Venue hire and visits

The Sainsbury Laboratory is a working plant science research institute and considers requests for venue hire, filming, photography and tours where they align with its research mission and operational constraints. Requests are assessed on a case‑by‑case basis to ensure they support academic collaboration while minimising disruption to research activities.

View of Sainsbury Laboratory from Cambridge University Botanic Garden in spring with irises, tulips and other flowers in foreground

Venue hire for conferences or meetings

The Sainsbury Laboratory is a working plant science research institute that operates 24 hours a day, all year round. 

We are not a conference or meeting venue. However, we may hire our meeting rooms or 150‑seat auditorium to other University of Cambridge departments in limited circumstances.

We do not provide event support. You must arrange your own audio‑visual services and catering.

When we may approve venue hire

We consider all requests on a case‑by‑case basis. We are most likely to approve events that:

  • Align with our plant developmental research
  • Support the wider goals of plant science research and education
  • Involve close collaborators, such as Cambridge University Botanic Garden or central University of Cambridge administration

How to request venue hire

If you think your event meets the criteria above, email the Events Team at events@slcu.cam.ac.uk.

Include:

  • Proposed date and time
  • Expected number of attendees
  • Whether you will charge for attendance
  • A short description of the event and the organisation making the request

If we agree to host your event, we will contact you to discuss charges and booking arrangements.

Requests we are unlikely to approve

We are unlikely to approve requests for:

  • Corporate product launches
  • Events unrelated to the University of Cambridge or our research
  • For‑profit training courses
  • Events that would significantly disrupt our working environment

Filming and Photography

The Sainsbury Laboratory is a live research environment operating 24 hours a day.

We cannot usually allow filming or photography inside our buildings. In some cases, we may consider requests for projects such as scientific documentaries..

Tours

We receive a high number of tour requests and cannot accommodate most of them without disrupting research activities.

We offer regular tours to:

Contact

To ask about venue hire, filming, photography or tours, please contact our Events Team at events@slcu.cam.ac.uk.