Bruntwood SciTech Completes £60m Greenheys Lab, Ushering UK Biobank's New Manchester Headquarters
核心洞察
Bruntwood SciTech (搜索) has completed Greenheys, a £60 million laboratory and workspace development at Manchester Science Park, delivered on time and on budget with UKRI funding support.
UK Biobank (搜索) will relocate 11 million biological samples and roughly half of its nearly 400-strong team to Greenheys as its new headquarters and research facility.
The new facility will enable UK Biobank (搜索)'s lab team to process samples four times faster than before, accelerating the pace of health research.
Bruntwood SciTech (搜索) has reached practical completion of Greenheys, a £60 million laboratory and workspace development at Manchester Science Park, marking a watershed moment for the city's life sciences ecosystem. The 131,000 sq ft facility, delivered on time and on budget by Willmott Dixon (搜索) with transformative funding support from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) (搜索), will become the new headquarters of UK Biobank (搜索), the world's most comprehensive source of biological, health and lifestyle information.
The completion positions Greenheys as Bruntwood SciTech (搜索)'s most scientifically capable space in Manchester, centred on flexible Containment Level 2 (CL2) labs featuring dedicated fume extraction units, high-spec LEV capacity and advanced air handling designed to facilitate sophisticated analytical and research work. The development also incorporates high-security access, clinical waste and chemical storage, and goods-in areas with dedicated service lifts and loading bays engineered for moving samples, equipment and materials at scale.
A catalyst for the Northern knowledge economy
Jonathan Breeze, Bruntwood's executive vice-president of academic markets, framed the development as a potential "lightning rod" for Manchester's science ecosystem, which he described as "still in its infancy" compared with the so-called "golden triangle" of London, Cambridge and Oxford.
"So hopefully, Greenheys acts as a bit of a lightning rod and really puts Manchester on a more global stage and adds to the already unique mix in the Oxford Road Corridor," Breeze told Research Professional News.
The facility will slot into Manchester's knowledge quarter around the Oxford Road Corridor, close to the city's two universities. Asked how many research jobs the site would support, the developer said between 240 and 600. Manchester's science, R&D and tech sectors are projected to contribute nearly a quarter of the city's economy by 2028, according to Savills.
Sam Darby, Development Director at Bruntwood SciTech (搜索), said: "Manchester and the wider North West stands at the crossroads of a significant opportunity for economic development. The huge potential of the region's innovation sector hinges on the development of the networks and spaces that ambitious businesses need to grow."
UK Biobank (搜索)'s new home and accelerated sample processing
UK Biobank (搜索) will relocate from its former home in Stockport to Greenheys, bringing with it 11 million biological samples from ultra-low temperature automated storage, alongside half of its nearly 400-strong team. The move was made possible in part by a £127.6 million investment from the UKRI Infrastructure Fund.
Professor Sir Rory Collins, Chief Executive and Principal Investigator of UK Biobank (搜索), said: "The completion of our Manchester home marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for UK Biobank. Our dedicated lab team will soon be able to process millions of samples from our generous participants four times faster than before, accelerating the pace of health research."
UK Biobank (搜索) provides approved researchers around the world with access to health and lifestyle information from half a million UK volunteers, data that underpins breakthrough discoveries in disease prevention and treatment.
"Being located alongside the University and a thriving life sciences community will also create new opportunities for collaboration and partnership across the wider UK Biobank (搜索) team, while providing a modern, purpose-built working environment for colleagues," Collins added.
Strengthening a globally significant research cluster
Dr Ceri Williams, Executive Director of Challenge Led Themes at the Medical Research Council – part of UKRI – and Senior Responsible Owner for the project, said: "As one of the world's most important health research resources, UK Biobank (搜索) provides researchers around the globe with access to data and biological samples that underpin breakthroughs in disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Through our investment in UK Biobank's new headquarters and automated sample store, we are strengthening its capacity and reach, enabling discoveries that improve lives and reinforcing the UK's position as a global leader in life sciences and health research."
Henri Murison, Chief Executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, described Greenheys as "a major addition to the Northern Growth Corridor's science and innovation infrastructure," adding that the development "will further strengthen the Oxford Road Corridor as a globally important cluster."
The BREEAM Excellent, fully electric development is also home to Manchester city centre's largest living wall, made up of 160,000 plants over 1,700 sq metres of space. Bruntwood SciTech (搜索) has prioritised local economic impact, with 99% of project spend retained within 40 miles of the site. Willmott Dixon (搜索)'s Northern Managing Director, Anthony Dillon, noted that alongside its supply chain partners, the project donated nearly £30,000 to local community projects and created 101 weeks of work placements, 1,126 weeks of apprenticeships and 21 new employment opportunities.
While most of the laboratory space in Greenheys is yet to be taken, Breeze said Bruntwood SciTech (搜索) expects the facility to be fully occupied within 18 months.