UK Selects Site for National Biologics Manufacturing Centre
The £38m ($57m) centre – plans for which were discussed by Chancellor George Osborne in March – will be an open-access facility in which biopharmaceutical firms can conduct process development and scale-up experiments.
In a statement the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) – which will manage the centre – said an independent industry advisory board chose Darlington based on its accessibility and close proximity to existing pharmaceutical companies and relevant universities.
The news was welcomed by Steve Bates, CEO of The BioIndustry Association, who said: “The centre will help the UK capture more of the expanding global market in high value, high quality manufacture of biologic medicines.”
The announcement coincided with the news that the Medical Research Council and the Technology Strategy Board had committing £26m to support firms developing life sciences projects in the third round of the Biomedical Catalyst funding programme.
Around 39 companies have been awarded grants including firms based in Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland, one in Swansea, Wales and several in England.
