Vision

About us

SC1 is a life science district in south central London. It aims to transform healthcare, accelerate innovation, and tackle big problems in order to make a healthier future a reality for all of us. 

Founded by King’s Health Partners, Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation, and Lambeth and Southwark councils, SC1 is born from the unique diversity of London. It is part of a thriving community at the heart of the city, bringing together local services with leading institutions and innovative businesses in a world renowned location. 

Within SC1 there are ambitious plans underway that will create significant new spaces for health and life sciences, increase employment opportunities, support new innovative business, develop cultural programmes, and build a world recognised home for life science innovation. 

Our Founders

Kings Health Partners

• King’s College London

• Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

• King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

• South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

King's Health Partners is a world leading Academic Health Sciences Centre based in south east London. Its tripartite mission is to pioneer better healthcare for all by integrating world class research, care, education and training. Its work translates research more rapidly into clinical practice for the benefit of patients, then effectively disseminating those advances through education and training.

It brings together three leading NHS Foundation Trusts – Guy's and St Thomas’ now incorporating Royal Brompton and Harefield, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley – with a globally renowned university, King’s College London.  

London Borough of Lambeth and London Borough of Southwark

Working with the other co-founders, both Lambeth and Southwark have been instrumental in helping to establish SC1. Each local authority will continue to support the development of SC1 alongside their respective public health teams. There is high level engagement from each borough, with CEO and Cabinet Member involvement on the Board, and senior management involvement in the day-to-day progression of SC1. The ongoing involvement of Lambeth and Southwark will be crucial to securing inward investment, economic development and community engagement. Cooperation with the Greater London Authority, other local institutions and their local business communities also facilitated by the boroughs.

Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation

Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation’s mission is to build the foundations of a healthier society. Their commitment and work are backed by an endowment, which allows them to take a long-term view while addressing the real and urgent health issues of today. At close to £1 billion, their endowment is one of the largest in the UK, made up of a diversified portfolio of investments including land and other residential, student and commercial properties, in and around their location in the South London boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark. They invest, partner, engage and influence to come at big health challenges from all angles. They are a family of forward-looking organisations, including Impact on Urban Health and the charities supporting Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. The Foundation collaborates with communities, partners and hospitals, and use their assets to transform lives. Because a healthier society is their collective endeavour.

Leadership

After stepping down from his roles as Senior Vice-President (Health) at King’s College London and Executive Director of King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre, Sir Robert Lechler has taken up the role of Co-Chair for SC1. He now holds a range of roles including Board membership for two biotech start up companies, chairing an external advisory Board for Birmingham Health Partners, and chairing the London Mozart Players Trust.

He is a strong advocate of the Academic Health Science Centre model of university-healthcare partnerships. His clinical and research career have been focused on the pursuit of clinical transplantation tolerance. He worked in in vitro and in vivo rodent models and recently has helped to define biomarkers of clinical tolerance. This work has led to first in man trials of cell therapy to promote immune tolerance in recipients of kidney and liver organ transplants.

In 2012 Robert was awarded a Knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday honours for Services to Academic Medicine and in 2015 was elected as the President of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences. In addition, Robert was a Founding Board Member of MedCity, was a Board Member of the Crick Institute, and spent five years as a member of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology.

INFO REQUESTED

INFO REQUESTED

INFO REQUESTED