,- Asterisk Labs, London, United Kingdom, (jacqueline@asterisk.coop)
Cutting edge scientific research is typically confined to three primary areas: university research groups, institutional laboratories and for-profit industry, each of which have their pros and cons. We had personally experienced the trade-offs researchers must make between scientific interests, economic needs, and personal stability, and wanted to create a different environment in which to carry out our work. That’s why in 2024, we founded the UK’s first worker-owned co-operative research organisation, Asterisk Labs [1], where we apply the principles of democratic worker control to the best aspects of traditional research environments; the freedom and scientific rigour of a university group, the stability and societal impact of institutional laboratories, and the speed of innovation in industry.
We have no investors or shareholders, and are not-for-profit; all the money we make is reinvested back into the scientists and the science itself. We decide which contracts, awards and grants we apply for and accept, ensuring we are true to our ethical and scientific principles. We have a completely flat structure, meaning there is no CEO or hierarchy; all members are offered directorship, everyone is paid equally, and we make decisions collectively. We share the responsibility of the administrative, legal and financial management of the lab, reducing the cost of overheads, increasing transparency and allowing all members to gain experience in running a laboratory. We have a 4 day work week, remote and flexible working, 38 days leave and a competitive salary and pension, ensuring excellent work/life balance and working conditions.
We are not the only worker owned research organisation, there are others such as Datlas [2] in France and NWRA in the USA [3] but we hope to play a small part in showing it is possible to create an alternative structure in which scientists can thrive.
In this presentation we will talk about why we set up Asterisk Labs as a co-operative, how we did it, what projects we are working on, and our commitment to open science. We believe our model inherently lends itself to ethical, equitable and impactful scientific research and better working conditions for scientists.
1. www.asterisk.coop
2. www.datlas.fr
3. www.nwra.com
How to cite: Campbell, J., Bertozzi, B., Borne--Pons, P., Francis, A., and Czerkawski, M.: Worker Co-operative Research Laboratories; An Alternative Model for Ambitious Science, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-12580, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-12580, 2026.
