Lab Facilities Strengthen Nottingham’s Life Sciences Role

A new £30 million ‘Discovery Building', recently opened in Nottingham is set to cement the city's position as the UK's fastest growing life sciences community. The 50,000 sq ft of high-tech biology and chemistry laboratories along with office space is split across five-storeys, with ancillary space for commercial leasing for both start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Addressing the assembled guests at an evening event to open the new facility, the city's credentials in the sector and key role in the region's high-skilled economy were highlighted by Sir John Peace, Chair of the Midlands Engine:

"Last November, the Government published the Midlands Engine Science and Innovation Audit. It highlighted that the Midlands leads the way in the UK when it comes to medical technologies, employing 8,000 in the sector, with 95,000 employed in related supporting sectors such as research and experimental development in biotechnology.

"The £30m Discovery building, built with support from the D2N2 LEP and Nottingham City Council, adds to the success of BioCity Nottingham, the UK's largest bioscience incubator. This building will support more than 700 new bioscience roles in the city over the next 30 years and is certain to draw the best and brightest from around the UK."

Guests also learned more about the building's unique ‘Corona', sculpture, designed by artist Wolfgang Buttress. Linked to two NASA satellites, this brisle soleil both improves the energy efficiency of the building by day and by night, whilst lighting the exterior of the building through a curtain of aluminium poles which reflect the sun's solar flare activity.

The artwork was created by Nottingham artist Wolfgang Buttress using scientific research conducted by Dr Martin Bencsik from Nottingham Trent University.

Established in 2003, BioCity was one of the first Bioscience incubators, offering state-of-the-art laboratories and commercial office space to let/rent, alongside business support and services to early stage companies in the life sciences sector.