14.07.20
Manchester University NHS FT health innovation campus takes forward steps
A world-leading health innovation and precision medicine campus being established in Manchester, as part of a joint venture between Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) and Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP), has made significant progress forward.
The £25m, 92,000 sq ft Citylabs 2.0 facility reached practical completion, as the latest part of the Citylabs campus which will form a new national hub for precision medicine and data analytical businesses – accelerating innovation and translating cutting edge research into new healthcare diagnostics and treatments which can be quickly adopted into Manchester’s health system.
Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the Citylabs 2.0 site will create and support up to 1,500 jobs and add almost £150m into the Manchester economy over the next decade, alongside its positive impacts on the region’s health and research infrastructure.
The first phase of the development at MFT’s Oxford Road hospital campus – Citylabs 1.0 – has already found itself home to a thriving cluster of diagnostics, medtech, digital health and genomics businesses helping to drive forward the future of medicine and healthcare.
A leading global life sciences and diagnostic company, who employ more than 5,100 people across 35 countries, is set to occupy the whole of Citylabs 2.0 for its Global Centre of Excellence for Precision Medicine. It first announced the move to Citylabs 2.0 in 2017 as part of the UK government's Industrial Strategy and will recolate from their current base at the nearby Manchester Science Park once the fit out on the new building is completed next year.
Professor Neil Hanley, Director of Research and Innovation at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Professor of Emergency Medicine at The University of Manchester, said: “This is wonderful news. Our meeting back in 2017 feels like a very long time ago. A lot has changed since then.
“It is testament to the hard work and focus of everyone and especially the strength of our partnership that this project has been delivered so efficiently.”
Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, added: “The development of this new health innovation and precision medicine campus and the practical completion of Citylabs 2.0 helps confirm Manchester as a world leader in this vital industry, creating a raft of highly skilled health science jobs and providing an all-important economic boost to the city. Manchester’s future success depends on building on our distinctive strengths of which life sciences is definitely one.”
Main Image Credit: Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT)