Based at Liverpool Science Park, BioGrad is a Government-approved COVID-19 test provider and is expanding to create 150 jobs – 120 of which will be in Liverpool. Tony McDonough reports

Laboratory firm BioGrad Diagnostics is to open three new clinics and create 150 new jobs – 120 of them in Liverpool – in a seven-figure explains.

Based at Liverpool Science Park, in December BioGrad became the only North West-based firm to be added to the Government’s list of approved, private, COVID-19 test providers.

Now the business has announced it will open three new clinics in London – in central London, London Heathrow Airport and ExCel London. This will see 30 jobs created in the capital, and at other sites, and 120 at the Liverpool headquarters.

BioGrad guarantees all PCR test results within 24-hours, with a guaranteed six-hour PCR service also available. It already has clinics in Liverpool Science Park, Manchester Airport and Birmingham NEC. It partners with several hundred pharmacies throughout the UK to provide 24-hour PCR tests at its headquarters in Liverpool.

Dr Natalie Kenny, chief executive of BioGrad Diagnostics, said: “This is an incredibly exciting time for BioGrad, as we continue to invest heavily in our infrastructure and our people.

“Our growth far outstrips our original intentions for offering COVID testing in the first place, which was and remains to be about offering our expertise and facilities to help the country overcome the pandemic – to keep people safe, to allow people to travel and to keep schools and businesses open.

“It has never been about making a profit, and that’s why from day one we offered our testing facilities to schools at cost price, and covered the nursing costs ourselves. When many of our key workers are in low to medium paid jobs, it would be immoral of us to do it any other way.

BioGrad is the a leading UK laboratory-based learning provider for scientists who want professional scientist career development. The diagnostics arm was created during the first UK lockdown in 2020, when BioGrad realised it had the scientists, equipment and laboratory space available to help keep schools and businesses open.

The 120 jobs being created in Liverpool include a mix of clinical admin and scientist roles, plus a further 30 roles across BioGrad’s other sites. Profits from the diagnostics are being invested back into the business to fund further development and growth.