UK invests in Oxford bioscience site
pharmafile | January 31, 2014 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Milton Park, Oxford, UK, bioscience, government
The government is putting £7 million into Milton Park, near Oxford, to boost the building of a new laboratory and bioscience ‘innovation hub’ there.
The other half of the £14 million required to build the 40,000 sq. ft. Milton Science Centre (MSc), aimed at small and emerging life sciences businesses, will be put up by park owner MEPC.
Private biotech firm Immunocore – which has signed deals with Roche, GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca in the past year to develop ImmTACs to treat cancer and viral disease – already has a facility at Milton Park, along with 200 firms including 50 life science businesses.
Immunocore has doubled in size to nearly 100 staff in the last six months and Eva-Lotta Allan, the company’s chief business officer, welcomed the government money.
“Adding a dedicated hub for innovation to the existing facilities here will help to ensure we continue to attract the best scientists as we progress the development of new treatments that could help many thousands of cancer patients,” she said.
Local MP Ed Vaizey said it demonstrated the government’s strong commitment to life sciences: “It will also lead to a significant step in the development of the Oxfordshire cluster.”
He added: “Milton Park is one of the top performing enterprise zones across the country and, with its new Local Development Order simplifying planning and a track record of success, I have every confidence that this project will be delivered quickly and help produce many more great life sciences businesses like Immunocore.”
The cash is part of a £100 million government cash injection in a bid to accelerate growth and create jobs in the UK’s 12 enterprise zones.
Discovery Park, the former Pfizer site near Sandwich, is another recipient – this time of £6 million to transform buildings and create labs, with a view to creating 3,000 jobs there by 2017.
The site was formerly Pfizer’s main European research centre, and a total of 2,400 jobs were to be axed – but the firm subsequently saved 650 posts.
Pfizer is leasing space to three life science companies: Mylan, York Bioscience and Peakdale. Seven former Pfizer employees have also set up a new business on the site to provide outsourcing services for the pharma industry.
Adam Hill
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