AstraZeneca donates doomed lab to Plymouth University
pharmafile | December 12, 2013 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | AstraZeneca, lab, plymouth, university
AstraZeneca has pledged to donate its Devon-based Environmental Laboratory to Plymouth University, after announcing the site’s closure in October.
The facility is used by AZ to conduct environmental risk assessment of pharma products, and its planned shutdown came as the firm sought to contract those functions externally.
Although this week’s developments have been welcomed locally, the arrangement with Plymouth University does not involve the transfer of AZ staff – and more than 70 jobs are still expected to be lost at the lab.
The transition of ownership is expected to be completed by the end of April 2014.
AZ’s Environment Team head Steve Rumsford, said: “We made the decision to close our Brixham site as operating an environmental research laboratory is not a core part of AstraZeneca’s strategy. However, our aim has been to ensure the laboratory and its state of the art facilities remain in use for scientific purposes.”
Rumsford went on to say that he was confident Plymouth University was the ‘right partner’ to develop the site. The institution specialises in marine and maritime research and has collaborated with AZ on research projects in the past.
University vice-chancellor Wendy Purcell added: “We’re very familiar with the specialist facilities available at the Brixham Environmental Laboratory. We are determined to further develop the site into an international centre of excellence for marine and environmental research.”
AZ has put significant restructuring plans in place this year. The firm announced the relocation of its global headquarters to a new Cambridge R&D facility in March, as well as the loss of 700 jobs in other UK locations.
A total of 7,300 positions are expected to be axed throughout the multinational’s operations – largely in sales and R&D – by the end of 2014.
These cuts will bring the total amount of jobs lost at AZ to 29,000 since 2007, and reduce the firm’s total workforce to just fewer than 54,000.
Plymouth University is the ninth largest university in the UK, with a student body of more than 30,000. In addition to developing the Brixham facility’s research capabilities, the university plans to make commercial opportunities available through a regional investment initiative.
Hugh McCafferty
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