About Milton Park
Milton Park sits between Didcot and Abingdon in the Science Vale Oxfordshire corridor — one of the most significant knowledge-economy clusters in the UK outside London. Under single ownership by MEPC, the park spans nearly 3 million square feet across 300 acres, with more than 800,000 sq ft of laboratory space and 270+ companies across life sciences, biotech, healthtech, AI drug discovery, advanced engineering, fusion, agritech, energy, professional services and technology.
Single ownership is a deliberate structural advantage: companies can scale on-site without relocating, which is why major life-science firms have grown here over decades. The park sits within the wider Golden Triangle of Oxford, Cambridge and London, offering a more affordable and practical Science Vale living pattern than central Oxford.
The 2040 Vision targets 20,000 workers and 10,000 new jobs. The Milton Park Local Development Order was revised in December 2024 to fast-track expansion, making Milton Park a long-term demand driver for housing, transport and schools across Didcot, Abingdon, Wantage, Grove and Wallingford.
Life sciences and biotech
Life sciences is Milton Park's strongest identity. The park has one of the largest life-science clusters in the UK, with major biotech, therapeutics, diagnostics and drug-discovery occupiers. Roles span molecular biology, chemistry, clinical research, quality, regulatory, manufacturing, data and engineering.
| Company | What they do |
|---|---|
| Immunocore | T-cell receptor (TCR) biotechnology — oncology, infectious disease and autoimmune disease therapies. Headquartered at Milton Park with US offices. |
| Adaptimmune | T-cell therapy for cancer. UK R&D headquarters at Milton Park (67,000 sq ft). |
| Evotec | Drug discovery and development partnership. One of Milton Park's largest occupiers; present since merger with Oxford Asymmetry International in 2000 (itself here since 1989). |
| Exscientia | AI-driven pharmatech; uses AI to discover and design medicines faster than conventional methods. Selected Milton Park for new laboratories in 2021. |
| Ipsen Bioinnovation | Biopharmaceutical R&D, specialising in neuroscience and speciality care. |
| NeoVac | Next-generation lipid nanoparticles for RNA vaccines and treatments. |
| Inify Laboratories | Digital, AI-supported cancer diagnostics and pathology. |
| Convatec Technology Centre | Medical products and technologies including antimicrobial nitric oxide technology. |
| Dalriada Drug Discovery | Drug discovery services and therapeutic development support. |
Engineering, fusion and advanced technology
Milton Park also supports engineering, clean energy and advanced technology businesses — connecting directly into the wider Oxfordshire fusion and motorsport engineering economy.
Tokamak Energy has been based at Milton Park since 2013, growing from six people to a team of 260. It develops compact spherical tokamak fusion reactors — a direct link between Milton Park and the wider Oxfordshire fusion cluster anchored at Culham Campus.
| Company | What they do |
|---|---|
| LTi Metaltech | High-integrity welded structures for extreme pressure, vacuum and temperature — serving fusion, nuclear, healthcare, renewables, transport and rail. |
| Flyttr (formerly Oxitec) | Biotech solutions for controlling pests that spread disease, damage crops and harm livestock. Adds agritech and global-health dimension. |
Professional services and support
Not every Milton Park role is in a lab. The park supports a full business ecosystem including commercial, legal, IP, cyber, infrastructure, consultancy and operations roles.
