Pharmaceutical Industry News
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Moderna’s New Base Puts Harwell at the Heart of UK Vaccine Innovation
Leading science and innovation centre, Harwell Campus, has been chosen as Moderna’s UK base in a £150 million scheme. Construction will begin this year, with the facility anticipated to operate from 2025.
In an investment which will create hundreds of jobs across Oxfordshire and the UK, pharmaceutical giant Moderna has selected Harwell Campus for its pioneering research and development facility.
The site is home to a £200 million Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre, which started construction in 2020. At the height of the pandemic, it was also designated as one of just seven Life Sciences Opportunity Zones (LSOZ) in the UK. Harwell’s Cluster Manager, explains:
Our LSOZ status helps attract investment into the sector from organisations like Moderna. Together with the cross-disciplinary knowledge, breadth and depth of skills that exist at Harwell, the Health Tech Cluster is perfectly placed to accelerate research and validate technology to meet the evolving global health challenges that we face.
Dr. Adrian Hill, Harwell Health Tech Cluster Development Manager
A National Health Hub
Since its launch in 2016, Harwell Campus’ thriving Health Tech Cluster has grown to over 70 life science organisations. And soon, Moderna will help to further cement its position as a frontrunner in the UK’s pandemic resilience strategy.
The biotechnology company’s new Innovation and Technology Centre plans have been given the green light and will be made up of two buildings totalling 145,000 square feet. This will encompass a research, development and manufacturing facility. As a result, Moderna will be able to provide NHS patients with access to cutting-edge mNRA vaccines to fight against future variants of COVID, as well as other respiratory diseases.
We look forward to joining the Harwell Campus Health Tech Cluster and contributing to the UK’s science and innovation community through investments in R&D. Our facility at Harwell will harness mRNA science to develop and deliver tailored, innovative vaccines to the UK public that address particular threats from respiratory viruses facing our population.
Darius Hughes, Moderna UK General Manager
A New Era of Medicine
During the Covid pandemic, the mRNA technology proved to be one of the swiftest pathways to vaccine development. Experts are optimistic about its potential to help in various other areas, including cancer, flu and heart disease. Harwell’s Chief Executive, expands:
mRNA technology has the capability to transform how we treat a variety of diseases and enhance UK resilience against future pandemics. I’m delighted to welcome Moderna to Harwell Campus, and our thriving health tech cluster. We’re entering a new era of medicine so it’s important that we build cutting edge facilities to reflect this, with spaces that promote innovation and encourage collaboration.
Stuart Grant, Harwell Campus Chief Executive
The investment has been described as a momentous transaction for the UK life science market, helping to deliver growth for Moderna and elevate Harwell as a national health hub for pioneering research and development.
Leading the project is Glencar Construction, who previously delivered the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre at Harwell Campus.
Life science and pharmaceutical projects are complex, controlled environments that require significant design and engineering ability to ensure they are delivered correctly. We are absolutely delighted to be delivering this pioneering research and development facility.
Eddie McGillycuddy, Glencar Chief Executive
At ALLpaQ, we like to highlight success stories and it’s great to see that Britain will continue to be at the forefront of the life sciences and the global fights against pandemics – with innovative investment and developments like this.
