Innovation Community News – November 2025

A summary of recent news and announcements from Milton Park-based companies

• Gardin partners with Priva to integrate plant intelligence into greenhouse systems 

• Greywolf Therapeutics wins Best Poster Award at the 2025 ESMO Conference 

• OKA reports 29% sales growth, driven by premium quality furniture trend 

• Oxitec commissions the world’s largest mosquito manufacturing facility in Brazil 

• RM signs new digital marking contract with Trinity College London 

• TE Magnets secures US contract for submarine propulsion technology. 

Gardin partners with Priva to integrate plant intelligence into greenhouse systems

Agritech company Gardin has announced a partnership with global horticulture automation leaders Priva, which will bring real-time plant physiology data directly into greenhouse control systems to help growers optimise crop performance. 

The plant analytics pioneer has integrated its real-time photosynthesis insights within Priva’s One operating system, which will allow growers to monitor how plants are responding to their environment. The system provides early detection of plant stress, allowing intervention before it affects yield or quality. 

Sumanta Talukdar, CEO of Gardin, said: “Our mission has always been to make plants the central source of truth in cultivation. Partnering with Priva enables us to deliver that mission at scale, giving growers the real-time intelligence they need to grow more efficiently, sustainably and profitably.” 

Greywolf Therapeutics wins Best Poster award at ESMO 2025 conference 

Clinical-stage biotechnology company Greywolf Therapeutics has been awarded Best Poster in Developmental Immunotherapy at the 2025 European Society for Medical Oncology Conference, recognising promising early data from its study of a first-in-class cancer treatment. 

The team shared results from a trial testing GRWD5769, a new type of cancer drug. The study showed the treatment was safe for patients with advanced cancers, both when used alone and when combined with another drug called Cemiplimab. 

This is one of many awards Greywolf have been nominated for, having also been shortlisted for the Galien Foundation’s Best Biomedical Product and Best Established Biotech Company at the OBN awards. 

OKA reports 29% sales growth driven by premium quality furniture trend

Home interiors brand OKA has reported significantly improved trading performance, with sales up 29% in the last quarter, driven by a growing trend of customers buying fewer but higher-quality pieces. 

Having relocated back to Milton Park, the company recently launched its first concession stores and plans to open more locations in areas outside London and the South East. 

Mark Saunders, CEO of OKA, commented: “Whilst higher mortgage costs and other cost of living pressures have impacted the general home interiors market, the premium segment has proven far more resilient to date. The same conditions have also led to a growing trend where younger homeowners are buying fewer but higher-quality pieces, which is where our proposition plays well – pieces that are made to last and loved for years.” 

Oxitec commissions world’s largest mosquito manufacturing facility in Brazil

Biological pest control leader Oxitec has celebrated the opening of the world’s largest and most advanced mosquito manufacturing complex in Campinas, Brazil. The launch marks a significant milestone in the global fight against dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases. 

The new complex can supply up to 190 million Wolbachia-carrying mosquito eggs per week, almost twice the capacity of the next largest facility, which is enough to protect up to 100 million people annually. 

Grey Frandsen, CEO of Oxitec, said: “Given that the global burden of dengue is growing rapidly, we’ve focused on developing a professional, scaled-up manufacturing platform. That will turn these and other highly effective mosquito technologies into deployable solutions that governments and other customers can use to protect billions of people.” 

RM signs new digital marking contract with Trinity College London 

RM has secured a new contract to deliver digital e-marking services for Trinity College London. The agreement will see RM’s cloud-based platform used to assess Trinity’s global music and drama exams online, allowing examiners to review thousands of performance assessments each year. 

The platform enables assessors to evaluate video performances securely and apply detailed piece-specific criteria, which supports more precise marking and richer feedback. It also allows assessors to mark multiple candidates who appear in the same video. 

David Hargreaves, CEO of RM, said: “This partnership shows how adaptable our e-marking technology is. Awarding bodies across many subject areas are moving to digital assessment and our platform gives them the tools to deliver efficient and inclusive learner experiences.” 

TE Magnets contract for next-generation submarines

Tokamak Energy magnetics division has won a contract to supply high-temperature superconducting magnet technology for the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)’s 42-month submarine propulsion programme. Working with General Atomics and HRL Laboratories, the company will develop magnetohydrodynamic drives that propel vehicles using only electric and magnetic fields. 

Dr Liam Brennan, director of TE Magnetics, said: “We’re excited to demonstrate how our technology, born from our mission to deliver limitless, clean fusion energy, can enable applications with significant industrial and commercial value across sectors.”