Proposed plans aim to establish Liverpool as the go-to location for the development of new types of treatments, medicines, and pharmaceuticals are back on the table.
The University of Liverpool plans to invest over £20 million in order to construct the new Bio Innovation Hub on Crowne Street, just a stone’s throw from Liverpool’s new Royal Hospital.
This decision to forge ahead with the building means that the development is once again viable, after the failure of a previous funding bid to build a Bio Innovation Centre on hospital land near Daulby Street two years ago.
The prior scheme saw promoter attempting to raise grant money from the British Government’s Regional Growth Fund but resulted in rejection on the basis that the investment did not represent sufficient value for money.
The newly proposed Bio Innovation Hub will now include laboratory space and offices for small and medium sized life sciences businesses to research new techniques that could be used to combat cancer and other diseases.
The university project will benefit from financial backing by the European Regional Development Fund.
Professor Munir Pirmohamed, head of the Wolfson Centre for Personalised Medicine, said:
“The Liverpool Bio Innovation Hub will foster collaborative working between researchers at the University, NHS partners, and many different types of companies to ensure that medical research is translated effectively into outputs that will benefit patients.
“It provides industry with access to expertise, biosamples and high-end equipment, as well as opportunities for researchers to work with commercial enterprises.”
Words: Peter Cribley