The expansion of Manchester’s health innovation campus Citylabs, first announced in October last year, has been given the green light.
The new £35m development will grow the existing Citylabs campus by 125,000 sq ft.
The expansion is a collaboration with Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP) and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) on behalf of Bruntwood SciTech and marks the next phase of the scheme.
Existing Citylabs 1.0 is home to a cluster of diagnostics, medtech, digital health and genomics businesses.
The second phase, the £25m Citylabs 2.0, is currently under construction and 100% pre-let.
Due for completion in summer 2020, it will be home to global diagnostics company QIAGEN, who will base their European Hub for Diagnostics Development at the campus.
The new development Citylabs 4.0 on Manchester’s Oxford Road Corridor innovation district, will become Europe’s largest clinical academic campus and is set to generate around £3bn in GVA each year.
Citylabs 4.0 will be built at the south of the MFT Oxford Road campus, adjacent to Citylabs 2.0, and provide seven floors of office and lab space where genomics, digital health and precision medicine research will be translated into new healthcare diagnostics and treatments.
Businesses at Citylabs have access to clinical and academic collaborators located on the campus, a programme of business support and a talent pool generated from the surrounding hospitals and student population.
Tom Renn, managing director of MSP and Bruntwood SciTech – Manchester, said: “As evidenced by the current global health challenge, there has never been a more urgent time for strengthening and investing the UK life science sector and so we are extremely pleased that Citylabs 4.0 has had its planning consent approved, and look forward to continuing the creation of a world-leading health innovation hub at the campus.”
Professor Neil Hanley, Director of Research and Innovation for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), added: “We welcome the very positive news that Citylabs 4.0 has received planning permission. At MFT, we are all rightly proud that the Citylabs approach has brought together NHS, academic and commercial sectors, completely in line with the UK Government’s Life Sciences Industrial Strategy.
“In the current trying circumstances, the importance of continual research and innovation becomes ever more obvious as we strive to make the new discoveries that benefit our patients, the public and UK economy.”