Birmingham’s life sciences jobs boost is just what the doctor ordered
Greater Birmingham’s growing reputation as a centre for the UK’s life sciences sector is being showcased at the MIPIM property exhibition with special emphasis on Selly Oak’s Institute of Translational Medicine.
International delegates at Greater Birmingham’s stand in Cannes will hear from speakers including architect Glenn Howells who is working with University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Birmingham to provide a world-class research and clinical treatment centre in the city.
The new Institute, due to open in June, will help to turn the latest findings from the University into enhanced treatments for patients across a range of major health issues, including cancer and liver disease.
The ITM will support the development of a Life Sciences Campus in Selly Oak – a new 40,000 sq m campus designed by GHA as part of a 12 hectare mixed use, canalside scheme that is set to create over 7,000 jobs.
Greater Birmingham is home to more than 550 medical technology companies, more than any other UK area, and MIPIM delegates will be given an insight into the progress of one of its fastest-emerging industries at an event profiling the new developments that promise to push the sector forward in 2015.
Delegates will also learn more about Birmingham’s Edgbaston Medical Quarter (EMQ), owned by property investment and development company Calthorpe Estates. EMQ is currently home to some 180 medical organisations; 80 hospitals and specialist care centres; along with 44 GP clinics and routine care facilities; and 23 training centres. Mark Lee, Chief Executive of Calthorpe Estates, commented:
Unlike London and Cambridge, Birmingham is not limited by availability of land for technology parks, manufacturing and commercial premises.
Calthorpe Estates’ long-established understanding of the property market and collaborating approach with our partners has given us a great deal of knowledge about what people in healthcare and life sciences need. We are aware that one size does not fit all, and need to provide the right space, in the right location
EMQ has got everything from incubator space and buildings for consulting rooms, to land and development opportunities of real scale, such as Pebble Mill, because we realise how critical the range of offer is.
The new developments follow the opening of The BioHub – a new biomedical facility at Birmingham Research Park in Edgbaston – in October last year. NanoTi, a Hungarian start-up specialising in surface treatment for titanium dental and orthopaedic implants to combat infection, has become the site’s first tenant.
Sir Albert Bore, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said:
Life sciences will become increasingly valuable to Birmingham’s economy as the sector continues to grow.
BioHub Birmingham is now open for business – and is already attracting tenants – while the city’s Institute of Translational Medicine opens in June, and work is underway at the Life Sciences Campus in Selly Oak.
Our cutting-edge facilities and expertise will be a huge draw for life sciences companies across the globe, providing a huge economic boost and new employment opportunities for the local area.
The event at MIPIM takes place after the launch of a new Life Sciences Commission by the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP), which will create a roadmap of the local life sciences industry to help boost its expansion. The Commission will involve stakeholders including the NHS, universities, local and national government, and private sector partners. The Commission’s Chair, Graham Silk, said:
The life sciences industry in Greater Birmingham and Solihull is set to deliver huge benefits for the region – by creating new jobs and boosting the skills of our workforce, but ultimately by helping to fight serious conditions faced by millions across the world. MIPIM will be used as a platform to secure international investment for our world-class facilities, to help the life sciences sector reach its full potential in the region.
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