Stevenage Life Sciences Boost with New Lab Facility with 5,000 Jobs
Stevenage in Hertfordshire is already a leading life sciences hub, with leading institutions to help exciting early stage businesses at the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst and Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, on the GSK site.
A further announcement has been made of a new campus next door, which will see 1.4 million square feet of additional laboratory and office facilities and up to 5,000 new jobs.
The campus is being enabled by GSK, and is a joint project between UBS Asset Management and Reef. UBS Asset Management and Reef are experienced life science investors and developers already involved with some huge life sciences development projects around the world. The timetable is to start construction in 2023 and they are hoping to open for business in 2025. Also involved and facilitating the project were SBC, the UK Government, Stevenage Borough Council and the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
Dr Sally Ann Forsyth OBE, CEO at SBC, commented: "We welcome GSK’s land donation. The Stevenage campus is already a leading location for life science companies to develop and commercialise cutting edge therapeutics. It is a unique location that brings together major multinationals, the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult Manufacturing Centre and Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst’s 40+ biotech companies. This makes it a powerhouse for innovation and we are looking forward to working with Reef Group and other stakeholders to further develop the thriving life sciences campus in Stevenage."
Piers Slater, Joint Chief Executive at Reef Group, said: "Stevenage is set to be transformed into one of the UK’s most dynamic life sciences hubs, forming an integral part of the eco-system of the Golden Triangle. We are excited to be working with GSK and UBS to deliver a unique and world-leading development that will be an incredible catalyst for innovation in life sciences R&D. Our vision is to bring together the best of academia and industry in a diverse and world-class mix of life sciences spaces, with digital infrastructure, sustainability and connectivity at their core."
Hertfordshire - Home For Life Sciences
Hertfordshire is such an exciting place to be in life sciences - right in the heart of the Golden Triangle. The opportunities at Stevenage are right at the heart of that. We have been delighted to support Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst since it opened in 2012, and the good news growth stories are Stevenage continue to grow. It's one reason why SBC won the 2021 PING Innovation Award, with Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult having won it the year before that, and an SBC tenant - Achilles Therapeutics - this year. There is so much innovation there and it keeps on coming.
We are grateful to the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise for supporting the recent PING Conference - The Golden Age for Life Sciences Innovation - and their support for the sector shines through with their role in helping with this latest investment in life sciences in the County of Opportunity.