| Company | Sector |
|---|---|
| AECOM | Infrastructure and professional services |
| Marks & Clerk | Intellectual property advisers |
| Achilles Information | Supply-chain management |
| ADAS UK | Agricultural and environmental consultancy |
| Cydea | Cyber-security consultancy |
| Introba | Building services, fire, sustainability and lighting consultancy |
| Thruvision | People-screening technology using passive terahertz systems |
On-site amenities
Milton Park is built to behave like an innovation district rather than a conventional office estate. Key facilities include:
| Facility | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Bee House | Flexible workspace, meeting rooms, café, events, showers, lockers, bike shelter, e-bike hire, EV charging, quiet rooms and member facilities |
| Hive Café | Open to park workers and local residents — café, casual workspace, meetings |
| Park Club | Gym and swimming pool on site |
| Bright Horizons Day Nursery | On-site childcare — important for family relocation and working parents |
| Signal Yard | Emerging food, wellbeing and amenity hub |
| Pharmacy, dentist and Post Office | Everyday services on campus |
| EV charging and cycle infrastructure | Subsidised bus passes, bike hire, cycle paths, car-share scheme |
| Amazon lockers and outdoor gym | Additional conveniences supporting daily-life use |
Getting to Milton Park
Milton Park is unusually well connected for a business park, with buses serving a wide southern Oxfordshire catchment.
| Route | What it connects |
|---|---|
| Didcot Parkway ↔ Milton Park | Every 5–10 min Mon–Fri daytime (Oxford Bus Company / Thames Travel). ~10 min journey. Best rail-to-work link. |
| X2 | Didcot · Milton Park · Abingdon · Oxford |
| X32 | Oxford · John Radcliffe Hospital · Milton Park · Didcot via A34 (faster Oxford route) |
| X36 | Wantage · Grove · East Hanney · Milton Park · Didcot |
| 33 / 33A | Abingdon · Milton Park · Didcot · Wallingford · Henley |
By train: Didcot Parkway is 2.5 miles away. GWR services reach London Paddington in 37 minutes, Oxford in under 15 minutes and Reading in around 12 minutes. Culham station is also nearby.
By road: Oxford is 20 minutes by car. The A34 runs adjacent to the site. Heathrow is approximately 50 minutes by car. The M40 is accessible via A34 north or A4074.
See the Oxfordshire getting around guide for full station and commute matrices.
Where to live for Milton Park
The bus network makes Milton Park accessible from a wide southern Oxfordshire catchment. The right base depends on whether you prioritise rail, amenities, value or character.
| Location | Best for |
|---|---|
| Didcot | Rail commuters and families wanting new-build homes. Didcot Parkway gives London, Reading and Oxford access. Best for splitting work between Milton Park and Harwell. |
| Great Western Park | Modern Didcot neighbourhood. Family facilities, planned community, Science Vale proximity. OX11. |
| Abingdon | Larger historic town with shops, schools, pubs and river. Practical bus and road links. Works well for Culham and Oxford too. OX13/OX14. |
| Wantage and Grove | Good value, more space, market-town living and Ridgeway countryside. X36 bus direct to Milton Park. Also suits Harwell workers. OX12. |
| Wallingford | Thames-side market town for lifestyle-led movers and hybrid workers. 33/33A bus corridor. OX10. |
| Milton Heights (Blaise Park) | Adjacent to the park — walkable and cycleable for Milton Park workers. OX13. |
| Oxford | City amenities, universities and culture. X2/X32 bus to Milton Park. Higher cost but viable for dual-career households. OX1–OX4. |
| Villages (Sutton Courtenay, Steventon, East Hendred) | Countryside living within Science Vale commuting range. Limited supply but strong local appeal. |
Science Vale: Milton Park, Harwell and Culham
Milton Park is one of three major Science Vale employment anchors in southern Oxfordshire. Together they create an unusually strong proposition: a household could have one person working at Milton Park and another at Harwell, Culham, Oxford, Reading or London. Science Vale is a cluster story, not a single-employer story.
| Hub | Core identity | Relocation message |
|---|---|---|
| Milton Park | Life sciences, biotech, drug discovery, labs, AI, engineering, professional services | Commercial science and technology employment |
| Harwell Campus | National labs, space, quantum, vaccines, synchrotron, research infrastructure | Big science, space and frontier research |
| Culham Campus | Fusion energy, UKAEA, robotics, advanced engineering, STEP | Fusion, clean energy and national research engineering |