community groups are encouraged to leave flyers and information in the café, helping to promote local services, activities and initiatives available across Govan, Linthouse and the wider area.

Gail Paterson, Community Engagement Officer at Linthouse Housing Association, said: “The café space within the Health Innovation Hub is a welcome addition to the community as there’s a real shortage of places to sit down and enjoy some food in the Linthouse area and it’s fantastic to see HiH being made available for local people. LHA’s Residents’ Panel and staff were delighted to visit and learn more about the innovative work taking place there.”

Zakia Moulaoui Guery, Founder & CEO of Invisible Cities, said: "Having partners like the Health Innovation Hub is what makes our work at Invisible Cities possible. Not only are we able to include the state of the art, innovative building on our tours, we also use it as a community hub. We love that HiH showcases all the innovation that Glasgow is bringing to the world but that it also is accessible to members of the community to come together."

Georgina Aitchison, Community Engagement Officer with the University of Glasgow's Living Laboratory, said: "From the very beginning, our ambition was to ensure the Health Innovation Hub wasn't simply a building that people worked in, but somewhere that genuinely belonged to the community too. It's been fantastic to see so many local organisations embrace the space and make it their own.

"By bringing together researchers, businesses and local people under one roof, we're creating opportunities for new relationships, conversations and collaborations that benefit everyone. Seeing community groups regularly using the café and showcasing local projects within the building demonstrates exactly the kind of positive impact we hoped to achieve. My aspirations are for us to continue to engage with our community and reach even more organisations that can utilise our informal space."

Mark Hanna, Director of Asset Management for Kadans Science Partner, added: "The community café is a really unique feature for a life sciences building and it was our ambition at HiH from the outset to be well connected with the local community. While our tenants are carrying out remarkable work on innovations that have the potential to improve people's lives across the world, we're equally committed to ensuring the Health Innovation Hub is a welcoming place for our local community.

"We recognise our responsibility to the people of Govan, Linthouse and the wider local community. Opening our doors to local groups, creating opportunities for people to meet, work or simply enjoy a coffee together helps ensure the building delivers value for all."

The café, serves freshly prepared sandwiches, homemade soup, poke bowls, salads, fruit salads and a selection of cakes, providing a great value and welcoming destination for both building occupiers and local residents.

The Health Innovation Hub represents the transformation of a previously disused car park into a vibrant centre for research, innovation and community activity, demonstrating how investment in life sciences can deliver lasting social and economic benefits alongside scientific excellence.

Community groups, charities and local organisations interested in using the café as a meeting space are encouraged to get in touch or pop in for a visit. The café is open Monday to Friday, 8am–3pm, and welcomes everyone from across the local community.

Notes to Editor

Kadans Science Partner is the European leader investing in the development of ecosystems and real estate with a dedicated focus on knowledge-intensive sectors. We focus on bringing people together to overcome global challenges. Therefore, we invest, develop and operate specialised assets to complement science clusters. Across Europe, we have built a network of clients, partner organisations, and innovative minds, active in Life Sciences & Health, Agri & Food, Energy & Chemistry, and High Tech Systems & Materials. All determined to find solutions to the global challenges we face today. Currently already active in 30+ science clusters, our network continues to grow as we develop more locations and support more clusters across Europe.

For more information visit www.kadans.com.