CTA Summer Drinks @ The Institute of Cancer Research
The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, is a world-leading cancer research institute, a charity, and a member institution of the University of London. The ICR has discovered that DNA damage is the basic cause of cancer, identified cancer-related genes including BRCA2, revolutionised targeted radiotherapy, and discovers more new cancer drugs than any other academic centre in the world. It is also home to the London Cancer Hub - one of Europe's most significant life science clusters - and a natural host for the CTA community.
This is an afternoon for current CTA founders, alumni, mentors, and wider ecosystem members to connect in a genuinely inspiring setting. We'll be going behind the scenes with a tour of ICR's Sutton facilities, hearing from resident scientists at the frontier of cancer research, and hosting a fireside chat with a cancer tech startup in residence - before settling in for drinks and open networking.
Whether you're a founder looking for scientific perspective, a mentor curious about what's happening at the bench, or simply overdue a catch-up with this community - we'd love to see you there.
5 August 2025, 3:00pm – 7:00pm The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton
Draft Agenda
3:00pm — Arrival & Welcome (15 mins) Registration and informal arrival. Light refreshments available on arrival. Welcome remarks from Lotus Qi, Head of MedTech at Capital Enterprise and Lead of the Cancer Tech Accelerator, and a brief introduction from our hosts at the ICR.
3:15pm — Resident Scientists: What We're Working On. Dr Annie Baker (Genomics and Evolutionary Dynamics) and Dr Ben O’Leary (Evolution & Translational Genomics) share what they're currently working on - in plain language, with space for questions. This is an informal session designed to open conversations between the research community and the founders, mentors, and investors in the room. The kinds of problems being explored at the ICR are often directly relevant to the solutions being built by CTA companies, and this is a chance to make those connections visible.
3:55pm — Fireside Chat: Cancer Tech in Residence (30 mins) A conversation with a cancer tech startup working within or alongside the ICR ecosystem. We'll hear about their journey from early science to a commercially viable company - what it took to get here, what the ICR relationship has made possible, and what they'd do differently. Chaired discussion with audience Q&A.
4:30pm — Socius & The London Cancer District: An outline of the new cancer focused research facilities being constructed on the site and opportunities for the life science and med tech research community.
4:45pm — Facility Tour: Inside the ICR A guided tour of the ICR Sutton site, led by ICR staff. Guests will have the opportunity to see the research facilities up close - from drug discovery labs to imaging and genomics infrastructure - and get a sense of the science being done at one of the world's leading cancer research centres. Tours will run in small groups to allow for questions along the way.
5:15pm — Closing Remarks (5 mins) A brief close from Lotus before the evening opens up - with a nod to the CTA community, the founders who've come through the programme, and what's ahead.
5:20pm — Drinks & Networking (until 7pm) Open networking with drinks. A mix of current CTA 5.0 founders, alumni from across all five cohorts, ICR scientists and staff, mentors, and wider ecosystem guests. A conversation prompt card will be available to help make the most of the room.