GlaxoSmithKline PLC (LON:GSK) is looking for a buyer for 33 acres of land where it hopes to co-develop a large ‘cluster’ or 'campus' for biotech and other early-stage life science companies.
Selling the land, which is part of the FTSE 100 company’s existing 92-acre research & development site in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, should “unlock” up to £400mln in new investment from a property developer to build the new campus, it said.
GSK’s senior vice president for medicinal science & technology, Tony Wood, said the proposals followed the unveiling of the UK’s 10-year vision for the life sciences sector.
“Our goal is for Stevenage to emerge as a top destination for medical and scientific research by the end of the decade. We are excited to find a development partner to realise our vision to foster the next generation of world-class scientists and biotechnology firms in Britain.”
The site is already the UK’s largest cell and gene therapy cluster, containing GSK’s R&D operations and two public-private partnerships, the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst.
Building on this base, the new campus or cluster “could attract several world-class research organisations to Stevenage, creating exciting opportunities for collaboration in a state of the art, life science ecosystem”, the company said, with space for up to 5,000 highly-skilled jobs over the next five to ten years.