GSK plans move to new £400 million R&D site at Cambridge Biomedical Campus

GSK has announced plans for a 300,000-square-foot global research and development centre at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, where more than 1,000 scientists will work as the company strengthens its UK research network

GSK has announced plans to establish a major global research and development (R&D) centre at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus as part of a £400 million investment in its UK scientific operations.

The 300,000-square-foot (27,900 square metres) facility will accommodate more than 1,000 GSK scientists and house the company’s UK R&D operations. GSK has planned a phased transfer of employees to Cambridge by 2029.

The centre will occupy a site under development by the logistics property company Prologis. Its location at Cambridge Biomedical Campus places it at the heart of the UK life sciences ‘Golden Triangle’ which links research clusters based in Cambridge, London and Oxford. Cambridge Biomedical Campus is one of Europe’s largest centres for biomedical research, clinical care and life sciences.

The company has planned technology-enabled laboratories and research infrastructure to support work in oncology, respiratory medicine, hepatology, vaccines and HIV.

More than 22,000 people work at Cambridge Biomedical Campus and more than 37,000 people visit it each day. And more than one million patients receive treatment there each year. The surrounding cluster also includes more than 470 biopharmaceutical, biotechnology and AI companies.

“This investment will accelerate our R&D,” said Luke Miels, chief executive officer of GSK, adding that the move would integrate GSK more closely with one of the world’s principal centres of scientific knowledge and underline the appeal of the UK to the worldwide life sciences sector.

“The campus provides exceptional opportunities for collaboration,” said Dr. Tony Wood, chief scientific officer at GSK, describing Cambridge as one of the world’s strongest life sciences ecosystems, with leading universities, hospitals and biotechnology companies.

As part of the reorganisation, GSK will vacate its R&D site at Stevenage in Hertfordshire. Employees will transfer in phases to Cambridge and to the company’s existing laboratories at Ware, also in Hertfordshire.