A strong consensus says that lack of laboratory space is holding back growth and driving up costs in UK life sciences.
Changing that reality is a challenge currently being embraced by a range of developers with science parks expertise, including Reef, Kadans, Mission Street, Langtree, and Bruntwood SciTech, in some cases operating outside of the traditional ‘Golden Triangle’ of Oxford, Cambridge, London.
In turn, Morgan Sindall Construction has developed specialist skills in designing and building out next generation life science buildings that also meet the demands of a lower carbon future.
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CGI of the £40m Brandon Road Life Science development Morgan Sindall Construction are delivering for Kadans
Alongside the practical considerations of more and greener space, the need to establish genuine centres of excellence that support scientific breakthroughs in next generation therapies is also widely acknowledged as central to UK aspirations.
To this end, cell and gene technologies are the very definition of cutting-edge science and involve the replacement of faulty genes or adding new ones to mitigate medical risks.
The therapies seek to cure chronic diseases or limit their worst effects, and hold promise for billions of people when it comes to treating cancer, cystic fibrosis, heart disease, diabetes, and other life changing conditions.
The panel heard how Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst is working with its partner Reef Group and UBS Asset Management to add around estimated 1.4 million square feet of laboratory and office space. The first of the new generation of buildings will open from 2025.
This exemplar development will create the largest discovery campus of its kind in Europe, along with 5,000 new jobs.
These will add to the 3,500 people already working at Stevenage across 40+ occupier companies, including the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult.
GSK, the UK Government, Stevenage Borough Council, and the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership have all been instrumental in seeing the vision progress. The belief is that it can deliver to £900 million of new investment into the area.
Dr Sally Ann Forsyth OBE, chief executive of Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, told the panel said the expanded site is key to achieving the goal of maximising value from UK innovation.
We're the largest cell and gene cluster in Europe and third biggest in the world. We can make a difference as Stevenage. We are idealy located right in the centre of the Golden Triangle, between the academic centres of Cambridge and Oxford and the University of Hertfordshire. This means that we are ideally positioned to translate that early stage innovation and scale it up for commercialisation.
Aside from the cluster of expertise around cell and gene technologies, she described the site’s approach as one based on closing the gap between the producers of the IP and supply chain that is necessary to prove and realise the value of ideas all the way from laboratory, through testing, approval, and manufacturing.
We bring together in one location the innovation supply chain including academics, start-ups, scale-ups and manufacturing. We wrap around this a supportive environment that provides access to the right type of equipment from basic lab equipment to more specialist technology, which I don't think happens free of charge anywhere else in the UK.
In the 10 years since the Catalyst began operating, 47 companies have successfully established themselves at the Stevenage site.
“We've got much higher survival rates for innovation businesses than other places because they're very well supported and in the right environment, one that reduces risk,” added Dr Sally Ann Forsyth OBE. “Companies based here have secured £2.9 billion of investment from grants, investments, IPO’s, and trade sales. That's a staggering figure. In 3 of the last 5 years our companies have received VC investment in biotechnology at the same level as the Cambridge cluster.”
Will Rohleder said that what’s already been achieved at the Stevenage site gave Reef Group and UBS Asset Management the confidence to invest.
Reef itself played an important role in growing the ecosystem by encouraging Autolus Therapeutics plc, a clinical-stage developer of next-generation programmed T cell therapies, to commit long term to the town.
Autolus has invested in a soon to open 70,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Stevenage.
Netherlands-based developer Kadans has delivered several large-scale life science schemes around the UK and Europe, including Sycamore House, a warehouse conversion to laboratory and office accommodation, on the Stevenage campus.
Kadans is also bringing forward one of the sector’s most radical propositions in the form of One North Quay in London’s Canary Wharf. Ready for occupation in 2026, this 23-storey, 823,000 sq ft tower features stacked laboratories and workspaces. It will create what Kadans calls a first of its kind vertical campus.
Edward Joslin predicts huge interest in the expanded campus because of because of pent up demand, competitive rents, along with the ability to scale without having to consider the upheaval to another site:
People were interested in why we came to Stevenage, but it’s been a great success – we were fully let before we completed our conversion, What's happening on this campus is an absolute game changer for the whole of Stevenage,” he reflected. “The frequency of the trains and the fact the campus is not far from Stevenage station are all part of the opportunity.
Emily Slupek of Bidwells also felt Stevenage was likely to have advantages in pharma manufacturing specifically, with more land available than Oxford and Cambridge, to say nothing of lower rents. Dr Sally Ann Forsyth OBE took the point. “On the scale of incubator companies there isn't that much different in the rents. But the larger scale you go, it becomes an issue regardless of whether that’s space for drug discovery or manufacturing.”
Will Rohleder ventured that the Stevenage cost base would also be favourable for occupiers compared to the biotech clusters in United States, while employees would also see advantages over other UK R&D hotspots.
Not everyone working in R&D is on huge salaries. Stevenage has got good access to affordable housing, good schools, and Hertfordshire is a nice place to live. These are all huge pluses for Stevenage.
Dr Sally Ann Forsyth OBE picked up the point. “We've had no problem in recruiting whatsoever. And I think we're quite unique because for growing companies, they know that if they have to keep moving for lack space reasons, they will lose their people. Here, they can stay in one location and go from very small to very large.”
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