UK Biobank is to receive £127m from the UK Research and Innovation Infrastructure Fund to fund a move to a purpose-built facility at Bruntwood SciTech’s Manchester Science Park.
The biobank’s samples, laboratories, headquarters and around half of its 250 staff will move to the new Greenheys facility, which is being developed with the support of The University of Manchester.
Professor Sir Rory Collins, principal investigator and CEO of UK Biobank, said: “We are thrilled to be moving to a world-leading centre for genomics and data, where we can build on existing relationships with The University of Manchester. We are incredibly grateful to UKRI for their funding and support, which will enable us to consider new ways to enrich the data and make UK Biobank even more valuable for health research.
“The improved technologies and capacity at our new home will also make it quicker and easier for researchers from around the world to conduct vital research into common and life-threatening diseases and enable new scientific discoveries that improve human health.”
Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, chief executive of UK Research and Innovation, added: “UKRI is proud to invest in cutting-edge infrastructure across the UK to drive discovery, strengthen innovative businesses and improve public services, creating a wide range of high-quality jobs.
“UK Biobank is one of the UK’s leading biomedical science infrastructures, providing essential resources for thousands of academic and industry projects in the UK and around the world. Demand is growing year-on-year as UK Biobank’s datasets get richer over time. The insights enabled by UK Biobank have already driven change in the NHS and we look forward to seeing this powerful resource continue to thrive.”
Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, president and vice-chancellor of The University of Manchester and member of UK Biobank’s board, said: “I’m very pleased that UK Biobank has chosen to move here as it is yet more evidence of how Manchester has become one of the world’s leading hubs for science and innovation. UK Biobank will be joining the community of stellar research organisations that are already working with The University of Manchester to make a difference across the UK and around the world.”
Kath Mackay, director of life sciences at Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Manchester is a world-renowned hub for science and technology, and the ability for UK Biobank to grow here is testament to the quality of talent, innovation and support within the city. The development of Greenheys represents the third phase of our masterplan to grow Manchester Science Park to more than 1m sq ft of cutting-edge life sciences and tech space which, critically, will support the creation of over 2,500 jobs as Manchester’s Oxford Road Corridor continues to thrive.”
The new scheme is subject to planning approval by Manchester City Council. UK Biobank’s relocation is supported by Arcadis and Metro-Dynamics. Bruntwood SciTech’s facility design team is led by BDP Manchester with Silcock Leedham, DW Consulting, Walker Sime and Deloitte.
