Cell and Gene Therapy Training Centre to Boost Skills Pipeline

Plans to build a new therapy integration laboratory at the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT) facility in Stevenage will be part-funded by the Government’s Getting Building Fund. The new laboratory, announced by CGT and Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), will provide cell and gene therapy manufacturing training utilising both digital and established teaching platforms on equipment capable of large-scale manufacture. The laboratory supports the national drive for skills development and complements existing skills initiatives coordinated by CGT Catapult, including the Advanced Therapies Skills Training Network (ATSTN) and the Advanced Therapies Apprenticeship Community (ATAC).

Hertfordshire LEP selected five key projects to receive a share of its £16.8m allocation from Government’s Getting Building Fund, which aims to kick-start local economic recovery. The five projects are set to deliver over 1,500 high value jobs across high-tech sectors including film and TV; cell and gene therapies; advanced therapeutics; and smart construction.

The cell and gene therapy integration laboratory was awarded £3,055,880 which will enable the CGT Catapult to equip the laboratory with the latest digital technologies including augmented reality, high-throughput manufacturing platforms and advanced analytics for the industrial manufacture of cell and gene therapies.

 Paul Witcombe, Head of Enterprise and Innovation, Hertfordshire LEP, said: “We are delighted to have secured further investment to support future advances in cell and gene therapies. Skills digitalisation is a key differentiator and is absolutely critical if the UK is to remain a global centre of excellence in this sector.”